The Sports Report: What will Dodgers do before trade deadline?

From Jack Harris: The Dodgers have been here before.

This time last year, in a season that bore so many similarities to their current one, a first-place and highly touted Dodgers team temporarily lost its way.

Amid a deluge of pitching injuries (sound familiar?) and the absence of one of its hottest early-season hitters (Mookie Betts, who suffered a broken hand close to the same time Max Muncy went down with a knee injury this year), the club stumbled backward into the All-Star break, going 2-8 in its final 10 games of the first half and 1-5 in a Philadelphia/Detroit road trip that exposed undeniable flaws in its star-studded roster.

Twelve months later, another pre-All-Star-break tailspin has struck the now defending champions.

The Dodgers have lost six games in a row, swept in back-to-back series by the Houston Astros and the Milwaukee Brewers. Their romp through June and the first days of July (when they won 20 times in a 30-game stretch) has been stalled by sudden regression lately, with lackluster offense and a worn-down pitching staff contributing to the organization’s longest losing streak since April 2019.

Now, as he did then, manager Dave Roberts has downplayed any alarm.

“I think it is under the ‘it’s just baseball’ type thing,” Roberts said Wednesday after the Dodgers’ most deflating loss of their skid yet. “You never like to lose six in a row. It seems like we’re pitching OK. The defense at times has been really good. It’s just that right now we’re scuffling offensively, to have that big inning or to build an inning and get that big hit.”

But, also like back then, frustration is mounting as the Dodgers approach the trade deadline.

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MLB standings

MLB scores

DODGERS

From Bill Shaikin: In Sacramento, the Athletics are mired in last place, struggling to fill the minor league ballpark they call home. That does not mean our state capitol is lacking for some serious hardball.

California legislators, meet our old friend, Frank McCourt.

McCourt, the former Dodgers owner, first pitched a gondola from Union Station to Dodger Stadium in 2018. The most recent development, from May: An appellate court ordered a redo of the environmental impact report, citing two defects that needed to be remedied.

At the time, a project spokesman categorized those defects as “minor, technical matters” and said they could be “addressed quickly.”

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LAKERS

Lakers guard Bronny James, left, controls the ball in front of Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg during the Lakers’ Summer League loss Thursday.

(Ryan Stetz / NBAE via Getty Images)

From Broderick Turner: The Thomas & Mack Center public-address announcer called it the “main event” at the NBA Summer League, with Lakers’ second-year guard Bronny James and Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg at the center of it all.

The fans didn’t have to wait long for the moment they all came to see when Flagg, the first overall pick in the draft out of Duke, defended against James from the start of the game.

The atmosphere was electric until the end, with Flagg’s Mavericks pulling out an 87-85 win after James missed a three-pointer seconds before the final buzzer.

“It’s Summer League and everyone is going to come out for the first game,” James said. “Like, it’s going to be a crazy atmosphere, no matter what. So I just try to embrace it.”

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BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Trucks unload some of the 300 tons of sand that will be used to host an AVP tournament at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood this weekend.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

From Kara Alexander: AVP, the biggest and longest-running professional volleyball league, will play matches in an NBA arena for the first time this weekend in Inglewood.

A crew picked up 16 dump truck loads from a quarry in Palm Springs, delivering 300 tons of sand into the Intuit Dome for AVP League matches on Friday and Saturday.

The crew constructed a wooden sandbox barrier to protect the arena floor. The sand, pre-washed and compacted upon arrival, was dumped into an 18-inch wooden frame, with elements such as hospitality added to help remove debris from the air.

“If all goes well, it’s about a six- to eight-hour build from start to finish with the court,” said Logan Dan, head of operations for AVP Professional Beach Volleyball Tours. “It takes about six hours to build the court specifically.”

Once the event concludes, the crew dismantles the frame and removes the sand using equipment that looks like a modified small tractor.

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SPARKS

Sparks wing Rae Burrell shoots over Minnesota forward Bridget Carleton during the first half of the Sparks’ 91-82 loss Thursday.

(Harry How / Getty Images)

From Ira Gorawara: For nearly four magical minutes in the first quarter, an upset of the WNBA’s best team seemed scarily possible.

What seemed scarier, perhaps, was that the team doing the damage spent most of the season fighting to crawl out of the league’s cellar.

