Sports

With Gavin Stone injured, who's left to carry Dodgers' starting rotation?

Published

1 year ago

September 6, 2024

With Gavin Stone injured, who's left to carry Dodgers' starting rotation?

The Dodgers spent $308 million last winter to compile a star-studded roster featuring four most valuable player award winners — Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw — enough quality arms to fill not one but two major league rotations and a deep bullpen teeming with power arms.

The financial investments — more than $1 billion in Ohtani and Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto alone — have clearly paid off, as the Dodgers entered play Friday with an 84-56 record, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the best mark in baseball.

But as the Dodgers head into the final three weeks of the regular season, a time when they’re usually making their final push toward a National League West title, fine-tuning their roster and lining up their starting pitchers for the playoffs, they will enter October with a rotation of Jack Flaherty and … just who, exactly?

“We’re gonna have enough pitching,” manager Dave Roberts said, when asked if the Dodgers rotation will be good enough to make a deep October run. “The names might be a little bit different. I don’t think anyone knows who [will] and who won’t be a part of it.”

Gavin Stone threw the latest wrench into the team’s potential playoff pitching plans when the 25-year-old right-hander, the only member of the opening-day rotation who had not missed a start this season, was placed on the 15-day injured list because of shoulder inflammation on Friday.

Stone, who is 11-5 with a 3.53 ERA in a team-leading 25 starts, is the 11th starter to go on the IL this season, and he joins a group that currently includes ace Tyler Glasnow (elbow tendonitis), Yamamoto (rotator-cuff strain) and Kershaw (left big-toe inflammation).

Yamamoto, who has not pitched since June 15, is scheduled to return for Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs, but he threw only two innings and 53 pitches in his rehab start for triple-A Oklahoma City last Tuesday and will need several starts to build up his endurance.

Glasnow, who is 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 22 starts, is scheduled to throw off a mound on Saturday for the first time since he went on the IL on Aug. 16, but Roberts admitted that “time is running out” for the right-hander to position himself for an impact October role.

“He’s getting off the mound [on Saturday] and he’ll probably have a more aggressive bullpen session [this week], but we just gotta know, we gotta get going,” Roberts said. “We only have so much time before he [can] get built up and he’s pitching in major league games. Time is certainly of the essence.”

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw walks off the field after giving up a home run to the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 30. Kershaw was placed on the injured list the next day.

(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

Kershaw, who returned from shoulder surgery in late June and went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts before injuring the toe on his push-off foot, is playing catch to keep his arm active, but hasn’t been able to throw off a mound.

“He’s still trying to figure out the best way to provide relief [for his toe], and figuring that out is challenging,” said Andrew Friedman, the team’s president of baseball operations. “There’s not a playbook for that … it’s just not a common [injury].”

Stone will not pick up a baseball for at least 10 days, after which he will resume throwing, but when asked if he was optimistic about Stone returning this season, Friedman said, “I’m not sure … there’s just so much unknown, it’s hard to speculate right now.”

Friedman added that Stone’s injury is “really more symptom-based. It wasn’t something that was like, ‘Oh, we need to have surgery.’ It was, ‘Hey, let’s let everything calm down, pick up a ball and see where you’re at.’ If he comes back and feels good, I think we’re in a good spot. If he picks up a ball and has problems, then we’re in a tough spot.”

So, where does that leave the Dodgers? They’ll enter the homestretch with a rotation of Flaherty, Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, who showed promise in his last two starts after struggling in his initial return from elbow surgery and a hip injury, Bobby Miller, who is 2-4 with a 7.79 ERA in 11 starts, and rookies Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski.

“It’s been a really challenging year, certainly,” Roberts said of the starting pitching injuries. “I think other teams are going through it, and fortunately we have a lot of depth, we’re giving a lot of guys opportunities, and our guys have done a great job of not fretting, continuing to move forward and remaining positive.

“I think the main thing is whatever day we play baseball, you look at the locker room and see who is available, and you try to win a game that day. I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but that’s just the way we have to look at it. I think that’s kind of the way to manage some of this stuff.”

