Not pretty but didn’t need to be
Tarik Skubal’s Dodger Stadium debut was a grind, the bullpen gave back the lead, and Los Angeles won anyway, 6-5 over Kansas City. After eight losses in nine, the Dodgers will take it.
Good morning! All three Southern California clubs played Monday and none of it was straightforward. The Dodgers survived an uneven Skubal home debut and a blown seventh to open their homestand with a win. The Angels got a piece of history from Mike Trout and six strong from Reid Detmers, then lost it in the 10th. The Padres won again — Jackson Merrill will not stop hitting. Elsewhere, Aaron Donald’s decision may take longer than anyone expected, and UCLA added a familiar name to Bob Chesney’s staff. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚾ Ugly win, still a win. Skubal’s Dodger Stadium debut was a grind but Los Angeles rallied past the Royals, 6-5 — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.
⚾ Trout makes history, Angels fall. Trout’s 49th career homer against Texas wasn’t enough in a 4-1 extra-inning loss — Jack Haslett at Angel Stadium.
⚾ Merrill again. A 431-foot go-ahead shot and a Casey Mize quality start gave San Diego a 3-2 win over Milwaukee — Eric Evelhoch at Petco Park.
🏈 Still waiting. Aaron Donald’s final word may take longer than expected — Muhammed Asif in Los Angeles.
🏈 Carr to Westwood. UCLA hired Derek Carr as special advisor to Bob Chesney — Jack Haslett in Los Angeles.
🏈 The Clamp God. Cut twice and overlooked three times, Cam Lampkin is having the best camp of any Rams defensive back — Eric Lambkins II at the Rams’ facility.
🎲 Preseason looms. A breakout Raiders camp meets its first real test — Derek Hegna in Henderson.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — MONDAY
⚾ MLB: Dodgers 6, Royals 5 · Rangers 4, Angels 1 (10) · Padres 3, Brewers 2
⚾ THE DODGERS FOUND A WAY
There are nights when everything clicks. Monday was not one of them. Skubal’s first start at Chavez Ravine was a grind from the outset — command off, pitch count climbing, and for only the fourth time in 18 starts this season he didn’t finish the sixth. He went five, allowing four hits and three earned, the damage coming on an 0-2 slider that Jac Caglianone put over the wall for a two-run homer and a 3-0 Kansas City lead. “I thought I competed well and gave our team a chance to win,” Skubal said. “Our offense picked me up big time… All in all, a good team win, especially when I don’t feel like I performed up to my standard.”
The offense did pick him up. Hunter Feduccia doubled to start the third, Shohei Ohtani doubled him home and Freddie Freeman doubled in Ohtani. In the sixth, on his bobblehead night, Max Muncy cleared the bases to make it 5-3. Then Jack Dreyer gave it right back — Kyle Isbel, the Royals’ No. 9 hitter, tied it with a two-run shot in the seventh. This time the Dodgers answered immediately: Ohtani singled, stole second (his first steal in nearly three months) and Freeman singled him home. Edwin Díaz closed a 1-2-3 ninth. Freeman finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs. “There’s going to be no panic out of this clubhouse,” he said. Dave Roberts saw what he needed: “I saw that urgency tonight, which we got to build on.” Los Angeles is 71-48 with six more at home.
GO DEEPER
› Fredo Cervantes: Skubal makes Dodger Stadium debut as Dodgers rally past Royals (The Sporting Tribune)
› Arash Markazi: Tarik Skubal makes the Dodgers better but not unbeatable (The Sporting Tribune)
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⚾ TROUT WRITES HIS NAME NEXT TO REGGIE’S
Mike Trout golfed a Mackenzie Gore breaking ball to dead center in the first inning for his 20th home run of the season — and the 49th of his career against Texas, the second-most any player has hit against the Rangers. Only Reggie Jackson has more. “It was a picturesque Trout swing,” Kurt Suzuki said. “It’s kind of the swing that we’ve all come to love watching him play these last 15 years.”
