Good morning! One night after the Dodgers shut them out with a bullpen day, the Padres went back to Chavez Ravine and handed Yamamoto a loss, got Ohtani, Freeman and Betts to a combined 1-for-13, and walked out alone atop the wild card standings. Tonight’s rubber game is one of six on the board across our markets, and it isn’t the only one with a goodbye attached: Nneka Ogwumike plays the final game of her WNBA career at Crypto.com Arena. The Aces close the regular season in Phoenix, the Golden Knights host Utah, the Ducks are in San Jose, and the Angels open in Seattle. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚾ Alone at the top. Machado homered off Yamamoto and the Padres beat the Dodgers 5-1 to take the No. 1 wild card spot — Brady Charette at Dodger Stadium.
🏒 Regulars’ night. Laferriere and Armia scored in the first and the Kings beat the Ducks 2-1 — Jack Janes at Honda Center.
🏈 4-0 and hungry. No. 12 USC’s offense still wants more heading into No. 20 Oregon — Holdenn Graff at USC.
🏈 2-0, heads down. The Raiders aren’t buying their own fast start — Derek Hegna in Las Vegas.
🏔️ Mile High. Your guide to Rams at Broncos and Kings at Avalanche in Denver — The Sporting Tribune.
🏀 The last one. Nneka Ogwumike plays the final game of her WNBA career tonight — Rey Moralde in Los Angeles.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — WEDNESDAY
⚾ MLB: Padres 5, Dodgers 1 · Athletics 7, Angels 3
🏒 NHL (preseason): Kings 2, Ducks 1
⚾ TOP OF THE CARD
Manny Machado has spent a career making Dodger Stadium feel like a road game for the home team. Wednesday he did it again.
With a runner aboard in the fourth, Machado sent a Yamamoto pitch to dead center for a two-run homer — his 29th of the season and his 29th career home run against the Dodgers. That was all the Padres needed, because their bullpen didn’t let the Dodgers back in.
Robbie Ray was not sharp, allowing seven hits in 3⅓ innings, but he gave up only one run. Then five relievers took it from there: 5⅔ scoreless innings, three hits, six strikeouts. Bradgley Rodriguez handled two of those frames and lowered his ERA to 2.25. The top of the Dodgers’ order — Ohtani, Freeman and Betts — went a combined 1-for-13, and Ohtani went hitless in his return from the injured list.
Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits, his fourth three-hit game of the month, and has hit safely in six straight.
Brady Charette lays out where that leaves San Diego: 88-70, one game ahead of the Cubs and Phillies for the top wild card spot, and 15-5 in September — the best record in baseball this month. The Padres clinch a playoff berth tonight with a win or an Arizona loss.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are still waiting on the win Freeman said they need to lock up a first-round bye. The rubber game is at 7:10 on SNLA. One team can clinch October. The other can clinch a week off. The series has been a playoff preview all week; tonight it gets playoff stakes.
GO DEEPER
› Brady Charette: Machado’s two-run blast powers Padres into top wild card spot (The Sporting Tribune)
› Fredo Cervantes: Freeman eyes rest as Dodgers close in on first-round bye in postseason (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 ONE LAST TIME, NNEKA
Tonight at Crypto.com Arena, the Sparks close their season against the Valkyries, and Nneka Ogwumike plays the last game of her WNBA career.
She has spent the final week the way she spent the last two decades — producing. Rey Moralde was in Las Vegas on Tuesday when Ogwumike led the Sparks with 17 points and nine rebounds in her final road game, an 89-79 loss to the Aces in which Los Angeles won the last three quarters and still couldn’t climb out of a 15-0 hole.
This hasn’t been an easy year. The Sparks (16-26 heading into Las Vegas) have played the stretch without Dearica Hamby, Cameron Brink and Aaliyah Nye, and Lynne Roberts has handed real minutes to young players. Ogwumike has made that part of her job.
“I’m just happy to serve as some type of resource along” each player’s journey, she told Moralde.
You could see it Tuesday in Tonie Morgan — cut by Chicago before the season, signed as a development player in June — who scored a career-high 14 on 6-of-7 shooting. “Getting downhill and attacking the basket,” Morgan said. “Which is what my coach and teammates have told me to do since I’ve got in the team.”