A thin rotation could put even more strain on a bullpen that recovered from a rocky July in which it posted a 5.65 ERA and had a major league-leading nine blown saves to compile a 3.55 ERA and a major league-high 12 saves and 28 holds since Aug. 1. A prolific offense will also likely have to out-slug some of the rotation shortcomings.

“Looking at our team big picture, I think this is arguably the deepest, most balanced lineup we’ve ever had,” Friedman said. “I think our bullpen is as deep and talented as I can remember. Now, we’ve got to figure out how to line up our starters, and as guys are coming back, making sure they get enough work under their belt to hit October in stride.

“We’re going to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position going forward. All of our focus right now is on doing what we can to finish the regular season strong and be in the best position to go out and win, hopefully, 11 games in October.”

Sports

Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

Published

10 hours ago

March 1, 2026

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Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Dominiq Ponder died this weekend, the team’s head coach Deion Sanders confirmed on Sunday with a social media post.

“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends and loved ones,” Sanders wrote on social media. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us.”

Ponder was 23 years old.

Details of Ponder’s death are not yet known.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

Ponder, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller, joined the Buffaloes and “Coach Prime’s” program in 2024 after spending time at Bethune-Cookman before making his way to Boulder.

Last season, Ponder played just two games for the Buffaloes while serving in his backup role. He recorded two rush attempts and one pass attempt.

The Opa Locka, Fla., native also received tribute from a fellow quarterback with the Buffaloes, Colton Allen.

Bethune-Cookman QB Dominiq Ponder takes a snap during the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Daytona Stadium. (IMAGN)

“Dom, you were a blessing to so many people,” Allen wrote on Instagram. “You had a presence about you that just made everything better. You brought so much joy to me and everyone around you. I’m grateful for every lift, every practice, every rep, every conversation we got to share. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life.”

Ponder was going to be a part of Colorado’s spring practices, which are set to begin on Monday. It’s unknown if Sanders will postpone the start due to Ponder’s passing.

Ponder also received a tribute from the University of Central Florida.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (Tyler Tate/AP Photo)

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“Our prayers are with Dominiq and the Ponder family along with all in the Colorado football program,” the university’s football account on X wrote.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

No. 2 UCLA women dominate rival USC to finish Big Ten play undefeated

Published

10 hours ago

March 1, 2026

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No. 2 UCLA women dominate rival USC to finish Big Ten play undefeated

Sunday was “Senior Night” for the USC women’s basketball team at Galen Center, but it was the other team’s seniors who stole the show.

Gabriela Jaquez scored 14 points, Kiki Rice had 11 points and four assists and Lauren Betts had 15 rebounds and five assists as UCLA wrapped up the regular season with a 73-50 victory over its rival and finished undefeated in conference play for the first time since going 18-0 in the Pac-10 in 1998-99 under Kathy Olivier.

Having already clinched the regular-season title, UCLA became the first team to navigate the Big Ten schedule without a loss since Maryland in 2014-15.

“These are two elite programs, we knew it would be different tonight, we knew they’d come with fire,” said UCLA coach Cori Close, who improved to 9-4 against the Trojans since counterpart Lindsay Gottlieb started at USC in 2021. “We knew we’d have to do it with our defense, our rebounding and by taking care of the ball.”

It was the Bruins’ 22nd consecutive win, one shy of the record they set last season. Since their lone loss to then-No. 4 Texas on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas, they have won by 20 or more points 17 times.

Ranked second in the nation in both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls behind defending national champion Connecticut (30-0), the Bruins earned the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament in Indianapolis and got a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals.

Charlisse Leger-Walker, nicknamed “X-ray vision” by teammates, equaled her season high with 20 points for the Bruins (28-1, 18-0) while Gianna Kneepkens added 14 points and five assists.

“Anytime we play together we know we can win,” Leger-Walker said. “We did a good job looking into the scout. Every game we just think about going 1-0. People scouting us know that all five players on the court can score the ball.”

