Sports
Injuries haven't slowed Dodgers ahead of Phillies' visit
May 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (44) reacts after a play during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Soaring once more despite a rash of injuries, the Los Angeles Dodgers will play host to a playoff rematch starting Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Dodgers lost a pair of position players this week when infielder Enrique Hernandez’s return from elbow surgery was cut short by an oblique injury, and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went down with a hamstring injury.
The club returned infielder Alex Freeland to the roster from Triple-A Oklahoma City, while Alex Call and longtime power-hitting minor leaguer Ryan Ward will share time in left field.
“It’s pretty frustrating for us,” Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages said of the injuries, according to ESPN. “We have the opportunity to see them work hard every day and prepare so that those things don’t happen. But (injuries are) going to happen all the time.”
Pages has been doing his part of late. He was moved up to the No. 2 spot in the order this week and has three home runs in his past four games. The Dodgers are riding a team-wide power surge, with eight home runs in the past two games.
The club has won five straight games and 12 of its past 14 contests.
Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (6-2, 3.07 ERA) is set to take the mound in the series opener. He has just one career appearance against the Phillies and it was a struggle when he gave up five runs while recording just one out in relief last season.
Wrobleski opened the season 5-0 with a 1.25 ERA through six starts, but he is 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA over his last three outings.
The last time the Phillies played in Los Angeles, they were eliminated from the National League Division Series in a bizarre ending. Right-hander Orion Kerkering was left in tears after making a wild throw home with two outs instead of taking the out at first base to extend the game.
The miscue gave Los Angeles a 2-1 series-clinching victory in the 11th inning of Game 4.
Kerkering seems to be using the moment as inspiration with a 2.21 ERA through his first 23 appearances this season.
The Phillies enter the series off a three-game sweep at San Diego, allowing just three runs in the series.
Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez is on a franchise-record 44 2/3-inning scoreless streak but will not pitch in the series. Instead, Philadelphia will turn to right-hander Zack Wheeler (4-0, 1.67), who is on his own scoreless innings streak.
Wheeler did not allow a run in either of his last two outings, and he is coming off a start Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians when he had six strikeouts over six scoreless innings while earning the win.
Wheeler is 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA in seven career starts against the Dodgers.
The series will mark the return of former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly to Los Angeles. Mattingly has guided the Phillies to a 20-8 turnaround since Rob Thomson was fired with a 9-19 record to start the season.
“Obviously, the Dodgers have been the world champions the last two years, so they’re going to bring plenty of trouble for us,” said Mattingly, who managed the Dodgers from 2011-15. “But we just got to play good baseball and take care of our own business and keep it simple. Usually, the team that plays the best baseball wins, so just look at it like that.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Grayson Rodriguez and surging Angels shut down Tigers
May 28, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (21) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Grayson Rodriguez allowed one run and two hits over five innings to help the visiting Los Angeles Angels to a 7-1 win against the Detroit Tigers in the rubber game of their three-game series on Thursday afternoon.
Rodriguez (2-1) struck out five and walked two in his third start of the season since being activated from the injured list on May 17 because of shoulder inflammation and soreness that developed during spring training.
The 26-year-old right-hander was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in November for outfielder Taylor Ward.
Donovan Walton had three hits and scored two runs, Mike Trout had two hits, two RBIs and a run scored, and Zach Neto had two hits, an RBI and scored a run for the Angels, who have won five of six, including back-to-back series for the first time this season.
Detroit right-hander Jack Flaherty (0-7) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and six hits with nine strikeouts and a walk.
Wenceel Perez doubled and homered for the Tigers, who have lost 10 of 12.
With two outs in the second, Perez homered into the first row in right-center field to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.
Angels right fielder Jo Adell led off the fifth with a 110-mph line drive into the left-center field gap for a double. He moved to third on a wild pitch with one out and came home on a single through the left side of the drawn-in infield by Sebastian Rivero to tie it 1-1.
Following a single by Walton, Neto doubled down the third-base line to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead. Trout was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Vaughn Grissom delivered a sacrifice fly to center to extend the lead to 3-1.
Trout walked to lead off the eighth and Grissom hit a line drive into the gap in left center, scoring Trout from first for a 4-1 lead. Jorge Soler then singled home Grissom to make it 5-1.
Trout drove in two more in the ninth with a double to deep center field to make it 7-1.
After surrendering the home run to Perez, Rodriguez retired the next nine in a row.
