Sports
The Dodgers bullpen was supposed to be a strength. Why has it struggled early on?
Their top two relievers had pitched the two previous nights, so the Dodgers had little choice but to turn to J.P. Feyereisen, a 31-year-old journeyman trying to work his way back from shoulder surgery, in the seventh inning of a tie game against the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
A walk, a single, a walk, and a Jurickson Profar three-run double later, the Padres were on their way to a 6-3 victory.
If Brusdar Graterol or Blake Treinen was available, manager Dave Roberts could have turned to one of the two veteran right-handers in that situation against the Padres. Or maybe one or both of them would have pitched in the previous two games, freeing up closer Evan Phillips or setup man Daniel Hudson to work Sunday.
But the hard-throwing Graterol, who went 4-2 with a 1.20 ERA in 68 games last season, is on the 60-day injured list because of right-shoulder inflammation and won’t be eligible to return until May 20.
And Treinen, who missed most of 2022 and all of 2023 because of shoulder injuries but appeared to be regaining his 2021 form (6-5, 1.99 ERA in 72 games) with 3 ⅔ scoreless innings in spring training, has been sidelined since a March 9 line drive bruised a lung and fractured several ribs and is not expected back until early May.
Those two injuries, combined with the early-season struggles of two right-handers who were dominant for the Dodgers in 2023, have thinned out a bullpen that was expected to be a strength but has looked a bit wobbly while cycling through 15 different relievers in the first month of 2024.
“There have been some games where we’ve given up runs late or given up some crooked numbers and not allowed our offense to come back, where if you had those two leverage guys, I think things could have been different,” Roberts said.
“The hard part is just making sure we stay the course and check all the boxes with Blake, who’s coming [back] first, and then with Brusdar, so we can get them and keep them once they get back. But their presence has certainly been missed.”
Some injuries and inconsistencies in a rotation that entered Friday night’s game against the New York Mets with a 4.15 ERA (16th in baseball) and was averaging just under 4 ⅔ innings per start has strained a bullpen that has cracked at times under the stress.
A relief corps that went 24-11 with a major league-best 2.28 ERA from June 20 through the end of last season entered Friday with a 4.13 ERA, ranked 17th in baseball. Dodgers relievers had thrown a major league-high 93 ⅔ innings, given up 13 homers, third-most in the game, and walked 32 batters, ninth-most in baseball.
“Teams don’t like to push their starters quite as much at the beginning of the season, so I think it’s like this every April,” Hudson said. “As guys in the rotation start to build up more stamina, I think that will take a little bit of stress off us.”
The Dodgers might have better absorbed the injuries to Graterol and Treinen if veteran right-handers Ryan Brasier and Joe Kelly were pitching more like they did in 2023.
But Brasier, who went 2-0 with an 0.70 ERA in 39 games last season, entered Friday with a 4.50 ERA in eight games and had already given up more earned runs (four) and home runs (two) in eight innings than the three earned runs and one homer he yielded in 38 ⅔ innings in 2023.
Kelly, who had a 1.74 ERA in 11 games for the Dodgers after his July 28 trade from the Chicago White Sox last season, entered Friday with a 5.87 ERA in eight games, giving up four of his five earned runs in a five-run seventh inning of a 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on March 30.
“I feel pretty good physically, but my velocity is down a little bit,” said the 37-year-old Brasier, who gave up three runs — two on a Fernando Tatis Jr. homer — in a three-run seventh inning of an 8-7 loss to San Diego on April 12. “I’m doing some things to try to get it back to normal.”
Brasier’s four-seam fastball, which averaged 95.7 mph in 2023, is averaging 94.2 mph this season, his two-seam sinking fastball, which averaged 96.0 mph in 2023, is down to 93.9 mph, and his cut-fastball has dropped from 92.0 mph to 90.5 mph.
The 85-mph slider that was so effective for Brasier last season, when he held opponents to a .120 average (10 for 83) and no homers in at-bats ending with the pitch, has yielded a .417 average (five for 12) and two homers this season.
