Sports
Shohei Ohtani rallies Dodgers past Tigers to snap four-game losing streak
It wasn’t exactly the blueprint the Dodgers had in mind.
An early deficit. A rookie reliever pitching late in a tied game. A couple end-of-bench bats taking key plate appearances in the ninth.
But when it mattered most Friday night, in the Dodgers’ bid to end a four-game losing streak and build some momentum going into next week’s All-Star break, they had exactly who they wanted at the plate.
In a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers, Shohei Ohtani delivered the decisive hit.
When Ohtani came to the plate in the ninth inning Friday, he was scuffling like much of the rest of the Dodgers’ banged-up lineup.
He was hitless on the night and just seven for 32 over his last nine games. During that time, the Dodgers offense had started to slump, managing only seven total runs during their four-game losing streak — including five in a three-game sweep to the Philadelphia Phillies this week.
However, with a thunderous swing and deep fly ball to center, Ohtani sent the Dodgers to a much-needed victory at Comerica Park, breaking the 3-3 with a go-ahead ground-rule double.
“It was just really important to win the first game of the series and finish strong as we’re wrapping up the first half and heading into the All-Star break,” Ohtani said through his interpreter afterward. “It was an important game.”
Indeed, the significance of Friday’s result was evident in the way Dave Roberts managed leading up to Ohtani’s go-ahead hit.
Early on, the Dodgers got a poor performance from starting pitcher James Paxton, who gave up three runs in fewer than four innings while walking four batters and striking out just one.
They also managed little against Tigers ace and American League Cy Young front-runner Tarik Skubal, scoring just two runs in his six-inning start to find themselves trailing 3-2 late.
Despite that, Roberts made his first unorthodox move in the bottom of the sixth, summoning closer Evan Phillips well before the ninth inning.
Roberts had his reasoning: Phillips hadn’t pitched in six days, and the manager wanted to ensure he faced a leverage situation as he knocked off some rust.
However, when Roberts turned to typical set-up man Blake Treinen in the seventh — with his team still down a run — it reflected the overall urgency with which he was treating the game.
“I was trying to shorten the game,” Roberts said, explaining that he turned to his highest-leverage relievers early in hopes it would keep his offense within striking distance for a late comeback.
“[I was] not wanting to, essentially, wave the white flag too soon,” Roberts added.
And, right on cue, his slumping offense responded.
In the eighth inning, Will Smith, Freddie Freeman (who had a home run earlier in the night off Skubal) and Teoscar Hernández strung together consecutive two-out singles to tie the score — with Hernández, in his latest clutch moment of the season, staving off an 0-and-2 count to bounce the game-tying hit the other way through the infield.
Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson delivers during the ninth inning Friday.
(Duane Burleson / Associated Press)
“We played little ball today, besides Freddie’s homer,” said Hernández, whose 61 RBIs this season trail only Ohtani for the team lead. “Fight every at-bat, every pitch, trying to get the job done.”
The game took another unexpected turn in the bottom of the eighth. With Phillips and Treinen already burned, and the team’s only other available leverage arm, Daniel Hudson, being saved for the ninth, Roberts turned the tie score over to Michael Petersen, a 30-year-old rookie making just his eighth career appearance.
The inning didn’t start well, with Petersen walking the leadoff batter and then committing a balk.
But, against the bottom half of Detroit’s order, the right-hander settled down. He struck out Jake Rogers. He got Javier Báez to fly out. Then he induced a grounder from Gio Urshela, stranding the runner at second to set up the Dodgers’ heroics in the ninth.
“I give the bullpen a ton of credit for picking up five-plus innings or whatever it was,” said Roberts, who also got four big outs from Yohan Ramírez earlier in the night. “They did a tremendous job.”
Two more unsung heroes emerged before the night was through.
With one out in the ninth, Roberts left Chris Taylor in the game for a right-on-right pitching match-up against Tigers reliever Jason Foley. The result: a ground-ball single that got the rally going.
In the next at-bat, Roberts pinch-hit James Outman for Miguel Vargas — only to change course again when the Tigers summoned a lefty, Tyler Holton, from the bullpen.
By that point, the Dodgers’ last remaining right-handed batter was backup catcher Austin Barnes, who doesn’t typically pinch-hit in case he’s later needed behind the plate.
This time, though, Roberts rolled the dice. He knew the team’s bullpen would be thin in extra innings. He sensed an opportunity to strike in the ninth.
“Essentially,” Roberts said, “you’re trying to find a way to win the game right there.”
It worked, with Barnes flaring a single to center two batters before Ohtani’s decisive drive.
Usually, Roberts steers away from managing so aggressively; an organizational concession that, for a first-place team with a large division lead, not every game needs to be treated like a must-win.
Friday’s “math,” though, was different, Roberts said.
Because they were swept by the Phillies this week. Because of the wave of recent injuries that have wreaked havoc on their roster. And because of their desire to rebound before next week’s All-Star break.
A win Friday, he said with a smile before first pitch, “would be a great remedy” to the team’s recent woes.
Once it was secured, in a more dramatic fashion than even he could’ve imagined, Roberts sat in his office postgame, smiling again.
“Across the board, we got the hits that we were hoping for,” he said with a sigh of relief. “It just comes with the fight I know we have.”
The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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