Angels reliever Drew Pomeranz came off the 15-day injured list on Thursday and threw a scoreless sixth. Jose Fermin got a double play to end the seventh. Sam Bachman struck out Riley Greene with the bases loaded to end the eighth, and Ryan Zeferjahn stranded two more in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NBA owners ratify anti-tanking lottery system
Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to media after the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The NBA owners voted on Thursday to approve anti-tanking measures that will go into effect with the 2027 draft.
By a reported 29-1 margin, the NBA ratified a new lottery system that disincentivizes teams from trying to finish last in the league. Here’s how the “3-2-1” plan endorsed by commissioner Adam Silver will work:
The teams that post the worst three records during the regular season each will receive two ping-pong balls for the lottery drawing. That’s the same number that will be allocated to the four teams that finish ninth and 10th in the conference standings.
The two teams that lose the play-in tournament games between the No. 7 and 8 seeds will receive one ball.
The seven teams that neither take part in the play-in tournament nor finish among the bottom three will earn three lottery balls apiece.
All told, there will be 37 balls in the hopper. That gives the teams finishing 21st through 27th during the regular season an 8.1% chance to secure the No. 1 pick, while the bottom three only have a 5.4% chance.
Under the system being replaced, the bottom three teams enjoyed a 14% chance to win the top pick while the next seven teams’ chances varied from 3 to 11.5%.
With the new system that will be in effect for at least the 2027-29 draft, no team can win the No. 1 pick in back-to-back lotteries and no team can collect a top-five pick in three straight lotteries.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff charge into French Open 3rd round
May 26, 2026; Paris, France; Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot during her match against Jessica Boozes Maneiro of Spain on day three at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images A pair of top seeds advanced to the third round of the French Open with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and No. 4 Coco Gauff earning straight-set victories Thursday at Paris.
No. 6 Amanda Anisimova also advanced along with No. 16 Naomi Osaka of Japan, No. 17 Iva Jovic, No. 19 Madison Keys, No. 22 Anna Kalinskaya of Russia and No. 25 Diana Shnaider of Russia.
Sabalenka got through France’s Elsa Jacquemot, earning a 7-5, 6-2 victory over the local favorite. The win set up a third-round match with unseeded Daria Kasatkina of Australia, who claimed a 7-5, 7-6 (11) victory over Susan Bandecchi of Switzerland.
Sabalenka won 68% of her first-service points and saved 5 of 7 break points while converting half of the 10 break points she earned. After trading breaks of serve early in the first set, Sabalenka broke serve again to finish off the first set.
“That was a very tough opponent. Tricky match,” Sabalenka said. “I’m happy that I closed it in straight sets.”
The second set was a breeze with Sabalenka breaking serve twice to take a 5-1 lead and again breaking serve to finish off the match.
“She played really incredible tennis and forced me to step in and play on another level,” Sabalenka said. “I am happy I could handle it and win.”
Gauff, the defending champion, earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Mayar Sherif of Egypt. It was the 80th grand-slam main-draw win in Gauff’s career.
Gauff lost serve twice in a tight first set that lasted more than a hour before closing out the match to earn a matchup against No. 28 seed Anastasia Potapova of Austria in the third round.
“It was a physical, tough match. I was really tested today. It took a lot of strength today,” Gauff said of the 1-hour, 51-minute match. “I will be focusing on getting more my rhythm back because I did not have it today.”
Anisimova handed Austria’s Julia Grabher a 6-0 defeat in their opening set before Grabher retired. Anisimova, who lost just six points in that set, will meet France’s Diane Parry in the third round.
Osaka collected a 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over Dona Vekic of Croatia by winning 71% of her first-service points and converting 5 of 11 break-point chances.
Jovic moved on with an easy 6-0, 6-3 victory over fellow American Emma Navarro, while Keys registered a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Antonia Ruzic of Croatia. Kalinskaya advanced with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over fellow Russian Alina Korneeva while Shnaider knocked off McCartney Kessler 7-6 (3), 6-1.
Potapova was the only seeded player who needed three sets to advance. After dropping the first set 7-5 to Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, Potapova responded by taking the next two sets 6-4, 6-2.
Two seeded players could not rally like Potapova. No. 23 seed Elise Mertens of Germany was eliminated 6-4, 6-0 by Maja Chwalinska of Poland while No. 30 Ann Li was sent home 6-3, 6-4 by Parry.
Unseeded players to advance included Maria Sakkari of Greece, Camila Osorio of Colombia and Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine.
–Field Level Media
Grayson Rodriguez and surging Angels shut down Tigers
NBA owners ratify anti-tanking lottery system