For those 3 minutes and 59 seconds, the Sparks rattled off 16 consecutive points as Crypto.com Arena transformed into both a basketball spectacle and animated musical. The children in nearly every section of the Sparks’ home smacked their thundersticks like war drums as tiny voices belted out lyrics to songs from “SpongeBob SquarePant,s” “Moana” and “Frozen.”

It was a mini-Disneyland inside the Sparks’ building on Kids Day, the entire bowl pulsating with shrieks, slaps and sugar highs. For a fleeting stretch, it felt like an exhilarating return to the mid-2010s.

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COLLEGES

From Steve Henson: Long Beach City College football coach Brett Peabody has agreed to resign following backlash from a profane direct message he sent to an online publisher who is critical of President Trump.

On the day of Trump’s inauguration in January, Peabody sent a private message to Aaron Rupar, who has nearly 1 million followers on X. Rupar, in turn, made the message public.

“You’re done you sorry fascist scumbag, hope you get held accountable for the bulls— that yiu e spread. Justice is in the horizon kiddo,” Peabody’s direct message read. He then added “you’ve*” to correct his own typo.

Rupar shared the message on his X account and added, “I get lots of threatening DMs but I usually don’t get them from head coaches of college football programs.” That post has been viewed 1.2 million times and reposted by 4,200 users as of Wednesday.

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CRICKET

Unmukt Chand, of Major League Cricket’s L.A. Knight Riders, has a 33.6 run average this year.

(Andrew Hancock / For The Times)

From Ira Gorawara: After captaining India to an Under-19 World Cup title in 2012 — with arguably the finest performance of his life — Unmukt Chand struggled to even watch his country play on TV.

He donned the royal blue and molten orange jersey as part of India A — the second rung of the national team ladder — but Chand’s performance dipped and his name eventually disappeared from the game-day roster for his home state team in Delhi.

After years gunning for India’s main team, Chand found himself circling the fringes. His early stardom never quite translated into a stable senior career as opportunities dried up in a system overflowing with talent. By 2021, the dream was still alive, but the runway had faded and Chand decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket.

“To let go of that feeling was something which took me time, and obviously I had to do my own catharsis. I had self-identity doubts,” Chand said.

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ANGELS

Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz delivers during an 11-4 loss to the Texas Rangers on Thursday night.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Marcus Semien went four for five and Corey Seager hit a two-run single in a seven-run third inning to help the Texas Rangers rout the Angels 11-4 on Thursday night for a split of their four-game series.

Patrick Corbin (6-7) allowed two runs and seven hits with six strikeouts in five innings to win his second consecutive start. Jacob Latz allowed a run over 3 1/3 innings of relief with six strikeouts.

Semien had three hits with an RBI and two runs scored in the first three innings. Seager went two for three as seven of nine starters drove in at least one run for Texas during a 13-hit outburst.

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Angels-Rangers box score

CHARGERS

Chargers running back Najee Harris speaks at a news conference at the Chargers’ training facility in El Segundo in March shortly after signing with the team.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Chargers running back Najee Harris sustained a minor eye injury during a holiday weekend fireworks accident, but the prized free-agent signing will be ready for the upcoming season, his agent confirmed to The Times on Thursday after reports and online rumors prompted speculation of a more severe injury.

“Najee Harris was present at a 4th of July event where a fireworks mishap resulted in injuries to several attendees,” Harris’ agent, Doug Hendrickson, said in a statement. “Najee sustained a superficial eye injury during the incident, but is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.”

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TENNIS

Amanda Anisimova reacts after winning a point against top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka during a semifinal match at Wimbledon on Thursday.

(Kirsty Wigglesworth / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: A little more than two years ago, Amanda Anisimova took a break from tennis because of burnout. A year ago, working her way back into the game, the American lost when she had to go through qualifying for Wimbledon because her ranking of 189th was too low to get into the main bracket automatically.

Look at Anisimova now: She’s a Grand Slam finalist for the first time after upsetting No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a compelling contest at a steamy Centre Court on Thursday.

In Saturday’s final, Anisimova will face Iga Swiatek, who is a five-time major champion but advanced to her first title match at the All England Club with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Belinda Bencic.

Swiatek was dominant throughout, never letting Bencic get into their semifinal and wrapping things up in 71 minutes with serves at up to 119 mph and twice as many winners, 26, as unforced errors, 13.

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MIXED-MARTIAL ARTS

From Chuck Schilken: Ben Askren has been through a lot during the past six weeks.

