Sports
James Outman blasts away his slump with home run in Dodgers' win over Twins
After two straight days spent out of the starting lineup, then two straight strikeouts to start Monday night’s game, James Outman’s season-opening slump had reached a nadir entering the seventh inning at Target Field.
Then, with one hanging slider and one cathartic swing, the Dodgers’ second-year center fielder finally found a reprieve.
In a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins, it was Outman’s solo shot that put the Dodgers in front for good, a towering 353-foot fly ball that sailed just high enough to clear a tall wall in the right-field corner.
It didn’t give Outman the biggest night offensively, not after Shohei Ohtani recorded his fifth straight multihit game by doubling twice early and homering for the third time this season later in the seventh inning.
Still, following a four-for-34 start, Outman’s contribution might have been the most important development Monday — not only to the final score, but also the trajectory of what had been a slow start to his second big league season.
“It felt good to see a ball land,” said Outman, who had been robbed on several hard-hit balls in the opening weeks. “It’s still pretty early in the season, so it feels a little early to freak out. But yeah, it’s a start in the right direction for sure.”
A year ago, Outman was a breakout piece in the Dodgers’ new-look outfield. Succeeding Cody Bellinger in center, he was selected the National League rookie of the month in both April and August. He finished the season with above-league-average marks in the field (where he ranked in the 90th percentile in “fielding run value,” per Baseball Savant) and at the plate (with an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .790).
He wasn’t immune to extended rookie struggles, including a .229 batting average from May through July. Yet, he found a way to maintain his status as a regular starter on a star-studded team.
“If there was any time to panic, it was last year, and he didn’t,” manager Dave Roberts said of the former seventh-round draft pick. “For us, and for him most important, to know that he can get to the other side of it is very helpful.”
That’s why, as Outman sat against back-to-back left-handed opposing pitchers Saturday and Sunday at Wrigley Field, he didn’t dwell on his poor start or drastically change his high-powered, but strikeout-prone, swing.
Instead, he enjoyed “the luxury of being able to think more about your swing or mechanical things,” he said.
Did that lead to any big epiphanies?
“No, no big ones,” he said with a laugh. “Just tinkering.”
The adjustment wasn’t instant.
In his first at-bat Monday, Outman whiffed on three fastballs around the edge of the strike zone.
His next time up, he punched out on three pitches, going down swinging on a fastball over the heart of the plate.
“He’s in the middle of it right now,” Roberts said. “He was grinding.”
Then, suddenly, he wasn’t.
With the score tied 2-2 entering the seventh — thanks to a strong six-inning, two-run start from veteran left-hander James Paxton — Outman worked a full count in the first at-bat of the inning.
The 2-and-2 offering was a low slider from Twins reliever Jay Jackson. The payoff pitch was another slider, only this time left hanging right down the middle.
With a sky-high swing, Outman launched the ball on an arcing 42-degree trajectory, typically too high to carry a big league fence. But, even on a crisp April night, the 26-year-old got enough behind it to find the first row of the seats.
“It definitely relaxes you more,” he said, “when you see balls land.”
From there, the Dodgers (9-4) didn’t look back.
Ohtani, who’d already doubled twice earlier in the game, went deep three batters later, giving him 11 hits (including eight for extra bases) in his last 22 at-bats.
The back end of the Dodgers’ bullpen also delivered. Ryan Brasier, Daniel Hudson and Evan Phillips each held the Twins (3-5) scoreless over the final three innings.
“We were sound and pretty seamless,” Roberts said, contrasting the performance with an error-filled defeat the day before. “It was nice that we came to life later in the game.”
The Dodgers might have a new superstition partially to thank.
After watching Ohtani swing a cricket bat during a rain delay Sunday, then return to the field and collect a pair of extra-base hits when the game resumed, Outman decided to do the same Monday.
“After I saw Shohei get two hits, I was swinging the cricket bat [pregame],” he joked afterward.
So, is the flat, rectangular paddle the Dodgers’ new secret weapon?
“I guess if it works for Shohei,” Roberts said with a chuckle, “it should work for anyone.”
Even the second-year slugger in the middle of an early season funk.
“Hopefully that’s a sign of more things to come,” Roberts said of Outman. “But I know he’s grinding every day to kind of work through some things.”
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
Martin Dugard is a prolific author and writer. He’s also an assistant cross-country coach at Santa Margarita after being head coach at JSerra for 15 years.
His newest book is “The Long Run,” which discusses the 1970s running boom and is a narrative history of four who sparked the marathon boom: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz.
He’s going to have a book signing on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 26751 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo.
Don’t be surprised if he tries to run from Rancho Santa Margarita to his book signing.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football blunders have been easy enough to explain away.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players for a game were three guys who weren’t playing in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).
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ESPN forces him into those conversations because First Take has to talk football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he isn’t).
But Monday’s latest mistake is a lot tougher to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that’s supposed to be his bread and butter.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
So, Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the past four years, except they did it twice.
Yikes.
This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could be easily forgiven for not knowing. Perhaps he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. That’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself as the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN, as they keep selling Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking Warriors playoff history
If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, nobody would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with the ego of Smith can be so consistently wrong while also delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated the Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet he couldn’t keep the recent playoff history of the Warriors straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament (although they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different from acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since winning that 2022 title.
He hasn’t. In fact, the team is 175-153 in the past four regular seasons.
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The Warriors made the second round in 2023. They made the second round again in 2025.
Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.
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