UCLA center Lauren Betts, left, controls the ball in front of USC forward Vivian Iwuchukwu during the first half Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

UCLA held USC to 27% shooting in the teams’ first meeting — a 34-point Bruins victory at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 3 behind Betts’ 18 points. It was USC’s most lopsided loss under coach Lindsay Gottlieb. On Sunday, USC shot 39% and was only three for 19 from three-point range.

“Going undefeated [in conference] is a great step in the right direction towards what we want to accomplish,” said Jaquez, who appreciated the flowers she received before the game from USC. “I love this rivalry. It’s super fun to play against them and it was nice that they honored us too.”

UCLA jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes and carried a 19-11 advantage into the second quarter. The Bruins widened the gap to 18 points by halftime, holding the Trojans scoreless for the last 3:08.

USC (17-12, 9-9) opened the second half on an 11-2 run but gave up 14 second-chance points and allowed 22 offensive rebounds.

UCLA guard Kiki Rice, front, and forward Angela Dugalic celebrate as USC guard Kennedy Smith walks away.

“If we get more possessions than our opponent we’re most likely going to win,” Close said. “We didn’t allow one basket on an out-of-bounds play and they lead the conference in that.”

Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson, USC’s leading scorer, got into early foul trouble but still finished with 12 points. She was held to 10 points on four-for-15 shooting in the first meeting.

“It was a great crowd, we were in the fight but we didn’t rebound or shoot well enough,” Gottlieb said. “We wanted to keep them out of our paint. We swarmed Betts, double-teamed her and got it out of her hands but other people scored.”

Londynn Jones, who spent three seasons in Westwood (playing in 108 straight games) before transferring to USC for her senior year, was held to six points in the team’s first meeting and nine points (on four-of-10 shooting) in the rematch. The Trojans’ other senior, Kara Dunn, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with eight points.

“I love Londynn,” Close said. “We think she looks better in blue, but we love her and I told her that. I appreciate all she gave to our programs.”

Asked if this is the best team she has ever coached, Close had a one-word answer.

“Yes.”

Sports

Israeli national gymnastics team suspends all activities after Iranian counter-attack

Published

22 hours ago

March 1, 2026

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Israeli national gymnastics team suspends all activities after Iranian counter-attack

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Israel’s national gymnastics team has suspended all training and team activities amid the recent Iranian counter-attack on the country following the U.S.-assisted strikes on Iran.

The Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) provided a statement to Fox News Digital announcing the violence has caused “unavoidable disruptions.”

“The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, particularly as we are at the outset of the international season,” the statement read.

“At this time, all training activities have been temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations. Naturally, the suspension of training and the closure of airspace are causing considerable stress and concern. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remain our highest priority. We sincerely hope for safer and calmer days ahead, when we can focus solely on sport.”

A source within the team told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterstrikes began.

Israel’s gymnastics team is considered one of nation’s strongest Olympic programs alongside its Judo and sailing teams. The team is only a week removed from a successful trip at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Germany, where the country’s star Artem Dolgopyat won the gold medal in floor gymnastics.

Now, the team will have to seek safety until the attacks are over.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue to shelter in place either in or near their residences as Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel.

Additionally, the embassy announced that due to the security situation, it would be closed on March 2, and did not give an estimate on when it would be reopening. The closure includes consular sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The embassy also said it is “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.” It noted that Ben Gurion Airport remains closed and there there are neither commercial nor charter flights operating from the airport.

On Friday, ahead of the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the embassy gave all non-essential workers permission to leave Israel, with reports that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged those looking to leave to do so as soon as possible.

Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday as Tehran’s latest missile barrage landed just miles from Jerusalem.

The strikes landed in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Initial reports said four people were killed when missiles landed in a residential area on Sunday, but that death toll rose to eight, according to Israel’s national emergency service.

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Iran’s military has carried out counterattacks against Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

The strikes also killed several other top Iranian leaders, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.