Good morning! The Rams shut out New Orleans 34-0 in a game their stars never played, which made it the most consequential afternoon of the year for about forty men fighting for a roster spot. Elsewhere, the Dodgers won a fifth straight and Kyle Tucker finally broke through, the Padres came back after losing Casey Mize early, and the Sparks ended a six-game skid. And because the Dodgers won at home, breakfast is cheaper today — we’ve added a new section for that. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 Shutout at SoFi. Alex Cook’s 100-yard pick-six headlined a 34-0 Rams win — Eric Lambkins II at SoFi Stadium.
🏈 QB2 case. Stetson Bennett threw for 181 and ran for two scores — Mykell Mathieu at SoFi Stadium.
⚾ Five straight. Skubal settled in and Tucker ended his slump as the Dodgers beat Pittsburgh, 4-3 — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.
⚾ Comeback in San Diego. Griffin Canning covered after Casey Mize left early; Jake Cronenworth keyed the rally — Eric Evelhoch at Petco Park.
🏀 Streak over. The Sparks beat Connecticut 77-68 to end a six-game slide — Rey Moralde at Crypto.com Arena.
⚽ A point, and a warning. Bouanga rescued a 1-1 draw but LAFC’s missed chances loomed — David Martinez at BMO Stadium.
⚽ Statement in San Diego. SDFC kept pace in the playoff race with a 3-0 win over Colorado — Angel Rodriguez at Snapdragon Stadium.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — SATURDAY
🏈 NFL Preseason: Rams 34, Saints 0
⚾ MLB: Dodgers 4, Pirates 3 · Angels 3, Rangers 0 · Padres 7, Twins 5
🏀 WNBA: Sparks 77, Sun 68
⚽ MLS: San Diego FC 3, Rapids 0 · LAFC 1, Timbers 1 · Galaxy 2, CF Montréal 2
🏈 THE MEN PLAYING FOR THEIR LIVES
Neither team played its starters, which is precisely why Saturday mattered. As Eric Lambkins II wrote from Inglewood, the marquee names were asleep in their beds while the backups and practice-squad hopefuls ran themselves into the ground for 60 minutes of tape that might buy them 60 more days in a uniform.
Alex Cook hadn’t played in the NFL since 2023. He came from the UFL. In the third quarter, with New Orleans driving at the goal line, he read Spencer Rattler’s hitch route to Treyton Welch, undercut it, caught it in stride and ran 100 yards. “I was dreaming like, man, if I could just get one more pick six back in the NFL, that would make my whole life,” Cook said. “I need some more oxygen. I was beyond tired.”
Stetson Bennett went 19-of-31 for 181 yards and ran for two touchdowns. Wesley Bailey, an undrafted rookie out of Louisville, finished with five tackles, a sack, three pressures, a tackle for loss, four quarterback hits and the forced fumble that killed a Saints red-zone drive. “You felt his presence all day,” Sean McVay said. Cam Lampkin — cut twice, signed twice — held Zach Wilson to 6-of-12 for 55 yards and a 28.1 rating in the first half.
The cruel part is what comes next. The Rams’ depth is why they won by 34, and it’s also why the bubble is crowded. “Repetition is the mother of learning,” McVay said. It’s also, as Lambkins put it, the father of heartbreak.
GO DEEPER
› Eric Lambkins II: Rams backups highlight the NFL’s flawed beauty in 34-0 win over Saints (The Sporting Tribune)
› Mykell Mathieu: Bennett makes strong case for Rams’ backup quarterback job (The Sporting Tribune)
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🍔 THE DODGERS WON AND THE RAMS PICKED, SO YOU EAT
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.
🐼 Panda Express — $7 Panda Plate. Dodgers won at home. Code DODGERSWIN, Panda Rewards account required, participating locations, through 11:59 p.m.
🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large drink. Dodgers pitchers struck out 15 (seven needed). Code GODODGERS26, app or in-store.
⛽ ampm — free Dodger Dog and 16-oz Coca-Cola. Kyle Tucker stole second in the fifth. Scan the barcode in the ampm app; Greater L.A. only, limit one per game.
🧋 Sunright Tea Studio — BOGO Blue Heaven Frostie. Dodgers home win. Code ILOVELA.
🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Dodgers win. Order online for pickup.
☕ Con Azúcar Café, Sylmar — free size upgrade and Dodgers latte art. Say “Dodgers win!” at the register.
🍟 McDonald’s — free medium fries with a $2 purchase. The Angels beat Texas 3-0. Rewards & Deals section of the app.
⭐ Carl’s Jr. — free Famous Star with cheese with a large drink. Alex Cook recorded an interception in the third quarter. Code RAMS7146 in the app.
🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-oz Baja Blast. Six MLB home runs traveled 420-plus feet Saturday, including Jo Adell’s 450-footer. Wallet pass at OTC Network stores.
Not active today: the McDonald’s Dodgers nuggets deal needed six runs and they scored four, and Habit Burger’s Double Char needed a double play the Dodgers never turned. Coming Monday: Firehouse Subs BOGO with code EXTRA, triggered by Friday’s extra-inning games — including Angels-Rangers and Pirates-Dodgers.
⚾ FIVE IN A ROW, AND TUCKER FINALLY BREAKS THROUGH
Tarik Skubal settled in after a rocky start and the Dodgers took their fifth straight, 4-3 over Pittsburgh — a run that has erased most of the damage from a stretch in which they lost 10 of 15. The subplot that mattered was Kyle Tucker, who came out of a season-long slump a day after the Dodger Stadium crowd gave him a standing ovation in his first at-bat back. He also stole a base, which is why breakfast is free at ampm today.
Los Angeles keeps building a cushion in the National League West while it waits on Andy Pages, out four to five weeks with a fractured hand. Skubal gets the ball again next week; the Dodgers close the Pirates series this afternoon.
GO DEEPER
› Fredo Cervantes: Skubal settles in, Tucker ends slump as Dodgers win fifth straight (The Sporting Tribune)
⚾ SAN DIEGO LOSES ITS STARTER AND WINS ANYWAY
Casey Mize left early with an injury — a real concern for a rotation that just added him at the deadline — and Griffin Canning came out of the bullpen to cover the innings that kept San Diego in it. Jake Cronenworth keyed the comeback, with Jackson Merrill, Freddy Fermin, Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Ty France all contributing to a rally that flipped the game.
It’s the second straight win to open the homestand and it comes against a Minnesota club in the same Wild Card fight. The series wraps this afternoon at Petco.
GO DEEPER
› Eric Evelhoch: Canning provides crucial relief after Mize’s early exit, Cronenworth keys comeback win (The Sporting Tribune)
🏀 THE SPARKS FINALLY GET ONE
It wasn’t pretty — Rey Moralde called it an ugly affair and the score backs him up — but the Sparks beat Connecticut 77-68 to end a six-game losing streak that had included a 36-point beating at home from Atlanta three nights earlier. In a season that is now Nneka Ogwumike’s last, Los Angeles will take it.
GO DEEPER
› Rey Moralde: Sparks stop six-game losing streak after beating Sun in ugly affair (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — SUNDAY, AUGUST 23
⚾ MLB: Angels at Rangers — Globe Life Field — 11:35 a.m. — ABTV
⚾ MLB: Pirates at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 1:10 p.m. — SNLA
⚾ MLB: Twins at Padres — Petco Park — 1:10 p.m. — Padres TV
🏀 WNBA: Aces at Tempo — Coca-Cola Coliseum — 5:00 p.m. — Prime
⚽ NWSL: Gotham FC at Angel City — BMO Stadium — 5:00 p.m. — Ion
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California and Las Vegas — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
⚾ Pirates at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $36
⚾ Twins at Padres — Petco Park — $12
⚽ Gotham FC at Angel City — BMO Stadium — $15
🌴 TST TRIVIA
The Jack in the Box deal unlocks when Dodgers pitchers strike out seven in a game. How many did they record Saturday night against Pittsburgh?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode comes out of SoFi Stadium, where a 34-0 shutout meant everything to the men who may not survive the cuts, plus the Dodgers’ fifth straight and Kyle Tucker’s breakthrough, and a Padres comeback that cost them their starter. 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: Fifteen — more than double what the promotion requires.
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