Tip is at 7 on Spectrum. Get there early.
GO DEEPER
› Rey Moralde: Slow start dooms Sparks against Aces in last road game of the season (The Sporting Tribune)
› Rey Moralde: Sparks face Aces on Ogwumike’s last career WNBA road game (The Sporting Tribune)
› Micaela Begue: Tonie Morgan gets downhill, scores career high against Aces (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. A Dodgers home loss and an Angels loss means a thin board.
🌮 El Portal, Pasadena — $12 combination plates and $7 house margaritas. Order online for pickup.
🏟️ SIX GAMES, ONE THURSDAY
The rubber game. Padres at Dodgers at 7:10 on SNLA. San Diego can clinch a postseason berth; Los Angeles is still chasing the bye.
A farewell and a tune-up. Ogwumike’s finale against the Valkyries tips at 7 on Spectrum. At the same hour, the Aces — winners of six straight and locked into the No. 3 seed with home court for Sunday’s playoff opener — close the regular season at Phoenix on USA.
Hockey on three fronts. The Golden Knights come home to T-Mobile Arena to face Utah at 7 on ESPN+ after Carter Hart stopped 28 of 29 and the kids beat San Jose in a shootout. The Ducks visit the Sharks at 7 on Prime Video, a night after falling 2-1 to the Kings.
Angels in Seattle. A new series opens at 6:40 on ABTV.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
Tighter, Laviolette said. Jack Janes was at Honda Center as the Kings’ regulars carried a 2-1 win — Alex Laferriere and Joel Armia scored in the first, Anton Forsberg stopped 24 of 25, and the penalty kill went 6-for-6. The power play went 0-for-5. “It was much better defensively,” Peter Laviolette said. “It wasn’t so wide open.” The teams meet again Saturday at 1 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena.
Still wants more. Holdenn Graff has No. 12 USC at 4-0 with Jayden Maiava leading the nation in passing — 12 touchdowns, one interception, 75.7% completions — and No. 20 Oregon next. “We haven’t played our best ball recently,” Lincoln Riley said.
17 one-game seasons. Derek Hegna writes that the 2-0 Raiders, with Brock Bowers returning, are keeping the noise out before their first true road game Sunday at New Orleans. “You have your process and that’s got to be consistent,” Kirk Cousins said.
L.A. takes the Mile High City. Rams at Broncos is Sunday night on NBC; Kings at Avalanche is opening night Wednesday on TNT. Our guide has the A Line from the airport, get-in prices from about $52 for the Kings, and where to eat — Buckhorn Exchange, El Taco de Mexico and, yes, Casa Bonita.
GO DEEPER
› Jack Janes: Kings’ regulars carry in preseason win over Ducks (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Kings defeat Ducks, 2-1, in Anaheim (The Sporting Tribune)
› Holdenn Graff: 4-0 and rolling, USC’s offense still wants more against Oregon (The Sporting Tribune)
› Derek Hegna: Raiders not allowing fast start to 2026 get to their heads (The Sporting Tribune)
› L.A. takes the Mile High City: A fan’s guide to Rams at Broncos and Kings at Avalanche in Denver (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
⚾ MLB: Angels at Mariners — T-Mobile Park — 6:40 p.m. — ABTV
🏀 WNBA: Aces at Mercury — 7:00 p.m. — USA
🏀 WNBA: Valkyries at Sparks — Crypto.com Arena — 7:00 p.m. — Spectrum
🏒 NHL (preseason): Ducks at Sharks — SAP Center — 7:00 p.m. — Prime Video
🏒 NHL (preseason): Mammoth at Golden Knights — T-Mobile Arena — 7:00 p.m. — ESPN+
⚾ MLB: Padres at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — 7:10 p.m. — SNLA
🎟️ 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.
⚾ Padres at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $112
🏀 Valkyries at Sparks, Ogwumike’s finale — Crypto.com Arena — $10
🏒 Mammoth at Golden Knights — T-Mobile Arena — $23
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Manny Machado’s home run off Yoshinobu Yamamoto was his 29th of the season. How many career home runs does he have against the Dodgers?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
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Trivia answer: 29 — the same number he has hit this season.
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