It should have been enough. Reid Detmers answered a rough outing against Baltimore with six innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and striking out six. Wade Meckler saved the game in the seventh, tracking Corey Seager’s two-on line drive to the wall and leaping to take away what looked like a three-run homer. But the thin Angels bullpen couldn’t hold it in the 10th. Luke Murphy walked Wyatt Langford and gave up a Seager single to load the bases before exiting; Blake Weiman surrendered back-to-back RBI singles to Brandon Nimmo and Jake Burger. With the infield drawn in, both were the kind of softer line drives a deeper alignment might have knocked down. Angels 1, Rangers 4.
GO DEEPER
› Jack Haslett: Angels fall to Rangers in extras despite historic Trout home run and solid start from Detmers (The Sporting Tribune)
⚾ MERRILL WON’T STOP
Jackson Merrill entered Monday with home runs in back-to-back games and left with an MLB-leading 13 RBIs in August. His seventh-inning blast — 431 feet to straightaway center off a Logan Henderson changeup, his 19th of the year — turned a one-run deficit into the winning margin in a 3-2 comeback over Milwaukee. “I know the situation, I knew we could use it,” Merrill said. “I was going up there trying to do some damage.”
Casey Mize needed the bounce-back and got it, delivering his ninth quality start of the season and first as a Padre: six innings, two runs, six strikeouts. The only damage came on Christian Yelich’s second-inning two-run shot; from the third on, Mize faced the minimum. Ty France answered immediately with a solo homer, his 17th and first since July 23. Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller — who notched his 30th save — closed it out. San Diego is 63-57 and beat a Milwaukee club that came in 74-45. “These games are all going to be close,” Craig Stammen said. “I’d expect two more games like tonight.”
GO DEEPER
› Eric Evelhoch: Merrill continues to mash, Mize’s quality start help Padres take opener vs Brewers (The Sporting Tribune)
🏈 AROUND THE CAMPS
⚡ Donald’s clock. The wait on Aaron Donald’s decision may run longer than the Rams or anyone else expected — Muhammed Asif.
🐏 Clampin’ in camp. Cam Lampkin has been cut twice and doubted at every step. He’s been the Rams’ best defensive back this camp — Eric Lambkins II.
🐻 A new voice in Westwood. Derek Carr joins UCLA as special advisor to Bob Chesney — Jack Haslett.
🎲 Test week in Henderson. The Raiders’ breakout camp meets its first preseason game — Derek Hegna.
📺 WATCHLIST — TUESDAY, AUGUST 11
⚾ MLB: Rangers at Angels — Angel Stadium — 6:38 p.m. — ABTV
⚾ MLB: Brewers at Padres — Petco Park — 6:40 p.m. — Padres TV
🏀 WNBA: Mercury at Sparks — Crypto.com Arena — 7:00 p.m. — Spectrum
🏀 WNBA: Mystics at Aces — Michelob ULTRA Arena — 7:00 p.m. — Prime Video
⚾ MLB: Royals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:10 p.m. — SNLA
Coming up: Walker Buehler goes for San Diego against Milwaukee’s Kyle Harrison. The Aces are home for the first time since a five-game road trip, and Kelsey Plum returns to Crypto.com Arena with Phoenix.
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California and Las Vegas — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
⚾ Rangers at Angels — Angel Stadium — $3
⚾ Royals at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $48
⚾ Brewers at Padres — Petco Park — $11
🏀 Mystics at Aces — Michelob ULTRA Arena — $8
🌴 TWO-MARKET TRIVIA
Mike Trout’s home run Monday was his 49th against the Rangers — second-most all time against Texas. Which slugger holds the record?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode covers Skubal’s first night at Dodger Stadium and a win the Dodgers badly needed, Mike Trout climbing another all-time list on a night the Angels couldn’t finish, and a Padres team that keeps finding late home runs. 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: Reggie Jackson.
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