Sports

Dodgers' growing offensive struggles have a familiar feel in loss to Cubs

Published

1 year ago

September 10, 2024

Press Room

Dodgers' growing offensive struggles have a familiar feel in loss to Cubs

It was around this time last year that the Dodgers offense started cooling off.

After a sluggish performance at the plate this week, they can only hope it isn’t happening again.

Before the Dodgers crashed out of the 2023 playoffs in a National League Division Series sweep against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team’s bats began to quiet in September, when declining production from big stars and role players alike foreshadowed the offensive no-show that doomed the team in October.

Lately, the Dodgers have experienced something similar, following up a rollicking showcase in Arizona with a muted week offensively since.

The latest example came in a 10-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, in which ex-Dodgers Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch almost outscored the entirety of their former team.

In the first four innings alone, Bellinger and Busch had three hits, a home run apiece and four total RBIs off Walker Buehler.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, didn’t score their first run until the fifth and squandered multiple opportunities to get back in the game — despite facing Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks and his 6.60 ERA, worst among MLB starters with 100 innings.

“We had the opportunities,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “I think we could go through the course of the year and, unfortunately, this is what happens in baseball when you play 162 games. You can have the opportunities, you just don’t get the hits.”

Since tallying 32 runs and 52 hits in a victorious four-game series against the Diamondbacks to start the month, the Dodgers have managed just 23 runs and 45 hits in six games since.

During that stretch, they’ve struck out 56 times. They’ve scored five or more runs just twice. And, after appearing to turn a corner at the plate with a healthy lineup for the first time in months, signs of their mid-summer malaise have returned.

“I think offensively certainly the first few innings were forgettable,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I thought [after] calibrating … we took better at-bats and we took the walks when we needed, got [Hendricks] out of the game, stressed their pen. We just couldn’t get that hit to really put up multiple crooked numbers.”

Alarm bells aren’t ringing yet. But reasons for concern are starting to sprout.

The Dodgers’ biggest problems Monday resided at the bottom of the batting order.

While Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman combined for five hits and five walks — Ohtani also stole his 47th base of the season in his continued pursuit of MLB’s first 50 homer-50 steal season — the rest of the lineup offered little support.

Max Muncy went hitless and managed only one RBI (a fifth-inning sacrifice fly) from two bases-loaded at-bats, leaving him two for 18 since the start of September.

Will Smith failed to build off a three-hit performance Sunday, continuing his second-half slide with an 0-for-five line that included a strikeout with two runners aboard in the fifth.

Tommy Edman had two hits, while Gavin Lux, Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas each singled. But as a team, the Dodgers (86-58) were just two for seven with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base — not nearly enough on a night they trailed 3-0 after the first inning and 7-2 at the end of the sixth.

“I think the production from the bottom half, I certainly know it’s not as dire as it was early in the season,” Roberts said, maintaining confidence in an offense that still ranks third in the majors in scoring this season. “I still think we’re in a good spot.”

But on Monday, at least, the Cubs (74-70) were simply better.

Bellinger, the Dodgers’ former rookie of the year and most valuable player award winner, opened the scoring with a first-pitch, two-run homer in the first, launching his second long ball as a visiting player at Chavez Ravine deep into the right-field pavilion.

Cody Bellinger rounds third after hitting a two-run home run for the Chicago Cubs during the first inning Monday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Busch, the former Dodgers prospect who was traded to Chicago last offseason, tallied the next two runs for the Cubs. He lined an RBI single in the first, then cleared the short wall in left on an opposite-field solo homer in the fourth.

It all amounted to a “pretty big step back” for Buehler, as he put it, after a pair of encouraging outings in his previous two starts. The right-hander finished the night with five earned runs in five-plus innings, and struck out just four batters while allowing nine hits.

“I screwed us from the jump,” said Buehler, who now has a 5.95 ERA on the season and 9.69 ERA in first innings. “Obviously three runs in the first kind of sucked the energy out of the building … That’s a lot to ask of the rest of our guys to dig me out of a hole every game.”

Despite that, the Dodgers had chances to rally.

They loaded the bases in the third inning, but came away with nothing.

They scored twice in the fifth and seventh innings — Betts homered in the latter, his seventh in 26 games since returning from a broken hand — but missed opportunities in each to chip away further.

“Chalk it up to one of those days,” Freeman said. “Come back and get them tomorrow.”

The good news for the Dodgers: Their biggest stars are still hitting.

In addition to his seven homers, Betts also has a .316 batting average and 26 RBIs since coming off the injured list.

Freeman, who is still playing through a fractured right middle finger, is 11 for 33 with seven walks since getting a three-game break in late August.

Ohtani is also continuing to mash, batting an even .300 since Aug. 21 in search of his third MVP award.

But if the Dodgers thought their top-heavy lineup problems were a thing of the past, Monday’s loss — in which they were without Teoscar Hernández for a third straight game because of his foot contusion — offered a familiar reminder of how quickly things can turn.

“Every single day we come in with a game plan to win that game and do our best,” Freeman said. “Just didn’t happen today.”

Sports

Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

Published

8 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever.

The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.

Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.

Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries.

A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.

When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational

Published

9 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational

William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.

“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.

Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.

Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.

“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.

He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.

“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”

It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.

Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Sports

Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway

Published

20 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Police have released new video showing former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon speeding before crashing his 2024 Bentley Continental GT into another luxury car on a Connecticut highway last summer.

McMahon appeared to be followed by a state trooper in Westport moments ahead of the eventual collision. McMahon’s vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph, state police said.

A trooper’s dashcam video showed McMahon accelerating and then braking too late to avoid rear-ending a BMW. The car McMahon was driving then swerved into a guardrail and careened back across the highway. A cloud of dirt, apparently mixed with vehicle debris, was visible in the immediate area of the crash.

WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on Apr 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)

“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” a state trooper asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley.

“I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.

No serious injuries were reported in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.

In an image taken from Connecticut State Police police bodycam video, Vince McMahon is questioned in his car after an accident on July 24, 2025, in Westport, Connecticut. (Connecticut State Police via The Associated Press)

Aside from the damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, police video suggested.

McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. In October, a state judge allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program that could erase the charges if he completes it successfully.

He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution. His attorney, Mark Sherman, called the crash simply an “accident.”

“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”

Vince McMahon attends a press conference to announce that WWE Wrestlemania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in 2013 at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)

State police said a trooper was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape.

“I’m trying to catch up to you, and you keep taking off,” State Police Det. Maxwell Robins said in the video.

“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon clarified.

An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.

The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and added he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.

After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”

Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to obtain the police video, which was first acquired by The Sun.

McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.