{"id":658683,"date":"2026-04-02T12:10:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/658683\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:10:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:10:26","slug":"dodgers-stay-positive-despite-some-early-struggles-at-the-plate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/658683\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers stay positive despite some early struggles at the plate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Marjam Swanson<\/a>: Sure, it\u2019s very early. Maybe that\u2019s why all Dodgers\u2019 batters seem to be hitting is the snooze button \u2014 snoozing and, on Wednesday, losing 4-1<\/a> to the Cleveland Guardians.<\/p>\n

Only Andy Pages<\/a> has looked alert in the Dodgers\u2019 super-imposing lineup, which would have been shut out before a crowd of 45,556 at Dodger Stadium if not for Freddie Freeman<\/a>\u2019s two-out home run in the ninth inning.<\/p>\n

Before Freeman\u2019s 407-foot blast, Pages had the only two hits off Guardians starter Gavin Williams. Cleveland\u2019s 6-foot-6 right-hander had Dodgers hitters scuffling for seven innings, striking out 10 as the Guardians won for the second time in the three-game series.<\/p>\n

Go beyond the scoreboard <\/p>\n

Get the latest on L.A.’s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.<\/p>\n

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Otherwise, the Dodgers only seriously threatened when reliever Shawn Armstrong was on the mound in the eighth inning and they got runners on second and third, as Pages doubled over Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a>, who had singled.<\/p>\n

But then Shohei Ohtani<\/a> struck out on three pitches to end the inning.<\/p>\n

A day off and a road trip are now just what Doc ordered: manager Dave Roberts suggested a day to reset and some hostile crowds in Washington and then Toronto, where the Dodgers won last season\u2019s epic, seven-game World Series against the Blue Jays<\/a>, could help get his club\u2019s juices flowing.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

Dodgers-Guardians box score<\/a> <\/p>\n

MLB scores<\/a> <\/p>\n

MLB standings<\/a> <\/p>\n

Puka Nacua voluntarily enters rehab \"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua stands on the field before a playoff game against the Carolina Panthers in January.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

From Gary Klein<\/a>: Rams star receiver Puka Nacua<\/a>, who was involved in a string of off-the-field situations the last few months<\/a>, including an alleged biting incident that led to a civil lawsuit<\/a>, entered a rehabilitation care facility in March, his attorney confirmed Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Last week, a woman filed a civil lawsuit against Nacua, alleging that on New Year\u2019s Eve he made an antisemitic statement during a group dinner and later bit her shoulder. Attorney Levi McCathern told The Times before the lawsuit was filed that Nacua denied the allegations and that Nacua would \u201cpursue all available legal remedies in response to these false and damaging statements.\u201d<\/p>\n

The California Post reported<\/a> Wednesday that Nacua had checked into a Malibu rehab facility. A Rams official declined to comment.<\/p>\n

In a statement to The Times on Wednesday, McCathern said Nacua \u201cvoluntarily entered a private facility to focus on his health, personal growth, and overall development \u2014 and I\u2019m really proud of him for doing that ahead of his upcoming season.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

Lakers prepare for showdown with Thunder \"Lakers <\/p>\n

Lakers star LeBron James reacts during a game against the Sacramento Kings in December.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

From Broderick Turner<\/a>: The tests kept coming in the month of March for the Lakers<\/a> and they responded with the same resounding answer: We\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

Yet, even though the Lakers posted a 15-2 record last month, even though they beat some of the best teams in the NBA, they still have another big test on the horizon that will further show whether they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

The Lakers will meet the defending NBA champion Thunder in Oklahoma City on Thursday night, and it will be the test of all tests because OKC is just as hot as L.A. and owns the best record in the NBA.<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/a> <\/p>\n

NBA scores<\/a> <\/p>\n

NBA standings<\/a> <\/p>\n

Angels can\u2019t keep pace with the Cubs \"Los <\/p>\n

Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi was tagged for five runs in the third inning and took the loss against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

(Paul Beaty \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

From the Associated Press<\/a>: Matthew Boyd struck out 10 while pitching into the sixth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Angels<\/a> 6-2 on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Nico Hoerner had three hits for Chicago on a chilly and windy afternoon at Wrigley Field. Matt Shaw had two hits and two RBIs, and Alex Bregman reached three times in the rubber game of the three-game series.<\/p>\n

Boyd (1-1) yielded two runs, one earned, and two hits over 5 2\/3 innings in his second start of the season. The left-hander was tagged for six runs in 3 2\/3 innings in a 10-4 loss<\/a> to Washington on opening day.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

Angels-Cubs box score<\/a> <\/p>\n

Trevor Moore saves Kings in overtime \"Kings <\/p>\n

Kings forward Trevor Moore, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring in overtime of a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

(Kyusung Gong \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

From the Associated Press<\/a>: Trevor Moore<\/a> scored 1:56 into overtime to lift the Kings<\/a> to a 2-1 victory<\/a> over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

