Los Angeles Times

Manny Machado punctuated the frustration of his first month as a Dodger with a powerful but fruitless gesture. On Aug. 12 at Coors Field, after striking out to strand a pair of runners late in an eventual loss to the Rockies, Machado gripped his bat with both hands and snapped it over his thigh....

Dorian Thompson-Robinson might have one major ally in his quest to become UCLA’s second true freshman to start a season opener at quarterback: the user-friendly offense his team is running. “The spread offense is easier to teach than a lot of other offenses for the quarterback because it’s a lot...

A look at what’s trending in Major League Baseball this week: THREE UP One shining moment: The New York Mets have done it all this season, except win. GM Sandy Alderson stepped down to fight a recurrence of cancer. Manager Mickey Callaway appeared unaware that outfielder Yoenis Cespedes might...

When the New York Mets spent the first pick of the 1961 expansion draft on a catcher, manager Casey Stengel explained why. “You gotta have a catcher,” he said, “or you’re gonna have a lot of passed balls.” There was a similar mystery, if not a treasured quip, when the Florida Marlins selected Bryan...

As the ninth inning rolled around Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts surveyed the sort of scene which had avoided his team for the previous week. The Dodgers held a lead, which was nothing new. Except this time, in an 11-1 victory over the Mariners, the advantage was large enough that Roberts...

Rougned Odor drove in three runs with a single and a sacrifice fly, Joey Gallo ripped a two-run double and the Texas Rangers beat the pitching-depleted Angels 6-4 on Friday night. Odor's two-run single capped a five-run outburst in the second inning off recently acquired Odrisamer Despaigne (2-1),...

After completing another simulated inning Friday afternoon, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen insisted he felt “great,” with no recurrence of symptoms related to his irregular heartbeat, and professed his hope he would be cleared to pitch after meeting with his cardiologist Monday. “I’m miserable right...

How many games must the Dodgers give away before Dave Roberts is fired? He continues to screw up every bullpen opportunity he has, choosing another incompetent reliever to blow another game. One problem is Roberts’ blind adherence to baseball convention: Use right-handed pitchers against left-handed...

Whether his Oregon defense had forced a turnover or given up a touchdown, held firm on third down or yielded a long run, Nick Aliotti came to appreciate the predictable silence from one familiar voice. It belonged to his boss, Chip Kelly. “He never once said a word on the headset during a game,”...

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Who would have guessed that Pedro Baez would end the bullpen slide? As a season goes on, I frequently get asked the same questions via email from readers. So, instead of answering dozens of people individually, I...

Jurickson Profar started a triple play and homered to help the Texas Rangers rally from an early five-run deficit in an 8-6 victory over the Angels on Thursday night. Rougned Odor singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth after an out call that would have ended the inning was reversed. Nomar...

It was nearly midnight. Only one player remained in the Dodgers clubhouse. It was a relief pitcher. Of course it was. Scott Alexander dressed slowly, a man stuck in the middle of an excruciating seven days. It was Wednesday and he had pitched well, but another guy in the bullpen had failed again....

Tight end is no longer an afterthought at UCLA, the domain of players converted from other positions. It might now comprise the deepest pool of talent on the Bruins’ offense. Perhaps that’s why tight end won’t necessarily be a one-man operation on any given play under coach Chip Kelly. Tight end...

Caleb Ferguson is making a name for himself, but slowly. The rookie left-hander has established himself as a trusted arm in the Dodgers’ unsettled bullpen, but a Google search for “Caleb Ferguson” last week produced another athlete. Caleb Ferguson also is a freshman running back at Western Carolina...

Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig has been suspended for two games, Major League Baseball announced Thursday. Puig was suspended for “fighting and inciting a bench-clearing incident” in Tuesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants, according to a statement from the league. Puig and Giants catcher...