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Listless Dodgers lose to the Diamondbacks again

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Listless Dodgers lose to the Diamondbacks again

Leadoff man Corbin Carroll driving balls into the gap and racing around the bases. Slugger Christian Walker crushing home runs into the left-field seats. Second baseman Ketel Marte delivering big hits and starting rally-killing double plays. A no-name pitcher shutting down their high-powered offense.

If this had a familiar ring to the Dodgers and a crowd of 46,593 in Chavez Ravine on Wednesday night, it was because it was all too familiar, the Arizona Diamondbacks cruising to a 6-0 victory to win two of three games in a series that was reminiscent of their three-game sweep of the Dodgers in last year’s National League Division Series.

Carroll keyed a three-run fifth inning with a two-run triple that helped send Dodgers ace Tyler Glasnow to his second straight loss; Walker did his usual Dodger damage with a solo homer in the sixth and a double in the eighth, and Marte started a quirky and timely double play to help extricate the Diamondbacks from a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth.

And it was bulk reliever Ryne Nelson who reprised the role of Brandon Pfaadt from Game 3 of that division series, the 26-year-old right-hander entering the day with a 2-3 record and 7.06 ERA in seven starts but blanking the Dodgers on five hits over five innings, striking out five and walking three.

The Dodgers, at the end of a 13-day, 13-game stretch in which they went 7-6, went hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position and lost their first regular-season home series to Arizona since April 13-15, 2018, a span of 13 series. It was Arizona’s first shutout in Chavez Ravine since a 13-0 win on Sept. 4, 2017.

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Teoscar Hernández gets caught in a rundown as Arizona catcher Gabriel Montero tags him out in the sixth inning

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The Diamondbacks, with some key players hurt and others underachieving, were still two games under .500 (24-26) and eight games behind the Dodgers in the NL West after the win.

But as they showed during their surprising World Series run last October and again this week in Los Angeles, they could present problems for the Dodgers.

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“Oh, yeah. I think we know that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, when asked if Arizona was better than its record might indicate. “It seems like everyone around the league is going through a lot of injuries–certainly those guys with their starting pitching.

“But their bullpen has been really good, they took good at-bats against us and they got big hits when they needed to. We know how good of a ball club they are. They certainly play us very well.”

Glasnow was dominant through four scoreless innings in which he gave up two singles, struck out six, walked none and induced 14 swinging strikes, but the Diamondbacks snapped the scoreless tie with three runs in the fifth.

Gabriel Moreno drew a one-out walk. No. 9 hitter Kevin Newman grounded a single to center field to advance Moreno to third, and Newman took second on the throw.

Carroll, the 2023 NL rookie of the year who is off to a brutal start in 2024 — he entered Wednesday with a .191 average, two homers and 14 RBIs — drove a hanging 1-and-2 curveball from Glasnow into the right-center field gap for a two-run triple for a 2-0 lead. He then scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.

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“I thought the stuff was really good early and through that fourth inning,” Roberts said of Glasnow, who gave up three runs and four hits in five innings, striking out six and walking one, to fall to 6-3 with a 3.09 ERA.

“He was getting the swing and miss. The command was good. The breaking ball was good. The slider was good. And then in that fifth inning, it seemed like he just couldn’t find his mechanics and lost his command. … He got Carroll into a leverage count and hung the breaking ball.”

The Dodgers had a similar threat in the top of the fourth when Teoscar Hernández walked and Gavin Lux laced a double to right to put runners on second and third with one out. But Nelson struck out Andy Pages on three pitches and got Jason Heyward to ground out to first.

The Dodgers failed to score again after putting two on with no outs in the fifth when Shohei Ohtani hit a mile-high fly ball to center field, Freddie Freeman struck out on a 96-mph fastball from Nelson and Will Smith flied to the wall in right.

“We had a couple of situational opportunities that we didn’t cash in on, even after we saw [Nelson] a couple of times,” Roberts said. “In those situations, he went after us with the fastball, and we couldn’t catch up to it. Just really uncharacteristic of us.”

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The Diamondbacks pushed the lead to 4-0 in the sixth when Walker crushed a 417-foot solo homer to left-center field off reliever Elieser Hernández, giving the Arizona first baseman 22 homers in 87 games against the Dodgers, 14 of them coming in Chavez Ravine.

“He’s one of my favorite players to watch,” Roberts said of Walker. “He plays the game the right way. He uses the whole field. He doesn’t give away pitches. He’s a Gold Glover on defense. He runs the bases. He’s one of the guys I really respect as a ballplayer. You just don’t like it when he’s in the batter’s box, for sure.”

The Dodgers had one final chance to make a game of it in the bottom of the sixth when Teoscar Hernández singled to right and Lux singled to left, putting two on with no outs.

Pages followed with a broken-bat bloop up the middle that Marte alertly let drop near the second-base bag. Marte fielded the ball, stepped on second for the force out and started a rundown that ended with Hernández being tagged out between second and third for a double play. Heyward flied out to the warning track in left to end the inning.

“There was really nothing our baserunners could have done,” Roberts said. “We had a chance to kind of build an inning, and then Andy gets sawed off, Ketel made a heady play and just killed the rally right there.”

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Arizona scored twice off reliever Ryan Yarbrough in the eighth when Marte led off with a homer off the left-field foul pole and Walker doubled and later scored on a passed ball.