Adrian Kempe<\/a> also scored for the Kings, who moved into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference<\/a> \u2014 one point ahead of San Jos\u00e9 and Nashville. Anton Forsberg made 23 saves, including one in overtime, for the Kings, who stopped a four-game losing streak at home.<\/p>\n

Robert Thomas scored the only goal for the Blues on a deflection with 3:53 left in the third period to send it to overtime. Jordan Binnington stopped 24 shots in the loss, including two in the extra period. St. Louis is four points behind the Kings for the second wild-card spot.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

Kings-Blues box score<\/a> <\/p>\n

NHL scores<\/a> <\/p>\n

NHL standings<\/a> <\/p>\n

Ducks lose in heartbreaker to Sharks \"Ducks <\/p>\n

Ducks forward Ryan Poehling skates toward the puck between Sharks forward Adam Gaudette, left, and defenseman Sam Dickinson during the second period of the Ducks\u2019 4-3 loss Wednesday.<\/p>\n

(Jeff Chiu \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

From the Associated Press<\/a>: Macklin Celebrini tied the score with less than two minutes to play then assisted on Alexander Wennberg\u2019s winning goal with 31 seconds left to complete a four-point game as the San Jos\u00e9 Sharks beat the Ducks 4-3<\/a> on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

With two goals and two assists, Celebrini has 40 goals and 105 points this season, moving him past Erik Karlsson (101 points in 2022-23) for the second highest single-season point total in franchise history behind Joe Thornton\u2019s 114-point effort in 2006-07.<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old Celebrini also has 17 games this season with three or more points, second among teenagers in NHL history only to Wayne Gretzky, who had 19 in 1979-80.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

Ducks-Sharks box score<\/a><\/p>\n

Former NFL official suing the league \"A <\/p>\n

NFL referee Robin DeLorenzo prepares for a game between the Texans and Saints on Oct. 15, 2023, in Houston.<\/p>\n

(Eric Christian Smith \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

From Chuck Schilken<\/a>: One of the first women to officiate an NFL<\/a> game is suing the league for gender discrimination, harassment and retaliation more than a year after she was fired.<\/p>\n

Robin DeLorenzo<\/a> filed a lawsuit last week in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that claims she was \u201csubjected to gender-based scrutiny, humiliation, disparate training, unequal gear, and open hostility\u201d while employed as an NFL official from April 2022 to February 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was denied the support and development routinely afforded to male officials, graded through a system built and controlled by men who had fixated on her gender from day one, and punished when she reported harassment or insisted on being treated with basic respect,\u201d the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a> <\/p>\n

Valley Ice Center faces demolition \"Rick <\/p>\n

Rick Scott practices at the Valley Ice Center on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

(Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

From Cierra Morgan<\/a>: For nearly three decades, the L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center has served as a second home for hundreds of young hockey players in the San Fernando Valley. Now, that future is on shaky ice.<\/p>\n

The Panorama City facility is set to demolish its main ice rink, leaving athletes who use the center with a smaller, non-regulation rink. Taking the place of the main rink will be a medical facility for seniors, according to the Valley Ice Center\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n

Some local parents say the situation has been heart-wrenching for them and their children.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/a><\/p>\n

This day in sports history<\/p>\n

1939 \u2014 Ralph Guldahl beats Sam Snead by one stroke to capture the Masters golf tournament.<\/p>\n

1969 \u2014 Toronto center Forbes Kennedy sets a Stanley Cup playoff record for most penalties in one game with 8.<\/p>\n

1978 \u2014 Czech tennis star Martina Navratilova wins her first WTA Tour Championship.<\/p>\n

1980 \u2014 Wayne Gretzky becomes the youngest player to reach 50 goals at 19 years and 2 months of age.<\/p>\n

1983 \u2014 New York Islander Mike Bossy becomes the first player to score 60 or more goals in three consecutive seasons.<\/p>\n

1984 \u2014 Georgetown, led by junior center Patrick Ewing and freshman forward Reggie Williams, beats Houston 84-75 to win the NCAA championship in Seattle. Houston becomes the second team to lose in two consecutive finals.<\/p>\n

1985 \u2014 Edmonton C Wayne Gretzky sets an NHL record with his 34th career hat trick.<\/p>\n

1986 \u2014 The 3-point field goal, at 19 feet, 9 inches, is adopted by the NCAA.<\/p>\n

1989 \u2014 Eighth NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Auburn, 76-60.<\/p>\n

1990 \u2014 UNLV pounds Duke 103-73 to win its first NCAA championship and extend the Blue Devils\u2019 streak to eight Final Four appearances without a title. The Runnin\u2019 Rebels become the first team to score more than 100 points in a championship game and the 30-point margin is the largest ever.<\/p>\n

