The Sports Report: Dodgers blow 7-1 lead and lose to Padres

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

Jorge Castillo on the Dodgers: A postseason game wasn’t played as the sun sparkled, set and vanished, making way for a chilly night at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. It just felt like baseball suited for October.

Game 7 of the 19-game season series between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres produced the energy, oddities and stomach-churning drama that captivated audiences in each of the first six matchups — aptly split evenly between the clubs.

Sunday’s bout included a blown six-run lead, 12 relievers, 422 pitches and two pitchers-turned-pinch-hitters over four hours and 59 minutes. There were hearty boos from the 15,316 in attendance, wasted opportunities and, after 11 innings, an 8-7 comeback win for the Padres in the rivals’ final meeting until June 21.

The Padres (13-11) scored the winning run on Eric Hosmer’s sacrifice fly off Garrett Cleavinger after San Diego executed a double steal to put runners in scoring position.

Cleavinger was the fifth reliever to emerge from the Dodgers’ taxed bullpen, which didn’t have Kenley Jansen, Blake Treinen or Scott Alexander available. David Price, the first reliever used, gave up two runs — one earned — in the seventh inning and didn’t reappear for the eighth because of a hamstring strain.

The shortage handcuffed the Dodgers (15-7) as they dropped the four-game set, three games to one, for their first series loss of the season after taking two of three from the Padres in San Diego last weekend. In all, the clubs have been separated by two or fewer runs in 61 1/2 innings across the seven games.

“I think the net is they outplayed us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

ANGELS

Jack Harris on the Angels: This time, Shohei Ohtani took a leisurely stroll around the bases.

The moment the ball exploded off his bat, there was no doubt about where it was going to land.

Ohtani lifted the Angels to a much-needed 4-2 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday, blasting a tiebreaking solo home run to center field in the eighth inning that put the Angels in front for good.

It was Ohtani’s seventh home run and 16th RBI of the season, both team highs.

It helped the Angels (10-10) avoid a four-game sweep to the Astros (10-11) in a series they played without Anthony Rendon and, for the final 3½ games, Mike Trout, who was unavailable again Sunday with a left elbow bruise. Trout hopes to be back in the lineup Monday.

GALAXY

Kevin Baxter on the Galaxy: A short memory is a necessary attribute for a world-class striker, which is one reason Javier “Chicharito” Hernández has already forgotten his dismal Galaxy debut. But he might want to hang on to the memories from the start of his second season because he’s doing things that have never been done before.

His hat trick in the Sunday’s 3-2 win over the New York Red Bulls gave him five goals in the first two games, the fastest start to a season by a player in franchise history. And his undefeated, untied team isn’t far behind: the Galaxy haven’t started a season 2-0 since 2010.

“The past, we’re not going to change that,” said Hernández, who scored just twice in 2020. “Right now I’m very focused on the present.”

A present some teammates think could be prelude to something even bigger.

SPARKS

Thuc Nhi Nguyen on the Sparks: Kristi Toliver thought her second stint with the Sparks would be a reunion. Instead, she’s in a rebuild.

After opting out of the 2020 season, Toliver returned to a new-look Sparks team for training camp Sunday, joining a completely different roster than the one she signed on with as a free agent last year. The two-time WNBA champion is not suiting up next to Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray as she planned, but after the past year, Toliver is just happy to be suiting up at all.

“I’m more excited to play now than ever after a year absence,” Toliver said during a video conference.

OBITUARY

Mike Davis, the former Raiders defensive back who made one of the most memorable interceptions in team history, has died. He was 65.

The Raiders announced Davis’ death Sunday. The team gave no details on the cause of death.

The former Colorado star was a second-round pick by the Raiders in 1977 and will always be remembered for his interception at the end of a playoff win at Cleveland on Jan. 4, 1981.

With the Raiders protecting a 14-12 lead with less than one minute remaining, the Browns had the ball at the Oakland 13-yard line in position for a potential winning goal.

Kicker Don Cockroft had already missed one extra point and two field goals, and the Browns botched a snap on another extra point on a cold day by Lake Erie.

That led coach Sam Rutigliano to call a pass play called “Red Slot Right, Halfback Stay, 88” on second down to go for a touchdown instead. He instructed quarterback Brian Sipe to throw it away if no one was open.

Sipe threw to Ozzie Newsome in the end zone, but Davis cut in front and intercepted the pass to seal the victory that sent the Raiders to the AFC title game.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1905 — Jack McCarthy of the Cubs became the only outfielder in major league history to throw out three runners at the plate, each of whom became the second out of a double play. The victims were the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 2-1 loss.

1950 — The University of Miami ends the longest winning streak in collegiate tennis by defeating William & Mary 8-1. William & Mary, unbeaten in five years, had won 82 consecutive meets.

1964 — The Boston Celtics capture their sixth consecutive NBA title with a 105-99 victory over the San Francisco Warriors in Game 5 of the finals.

1995 — The Colorado Rockies post an 11-9 victory over the New York Mets in 14 innings, tying the NL record for innings played in a season opener.

2002 — Odalis Perez of the Dodgers faces the minimum 27 batters in his first career shutout. Perez was perfect for six innings in a 10-0 win over the Cubs at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

2009 — French swimmer Frederick Bousquet sets a world record in the 50-meter freestyle, becoming the first person to break the 21-second barrier. Bousquet breaks the record at the French championships finishing in 20.94 seconds.

2012 — Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is selected first overall in the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, followed by Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, who is taken by the Washington Redskins.

2012 — The Charlotte Bobcats finish with the worst winning percentage in NBA history after a 104-84 loss to the New York Knicks. The Bobcats’ 23rd consecutive loss leaves them with a winning percentage of .106 (7-59) in the lockout-shortened season. The record was set 39 years ago, when the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers finished 9-73 (.110) in a full regular season.

2014 — Wladimir Klitschko toys with Alex Leapai and knocks him out in the fifth round to retain his four heavyweight belts in Oberhausen, Germany.

And finally

Vin Scully’s treasures of baseball. Watch it here.