Sports

Dodgers pitchers struggle, issuing 14 walks in series-dropping loss to Padres

Published

2 years ago

April 15, 2024

For so-called superteams like the Dodgers included, there is a universal kryptonite from which even a $300-million payroll isn’t immune.

Walks.

In a 6-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, the Dodgers issued 14 of them, shooting themselves in the foot again and again and again to drop a three-game weekend series at Chavez Ravine.

Free passes hadn’t exactly been an issue for the Dodgers this season. Entering Sunday, they had the 11th-lowest walk rate in the majors.

But between James Paxton’s wild command (he walked eight in five-plus innings) and more shaky performances from the underbelly of a worn-out bullpen (culminating with a tiebreaking three-spot against J.P. Feyereisen in the seventh inning), the team’s fifth loss in its last nine games felt entirely of its own making.

Not since 1962 had a Dodgers pitching staff walked so many batters in a single game.

And before he began his postgame news conference, manager Dave Roberts couldn’t help but huff a deep sigh of apparent frustration.

“It’s hard to win a baseball game when you give up 14 bases by way of walk,” Roberts said. “Ultimately, it’s going to show itself. And it did today.”

For a while, the Dodgers (11-7) were hoping it might not — enjoying a brief lead in the middle innings courtesy of their star-studded core.

After Paxton largely limited the damage through four innings — a solo home run by Manny Machado was his only early blemish on the scoreboard, thanks in no small part to a couple of key double plays behind him — the Dodgers surged to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth, when Will Smith lined an RBI single and Max Muncy clobbered a two-run home run to right.

1. Dodgers starting pitcher James Paxton delivers against the Padres on Sunday. 2. San Diego’s Jurickson Profar hits a three-run double in the seventh innning. 3. Max Muncy runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run for the Dodgers in the fourth inning. 4. Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux tags out San Diego’s Ha-Seong Kim on a stolen-base attempt. 5. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani stands in the dugout during a rain delay before Sunday’s game. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

So far this season, those have been the rallies that typically cancel out the Dodgers’ mistakes. The team will falter on the mound, or in the field, or in a key situational at-bat from the bottom of the lineup — in Roberts’ estimation, the club has played only three or four “complete” games in this opening month — but then their star players will bail them out with a swift, momentum-shifting response.

“We’re still winning,” Roberts said, “more than we’re losing.”

Only, against the Padres (9-9) on Sunday, the team’s pitching staff couldn’t get out of its own way.

In the top of the sixth, Paxton was pulled after walking his final two batters of the game. His eight walks were the most of his 11-year career, and left him with 14 free passes through only three starts this season.

“I made some pitches when I needed to, got out of some big spots [early in the game],” Paxton said. “But you’re not going to get away with walking eight guys very often. … You’re not getting into a flow. You’re just battling.”

Reliever Ryan Brasier didn’t help either. He walked his first batter after entering in the sixth, loading the bases with no outs in the inning.

The Padres then tied the score at 3-3, scoring on a routine double play and two-out infield single from Jackson Merrill, who reached safely after Mookie Betts made a diving stop of his ground ball up the middle but fired an errant throw to first base.

“You’re sort of trying to thread a needle every inning, and trying to play perfect baseball or make a perfect pitch or have the ball hit at the right person in the right spot,” Roberts said of the added difficulties of walking so many batters. “You’re playing with fire. You just can’t play that game.”

San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts, right, and Fernando Tatis Jr., center, congratulate Jake Cronenworth as he crosses the plate on a three-run double hit by Jurickson Profar in the seventh inning Sunday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Without top leverage relievers Evan Phillips and Daniel Hudson, who were both off Sunday after pitching consecutive days, the Dodgers’ lack of late-game options only compounded their problems finding the plate.

In the seventh inning, the recently recalled Feyereisen loaded the bases on two walks and a single — then gave up a bases-clearing, go-ahead three-run double to Jurickson Profar, who was greeted with a smattering of boos after his heated exchange with catcher Will Smith the night before.

In the eighth and ninth, left-handers Alex Vesia and Nick Ramirez combined for three more bases on balls, giving the Dodgers their fourth-most walks in a game in franchise history.

“It was a whole collective effort tonight, as far as the walks,” Roberts said flatly. “We just don’t do that as a staff. So it’s very alarming tonight to watch what we watched.”

Sports

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

Published

9 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

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

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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.”

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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

21 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.

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