1995 \u2014 Connecticut caps an unbeaten season by defeating Tennessee 70-64 for the NCAA women\u2019s championship. The Huskies, 35-0, become the winningest basketball team for one season in Division I.<\/p>\n

2000 \u2014 Connecticut wins its second women\u2019s national championship with a 71-52 victory over Tennessee. The top-ranked Huskies beat No. 2 Tennessee for the second time in three meetings this season.<\/p>\n

2001 \u2014 New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens becomes American League all-time strikeout leader.<\/p>\n

2001 \u2014 Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has 2 hits and becomes first Japanese position player to play in a regular season MLB game.<\/p>\n

2001 \u2014 63rd NCAA Men\u2019s Basketball Championship: Duke beats Arizona, 82-72.<\/p>\n

2003 \u2014 At 27 years, 249 days Texas Rangers infielder Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest MLB player to hit 300 home runs.<\/p>\n

2005 \u2014 Bubba Stewart becomes first African-American to win a major motor sports event when he takes out the Monster Energy AMA Supercross C\u2019ship event in Irving, Texas.<\/p>\n

2007 \u2014 The Florida Gators keep their stranglehold on the college basketball world with an 84-75 victory over Ohio State for their second straight national championship. The Gators are the first team to repeat since Duke in 1991-92.<\/p>\n

2010 \u2014 Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant signs a three-year contract extension with the NBA\u2019s Los Angeles Lakers worth $87 million.<\/p>\n

2011 \u2014 The Detroit Red Wings clinch their 20th straight playoff berth with a 4-3 victory over Nashville. The Red Wings extend the longest active playoff streak among North America\u2019s four major professional sports and extend their NHL record with 11 straight seasons with 100 points.<\/p>\n

2012 \u2014 Doron Lamb scores 22 points as Kentucky wins its eighth men\u2019s national championship, holding off Kansas for a 67-59 victory.<\/p>\n

2013 \u2014 Shoni Schimmel scores 24 points and giant-slaying Louisville claims another big upset, beating second-seeded Tennessee 86-78 and earning the school\u2019s second trip to the Women\u2019s Final Four.<\/p>\n

2014 \u2014 The Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-102 to give the Lakers their 50th loss of the season. The last time the Lakers had 50 or more losses was 1974-75 (30-52).<\/p>\n

2016 \u2014 Villanova advances to the national championship game with the biggest margin of victory in Final Four history, overwhelming Oklahoma in a resounding 95-51 victory. The margin topped 34-point Final Four wins by Cincinnati over Oregon State in 1962 and Michigan State over Penn in 1979.<\/p>\n

2017 \u2014 36th NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Championship: South Carolina defeats Mississippi State, 67-55.<\/p>\n

2018 \u2014 Pernilla Lindberg makes a 30-foot birdie putt on the eighth extra hole to win the ANA Inspiration for her first professional victory. Lindberg finishes off Inbee Park on the par-4 10th, the fourth playoff hole at Mission Hills.<\/p>\n

2018 \u2014 Villanova wins its second men\u2019s national championship in three years after a 79-62 victory over Michigan. Donte DiVincenzo comes off the bench to score 31 points for the Wildcats. Villanova wins all six games by double digits over this tournament run, joining Michigan State (2000), Duke (2001) and North Carolina (2009) in that company.<\/p>\n

2019 \u2014 OKC guard Russell Westbrook becomes 2nd player in NBA history to have 20+ points, rebounds and assists in a game; records 20-20-21 in 119-103 win over LA Lakers.<\/p>\n

2023 \u2014 Caitlin Clark scores 41 points in the Final Four for Iowa against South Carolina.<\/p>\n

Compiled by the Associated Press<\/p>\n

Until next time…<\/p>\n

That concludes today\u2019s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you\u2019d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com<\/a>. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Marjam Swanson: Sure, it\u2019s very early. Maybe that\u2019s why all Dodgers\u2019 batters seem to be hitting is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":658684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2406],"tags":[1769,5,39,13528,13529,1165,4332,4333,1562,774,57,1593,3224,4331,4,169,3480,13531,235,1200,5005,3998,13527,13530],"class_list":{"0":"post-658683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-dodgers","8":"tag-associated-press","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-dodgers","11":"tag-jason-preston","12":"tag-kings","13":"tag-la","14":"tag-la-dodgers","15":"tag-ladodgers","16":"tag-lakers","17":"tag-los-angeles","18":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","19":"tag-los-angeles-times","20":"tag-losangeles","21":"tag-losangelesdodgers","22":"tag-mlb","23":"tag-news","24":"tag-sandy-alcantara","25":"tag-taylor-fritz","26":"tag-team","27":"tag-teams","28":"tag-times","29":"tag-tuesday","30":"tag-ucla-olympic-sports","31":"tag-wimbledon"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116335046660016225","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=658683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/658683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/658684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=658683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=658683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=658683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}