Good morning! Dave Roberts said before the game that the night might get emotional for Tarik Skubal. It did not, at least not on the mound. And it is the first Saturday — college football is back, and all three of our markets are on television: USC at noon, Hawai’i at Stanford at four, UNLV against Memphis at seven. In between, the Angels found a new way to lose, the Padres gave one away in Tampa, and both the Sparks and the Aces won. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚾ Homecoming. Skubal beat the team that drafted and developed him, 2-1 — Fredo Cervantes at Comerica Park.
⚾ Ninth-inning collapse. Wade Meckler came back and delivered; the bullpen didn’t — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.
⚾ Thrown away. A fourth-inning error decided the Padres’ series opener in Tampa — Eric Evelhoch at Tropicana Field.
🏀 Three in a row. The Aces roll into the FIBA World Cup break with momentum — Arion Armeniakos at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
⚽ Comeback in San Diego. Kenza Dali and Trinity Byars sparked a Wave FC rally past Louisville — Sebastian Sanchez at Snapdragon Stadium.
🏈 Who makes 53? Derek Hegna’s projection ahead of Sunday’s Raiders deadline — Derek Hegna in Las Vegas.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — FRIDAY
⚾ MLB: Dodgers 2, Tigers 1 · Phillies 5, Angels 3 · Rays 9, Padres 4
🏀 WNBA: Sparks 88, Mystics 82 · Aces 93, Tempo 73
⚽ NWSL: Wave FC 3, Racing Louisville 2
⚾ THE HOMECOMING
Detroit drafted him, developed him and turned him into one of the best pitchers alive. Then the Dodgers took him at the deadline. Friday was the first time Tarik Skubal walked onto that mound in a road uniform, and Fredo Cervantes writes that Dave Roberts expected the night to carry some weight.
The first batter doubled. Skubal then retired nine consecutive hitters, six by strikeout, including the side in the third. He finished with six innings, four hits, one run, no walks, seven strikeouts, 83 pitches.
The Dodgers made it hard on him anyway. They put nine runners on through five innings and scored none of them, and Max Clark’s two-out RBI triple in the fifth put Detroit ahead 1-0. That has been the pattern: all five of Skubal’s Dodgers starts have been one-run games when he left, and Friday he departed tied.
Roberts pinch-hit Miguel Rojas in the sixth against left-handed pitching, and Rojas lined the first pitch he saw for an RBI single — ending a scoring drought that had reached 16 innings.
The winning run came without a swing worth replaying. Teoscar Hernández opened the eighth with a jam-shot single, Ben Rortvedt laid down a two-strike sacrifice bunt, and Freddie Freeman singled him in. All nine Dodgers hits were singles. Tanner Scott closed it for his 20th save, three days after giving up walk-off runs on consecutive nights in Atlanta.
Los Angeles is 81-54, the three-game skid is over, and six of its last seven games have been decided by one run. Blake Snell goes this morning.
GO DEEPER
› Fredo Cervantes: Skubal shines in emotional return to Detroit as Dodgers edge Tigers (The Sporting Tribune)
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⚾ TWO MORE WAYS TO LOSE
Wade Meckler had not played since Aug. 20, when a pitch hit him in the head in Houston and put him in concussion protocol. He came back Friday night and, as Jack Haslett’s headline puts it, produced the heroics. The Angels lost anyway — a ninth-inning meltdown turned it into a 5-3 Philadelphia win. That is four straight for Anaheim, and the fourth in that stretch in which they held or shared a lead.
In Tampa, the Padres opened their series by giving one away. Eric Evelhoch’s account turns on a fourth-inning error that Tampa Bay converted into the difference, with a Jackson Merrill home run not enough to cover it. San Diego’s grip on the last National League wild card was already down to a single game before the night started.
GO DEEPER
› Jack Haslett: Ninth inning meltdown spells defeat for Angels despite Meckler’s heroics (The Sporting Tribune)
› Eric Evelhoch: Padres throw it away in fourth, Rays make error hurt in series opener loss (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
Active today across Southern California — brought to you by Ike’s Sandwiches, home of the world famous Arash Markazi sandwich, which has fried chicken, purple slaw, wasabi mayo, honey mustard, and cheddar on a Dutch Crunch roll. Just ask for the 500 at any Ike’s location. Here is what Friday night triggered, based on the published rules — confirm in the apps before you order.
🛵 Uber Eats — $15 off a $20+ order. This is the rare one. It needs a Dodgers road game and a Dodgers save, and Friday delivered both: Detroit, and Tanner Scott’s 20th. Code SAVEAWAY, delivery only, LA area. One use per account, and it has only triggered 17 times all season.
🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Skubal alone struck out seven, which clears the bar. Code GODODGERS26.
🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Dodgers win, home or away. Order online for pickup.
☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.
Still dark: Panda Express, ampm, Sunright and Habit Burger all require a home game, and the Dodgers aren’t back at Chavez Ravine until Tuesday. The McDonald’s Angels deal needed a win over Philadelphia. And the Carl’s Jr. Rams code RAMS7146 expires tomorrow.
🏀 A GOOD FRIDAY IN BOTH ARENAS
The Sparks closed their four-game home stand by beating Washington 88-82 — the win Lynne Roberts said they wanted, since it took the season series from a playoff team. Rey Moralde had written that morning about the topping-out ceremony at the club’s new El Segundo facility, which Roberts called “state-of-the-art, best in show, best in the league.”
Three hundred miles east, the Aces handled Toronto 93-73 for their third straight win and headed into the FIBA World Cup break with momentum — and without NaLyssa Smith, whose season ended this week.
And at Snapdragon Stadium, Kenza Dali and Trinity Byars brought San Diego back to beat Racing Louisville 3-2.
GO DEEPER
› Arion Armeniakos: Aces win three straight, roll into FIBA World Cup break with momentum (The Sporting Tribune)
› Sebastian Sanchez: Kenza Dali, Trinity Byars spark Wave FC comeback against Louisville (The Sporting Tribune)
🏈 THE LIST GETS SHORT TOMORROW
NFL rosters cut to 53 on Sunday. Derek Hegna has published his projection of who survives in Las Vegas, which is the piece to read if you have spent August watching bubble players at Allegiant and wondering which ones you will see again.
Sean McVay put the same problem plainly Thursday night: 20 tough decisions, and some of the 53 will be difficult too.
GO DEEPER
› Derek Hegna: Who makes it onto the Raiders’ 53-man roster? (The Sporting Tribune)
🏈 THE FIRST SATURDAY
College football returns today, and for once every market we cover is on national television on the same afternoon.
USC opens at the Coliseum against San Jose State at noon on NBC — Holdenn Graff spent the week at the Bloom Performance Center and found a team that believes in itself. Hawai’i plays at Stanford at 4 p.m. on ACC Network. And UNLV hosts Memphis at 7 p.m. on FOX, opening Dan Mullen’s second season at Allegiant Stadium after a summer Steve Carp described as a coach considerably more comfortable than a year ago.
Three markets, three kickoffs, one Saturday.
GO DEEPER
› Holdenn Graff: USC believes in itself heading into San Jose State game (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — SATURDAY, AUGUST 29
⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Tigers — Comerica Park — 10:10 a.m. — SNLA
🏈 College: San Jose State at USC — Coliseum — 12:00 p.m. — NBC
⚾ MLB: Padres at Rays — 1:10 p.m. — Padres TV
🏈 College: Hawai’i at Stanford — 4:00 p.m. — ACC Network
⚽ MLS: LAFC at DC United — 4:30 p.m. — Apple TV
⚾ MLB: Phillies at Angels — Angel Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — ABTV
🏈 College: Memphis at UNLV — Allegiant Stadium — 7:00 p.m. — FOX
⚽ MLS: Galaxy at San Diego FC — Snapdragon Stadium — 7:30 p.m. — Apple TV
Coming up: NFL rosters cut to 53 on Sunday. The Sporting Tribune Today premieres Monday on SportsGrid, weekdays at 7 and 11 a.m. ET.
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii— brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
⚾ MLB: Phillies at Angels — Angel Stadium — $5
🏈 San Jose State at USC — Coliseum — $6
🏈 Memphis at UNLV — Allegiant Stadium — $42
⚽ Galaxy at San Diego FC — Snapdragon Stadium — $58
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Miguel Rojas’s pinch-hit single in the sixth inning Friday ended a Dodgers scoring drought. How many innings had it lasted?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode: Tarik Skubal’s return to Detroit and the win that ended the Dodgers’ skid, a ninth-inning collapse in Anaheim on the night Wade Meckler came back, an error that cost San Diego in Tampa, and the first Saturday of college football with USC, Hawai’i and UNLV all on television. Hear it on the radio across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawai’i via Westwood One Sports, The Bet Las Vegas, Hawaii Sports Radio Network and KIRN in Los Angeles.
› Listen to the latest episode
Trivia answer: Sixteen innings.
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