The former Olympic wrestler and MMA fighter underwent a double lung transplant after suffering a severe case of pneumonia, according to numerous updates posted on Facebook by his wife, Amy, starting June 7.

On Wednesday, Askren provided his own update in an Instagram video shot from a hospital bed. In it, he shared positive news about his recovery, along with the rather shocking revelation that he “died four times” during the ordeal.

“I actually just read through my wife’s journal because I don’t remember anything from May 28 to July 2,” said Askren, who coughed frequently throughout the video. “No recollection, zero idea, no idea what happened. … It’s like a movie. It’s ridiculous.

“So I only died four times, where the ticker stopped for about 20 seconds. That’s not ideal, you guys know that. But I got the double lung transplant. I made it out to the other side of it — gaining quite a bit of strength, learning to use everything again.”

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DODGERS

The Dodgers will give away a Kobe Bryant bobblehead when they play the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 8 at Dodger Stadium.

(Los Angeles Dodgers)

From Chuck Schilken: Kobe Bryant was in a great mood as the Lakers assembled in El Segundo for their 2009 media day.

And for good reason. The Lakers had just won their 15th NBA title a few months earlier and were favored to win No. 16 at the conclusion of the upcoming season (spoiler alert: they did).

The Times’ article covering that preseason kickoff event described Bryant as “beaming” as he posed for photos and filmed various promotional videos, including one intended for use at Dodger Stadium.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1914 — Babe Ruth makes his major league pitching debut for the Boston Red Sox against Cleveland, getting the 4-3 victory over the Indians.

1950 — Red Schoendienst hits a home run in the 14th inning to give the NL a 4-3 victory in the All-Star game.

1967 — Tony Perez homers in the 15th inning off Catfish Hunter to give the National League a 2-1 win in the longest game in All-Star history.

1979 — Renaldo Nehemiah of the United States sets a Pan American Games record in the 110 hurdles with a time of 13.20 seconds.

1981 — Britain’s Sebastian Coe breaks his own world record in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:12.18 in a meet in Oslo, Norway. Seven runners shatter the 3-minute, 51-second barrier in the mile led by Steve Ovett at 3:49.25. Steve Scott finishes third and sets an American record in 3:49.68.

1982 — FIFA World Cup Final, Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain: Italy beats West Germany, 3-1 in front of 90,000.

1985 — Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros becomes the first pitcher in major league history to reach 4,000 strikeouts when he fans New York’s Danny Heep in the sixth inning.

1992 — Treboh Joe, a 9-year-old gelding, makes harness racing history by losing his 162nd consecutive race. Treboh Joe finishes fourth to break the North American record of 161 straight losses held by Shiaway Moses.

1993 — Alain Prost gets his 50th Formula One victory by taking the British Grand Prix.

1995 — Maryland quarterback Scott Milanovich, the most prolific passer in school history, is suspended for eight games by the NCAA for gambling on college sports.

2008 — Spanish cyclist Manuel Beltran tests positive for the performance-enhancer EPO and is immediately kicked out of the Tour de France and suspended by his team, Liquigas.

2010 — FIFA World Cup Final, Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa: Andrés Iniesta scores an extra time winner as Spain beats the Netherlands, 1-0 for first World Cup title.

2011 — So Yeon Ryu wins the U.S. Women’s Open, defeating Hee Kyung Seo by three shots in a three-hole playoff. Ryu becomes the fifth South Korean to win the Open and the fourth in the last seven years.

2012 — Future Basketball Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash is traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Los Angeles Lakers.

2015 — Serena Williams wins her sixth title at the All England Club, beating Garbine Muguruza of Spain 6-4, 6-4 in the women’s final. For Williams, it’s her second “Serena Slam” — holding all four major titles at the same time. Overall, it’s the 21st major title for Williams, one shy of Graf’s Open era record.

2017 — Venus Williams reaches the semifinals at Wimbledon for the 10th time. The five-time champion at the All England Club advances by beating Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 7-5 under a closed roof on Centre Court.

2021 — Novak Dokovic beats Matteo Berrettini of Italy, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, to win the Wimbledon Title. The win is Dokovic’s 20th Grand Slam title.

2021 — UEFA European Championship Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Italy wins first Euro title since 1968, 3-2 on penalties over England after scores locked at 1-1 AET.

2021 — Copa América Final, Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro: Argentina beats Brazil, 1-0; Lionel Messi named player of the tournament in his first major international title victory.

Compiled by the Associated Press