Short hops

Left-hander James Paxton and right-hander Walker Buehler will start the first two games of a three-game series at Cincinnati beginning Friday night, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Sunday’s series finale, marking the fourth time this season the right-hander will pitch on five days’ rest. … Closer Evan Phillips, out since May 5 because of a mild right-hamstring strain, will throw live-batting practice with Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday and is scheduled to begin a rehabilitation assignment with the club on Sunday.

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2026 World Cup Quarterfinal Odds: Which Squads Will Make Final 8?

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2026 World Cup Quarterfinal Odds: Which Squads Will Make Final 8?

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Winning two knockout stage games? That means you’re really in the running to win the World Cup.

Let’s check out the updated odds for which countries will make it to the quarterfinals at FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 1.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

To Reach Quarterfinals

France: -1250 (bet $10 to win $10.80 total)
Argentina: -425 (bet $10 to win $12.35 total)
Morocco: -260 (bet $10 to win $13.85 total)
Brazil: -240 (bet $10 to win $14.17 total)
England: -175 (bet $10 to win $15.71 total)
Spain: -140 (bet $10 to win $17.14 total)
Colombia: -105 (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)
USA: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Mexico: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total)
Norway: +160 (bet $10 to win $26 total)
Portugal: +175 (bet $10 to win $27.50 total)
Canada: +180 (bet $10 to win $28 total)
Belgium: +185 (bet $10 to win $28.50 total)
Switzerland: +195 (bet $10 to win $29.50 total)
Senegal: +370 (bet $10 to win $47 total)
Algeria: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Egypt: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Ghana: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)

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The USA is currently one of the favorites to reach the World Cup quarterfinals (Getty Images).

Here’s what to know about this oddsboard. 

Recent History: The quarterfinals are kinda a given for France, at least in recent years. The French have made it to at least the quarterfinals in five of the last seven World Cups, and they have made the final in four of the last seven years, winning the tournament twice. Les Bleus are now heavy favorites at -1250 to beat Paraguay and get back to the quarterfinals.

The Host Nations: Before this summer, Canada had never won a World Cup match in two tournament appearances. But that has all changed. Canada is through to the Round of 16 after beating South Africa in the Round of 32. As for Mexico, it has recorded four straight scoreless wins to start the tournament for the first time in its nation’s history. El Tri will look to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years after dominating Ecuador in the Round of 32. After its win over Ecuador, Mexico jumped from +290 to +140 to make the quarters. The U.S. looks to replicate the other two host nations’ knockout stage performances against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.

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Walter Alston, Dave Roberts and everyone in between: The 10 managers in L.A. Dodgers history

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Walter Alston, Dave Roberts and everyone in between: The 10 managers in L.A. Dodgers history
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Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda celebrates after the Dodgers beat the Montreal Expos to win the NL pennant in 1981.

(Associated Press)

Years as manager: 1976-1996

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Record: 1,599-1,439, .526 win pct

After serving as the team’s third base coach for four seasons, Lasorda took over as manager late in the 1976 season when Alston announced his retirement. He led the Dodgers to the National League pennant in his first two full seasons, losing both times to the Yankees in the World Series. He won his first World Series in 1981, knocking off the Yankees, and rallied his team to a surprise title in 1988 in which the Dodgers beat the heavily favored Athletics. Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, his first year of eligibility.

A fiery and vibrant presence who spent 71 years with the Dodgers, Lasorda managed nine players who won the NL rookie of the year award. The Dodgers also opened the Japanese player pipeline on his watch. Hideo Nomo, the first Japanese big leaguer to permanently relocate to the U.S., joined the Dodgers in 1995. Three decades later, the team features Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on its star-studded roster.

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LeBron James Next Team Odds: Warriors, Cavaliers, Heat In Mix

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LeBron James Next Team Odds: Warriors, Cavaliers, Heat In Mix

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Back in January, the odds that King James would retire before the beginning of the 2026-27 season were slightly longer than the odds that he would give it another go.

But as of now, it looks like LeBron will, in fact, give it another go but with a team other than the Lakers.

Here are the latest odds for where James could land next season at DraftKings Sportsbook as of June 30.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

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LeBron James Next Team Odds

Golden State Warriors: -115 (bet $10 to win $18.70 total)
Los Angeles Lakers: +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)
Cleveland Cavaliers: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Miami Heat: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
New York Knicks: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Detroit Pistons: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Dallas Mavericks: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
San Antonio Spurs: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Milwaukee Bucks: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Brooklyn Nets: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Washington Wizards: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)

NBA free agency begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. However, hours before its official start, LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, made a jaw-dropping announcement. 

According to ESPN reporting, Paul notified the Lakers that the franchise could move on without LeBron because he plans to play elsewhere for the 2026-27 season.

James played for the organization for eight years — the longest he’s played for any other team. While in L.A., King James broke the all-time scoring record, won an NBA title and earned his fourth NBA Finals MVP.

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The imprint he’s left on the league in his more than 20 years has been immeasurable.

Where will LeBron land next season now that his time in Los Angeles is over?

In addition to his tenure in Los Angeles, he’s played for the Cavaliers and the Heat, winning titles with all three franchises. He won Rookie of the Year, has four regular-season MVPs and is a 22-time All-Star.

James has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 boards and 7.4 assists over the course of his career.

During the 2025-26 season, he helped lead the Lakers to a 53-29 record in the regular season. The team secured the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and defeated Houston 4-2 in the first round. 

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Eventually, Los Angeles got bounced by Oklahoma City in the conference semifinals, 4-0, which marked LeBron’s last dance in Hollywood.

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