Dodgers slide continues against Brewers
The Dodgers lost three of four to Milwaukee and are 5-10 in August. Dave Roberts isn’t spinning it: “This has been four, five, six weeks of below-average production from our offense.”
Good morning! Two Southern California baseball teams spent the weekend making the same point from opposite directions. The Dodgers dropped three of four to the best team in baseball and left Chavez Ravine with an offense their manager described in unusually blunt terms. Two hours south, the Padres won another series and are now tied for the second NL Wild Card spot. In Anaheim, the Angels came within an out or two of a very unwelcome place in franchise history. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚾ Bigger than Skubal. The Dodgers dropped three of four to Milwaukee and are 5-10 in August — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.
⚾ Still rolling. Casey Mize threw six scoreless and four Padres homered in a 5-0 win to take the series in Cleveland — Armando Dueñas at Progressive Field.
⚾ One hit. Noah Cameron carried a no-hitter into the seventh before the Angels avoided history in a 3-0 loss — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.
🏈 Still waiting. The Rams say they’re prepared for Aaron Donald’s return at any time — “He would probably make it” — Muhammed Asif in Los Angeles.
🏀 MIP case. NaLyssa Smith posted her third double-double in five games — Arion Armeniakos in Las Vegas.
⚽ Freeway heist. San Diego FC stunned LAFC late for a 1-0 road win — Angel Rodriguez at BMO Stadium.
🏐 Three-peat. Taryn Brasher and Kristen Cruz made history at the Manhattan Beach Open — The Sporting Tribune in Manhattan Beach.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — SUNDAY
⚾ MLB: Brewers 6, Dodgers 2 · Padres 5, Guardians 0 · Royals 3, Angels 0
⚽ MLS: San Diego FC 1, LAFC 0
⚽ NWSL: Angel City 1, Washington 1
⚾ THE DODGERS’ PROBLEM ISN’T THE PITCHER THEY TRADED FOR
Los Angeles acquired Tarik Skubal to win games like Sunday’s. He didn’t lose it — two runs, one earned, over six innings with seven strikeouts — but it took him a career-high 109 pitches, and he walked off frustrated after the fifth before returning to strike out the side in the sixth and touch 99 mph. “I was just frustrated with the pitch count,” Skubal said. “My last outing was five, the one before that was six. That’s just not acceptable, it’s not the standard of what I think I’m capable of.”
The larger issue is behind him. The Dodgers scored 10 runs across four games against Milwaukee, lost three of them and are 5-10 in August. Roberts did not soften it: “This has been cumulative. It’s been a long time since we’ve been consistent offensively. Our pedigree, what we typically do, is control the zone, grind at-bats, create stress. We’re not doing that… This has been four, five, six weeks of below-average production from our offense. It’s the truth.” Max Muncy homered for the 24th time and Andy Pages hit his 21st. Kyle Tucker went 0-for-19 on the homestand and is hitting .189/.286/.272 at Dodger Stadium this season — numbers that are difficult to square with a four-year, $240 million contract. Boos returned in the ninth after a Tucker misplay on the warning track and a Tommy Edman error. “I really wanted to win this game because it could matter,” Roberts said. “I hope it doesn’t come back to bite us.” Colorado is up next.
GO DEEPER
› Fredo Cervantes: Dodgers’ problems are bigger than Tarik Skubal (The Sporting Tribune)
› Arash Markazi: Tarik Skubal makes the Dodgers better but not unbeatable (The Sporting Tribune)
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⚾ THE PADRES KEEP NOT LOSING SERIES
Through a three-hour rain delay, San Diego closed out Cleveland 5-0 to take the series and extend a run that now stretches to seven consecutive series without a loss. The Padres are 19-10 since the All-Star break, winners of nine of 11, and tied with Philadelphia for the second NL Wild Card spot.
Casey Mize followed his six-inning effort against Milwaukee with six more scoreless — three hits, a walk, three strikeouts — dropping his ERA to 3.18 since arriving from Detroit. Luis Rengifo and Gavin Sheets went back-to-back in the second off Tanner Bibee. Rengifo, designated for assignment by Milwaukee in June and signed to a minors deal by San Diego days later, is slashing .323/.411/.473 with four homers in 93 at-bats as a Padre. The night’s feel-good story was Jase Bowen, the 25-year-old outfielder from Northwood, Ohio, who entered in the sixth in front of family and friends, made two diving catches — one robbing Ángel Martínez of extra bases — and hit an opposite-field homer in the eighth. “Good players make managers look good,” Craig Stammen said. San Diego opens three in Queens against Juan Soto and the Mets today.
GO DEEPER
› Armando Dueñas: Mize stifles bats, offense swats four homers as Padres take two of three in Cleveland (The Sporting Tribune)
⚾ THE ANGELS GOT ONE HIT — AND THAT WAS THE GOOD NEWS
Noah Cameron was perfect through five and hitless into the seventh before Vaughn Grissom blooped a single over Bobby Witt Jr. with one out to end it. The Angels finished with one hit and one walk in a 3-0 loss — and preserved the longest active streak in baseball of not being no-hit, now at 4,256 games. Cameron went the distance with eight strikeouts.
Grissom was the story on both sides of the ball. Filling in at first base for a resting Nolan Schanuel, he made a diving stop on an Isaac Collins grounder with the bases loaded and nobody out in the second, touched first and fired home to Travis d’Arnaud for a double play that kept the inning scoreless. “Huge play by Gris. Heads up play,” Kurt Suzuki said. Ryan Johnson allowed two runs over 5⅓ — both on solo homers — and got into the sixth for the first time in nine starts. “I just keep running into random 3-0 counts out of nowhere,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to be more efficient.” The Angels went 4-3 on the homestand and open six on the road at Houston and Texas Tuesday.
GO DEEPER
› Jack Haslett: Angels narrowly avoid no-hitter in shutout loss to Royals (The Sporting Tribune)
🎲 CHECKING IN ON THE RAIDERS AND ACES IN LAS VEGAS
🏀 Smith’s case builds. NaLyssa Smith’s third double-double in five games is putting her in the Most Improved Player conversation — Arion Armeniakos.
🏀 Measuring stick. The Aces took teachable moments out of a battle with title favorite Minnesota — Derek Hegna.
🏈 Back to work. An intense day of camp in Henderson as the Raiders look to answer the preseason opener — Derek Hegna.
📺 WATCHLIST — MONDAY, AUGUST 17
⚾ MLB: Padres at Mets — Citi Field — 4:10 p.m. — Padres TV
⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Rockies — Coors Field — 5:40 p.m. — SNLA
Coming up: San Diego faces Juan Soto and the Mets in Queens. The Dodgers open three in Colorado before a Thursday off day and a Friday homestand against Pittsburgh. The Angels start six on the road Tuesday in Houston.
🎟️ 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. All our teams are on the road tonight — check live pricing for the Dodgers’ Friday homestand against Pittsburgh and the Padres’ return to Petco.
⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Rockies — Coors Field — 5:40 p.m. — $22
🌴 TST TRIVIA
The Angels hold the longest active streak in baseball without being no-hit. How many games long is it?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode takes Dave Roberts at his word about a Dodgers offense that hasn’t been right in six weeks, looks at what Kyle Tucker’s home splits mean for October, and checks in on a Padres club that hasn’t lost a series in seven tries. Hear it on the radio across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii via Westwood One Sports, The Bet Las Vegas, Hawaii Sports Radio Network and KIRN in Los Angeles.
› Listen to the latest episode
Trivia answer: 4,256 games — a streak that survived Sunday by exactly one bloop single.
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