Kelly’s velocity is also down a tick, from 98.9 mph on his sinker to 97.7 mph, from 98.0 mph on his four-seamer to 98.0 mph, and from 91.6 mph on his slider to 90.4 mph, but the 35-year-old still ranks in the 96th percentile in fastball velocity.
“Whether you’re a starter or a reliever, you kind of have to minimize damage,” Roberts said. “If you look back at some of the games we haven’t won, we’ve given up crooked numbers in certain innings.”
There are some bright spots in the bullpen. Phillips entered Friday with a 1.17 ERA in eight games and had converted all five of his save opportunities. Veteran left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was 2-0 with a 3.20 ERA in 19 ⅔ innings over his first six games.
Hudson, who missed the second half of 2022 and most of 2023 because of knee injuries, was so effective in his first nine games (2.00 ERA, 12 strikeouts, no walks in nine innings) that he has moved into a setup role.
“Obviously, with the arms that we had, I wasn’t really expecting anything,” said the 37-year-old Hudson, who signed a minor league deal in December. “I knew I could still fill that [setup] role. The fact that I’m doing it early on, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Hudson wouldn’t have assumed such a high-leverage role if Graterol and Treinen were healthy, and the bullpen will be hard-pressed to regain the second-half dominance that helped propel the Dodgers to a 100-win season in 2023 until Graterol and Treinen return.
“Knowing what they can do late in games, it just lengthens our bullpen to have those two guys in there with experience pitching in big situations,” said Hudson, who closed for the World Series-winning Washington Nationals in 2019. “It’ll be nice to get those guys back when they’re ready.”
Sports
Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert gushed over 27-year-old singer Madison Beer in a heartfelt birthday tribute on social media, offering fans a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship.
The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who normally shies away from the public eye, posted a series of photos to his Instagram Stories on Thursday.
Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 8, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
“Happy birthday to my favorite person of all time,” Herbert wrote in a post that showed the couple on the sidelines of one of his NFL games. “I love you so much. You’ve changed my life forever.”
In another photo appearing to show the couple out to dinner, Herbert wrote, “I am the luckiest guy alive…”
Herbert, who turns 28 later this month, shared another photo of the “Make You Mine” artist petting goats and captioned the photo, “My goats.”
The couple was first linked together in August when they were spotted together on the set of one of Beer’s music videos in Los Angeles. Herbert and Beer were photographed in October on the sidelines of a Chargers game at SoFi Stadium, seemingly confirming the dating rumors.
Quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and singer Madison Beer attend an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The same month, Herbert went viral after blocking a rogue basketball from hitting Beer when the two sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers in July 2023. Despite proving himself to be one of the elite young quarterbacks in the NFL, Los Angeles’ offensive struggles have seen the team fall short in back-to-back playoff appearances.
Quarterback Justin Herbert (10) of the Los Angeles Chargers blocks a basketball from hitting Madison Beer as they attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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The team’s offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, was fired in January and replaced with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in football.
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Sports
Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener
The last time Shohei Ohtani was seen wearing a World Baseball Classic uniform with “Japan” across his chest, he was striking out Mike Trout of the United States on a ninth-inning, full-count slider to give his country a victory in the championship game three years ago.
So much has happened in Ohtani’s life between then and now. He has a wife and a daughter, a new interpreter, a new Major League team, two World Series championships and three more Most Valuable Player awards.
Yet unforgettable WBC memories continue. This time, he delivered from the batter’s box instead of the pitcher’s mound.
In the second inning of Japan’s WBC opener against Chinese Taipei on Friday at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani smacked a hanging curve a few feet over the right-field wall for a grand slam, triggering an offensive onslaught that resulted in a 13-0 victory.
“I thought it might land as an out, so above all, I really wanted to get the first run on the board,” Ohtani told reporters afterward.
Ohtani led off the game with a double and singled in his second at-bat of the second inning, when Japan put up a WBC-record 10 runs. He added a run-scoring single in the third inning, giving him five runs batted in.
In 2023, Ohtani hit and pitched Japan to the WBC title, batting .435 with eight RBIs and allowing only two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings on the mound. This year, he will only bat, saving his pitching for the Dodgers, who begin their quest for a third consecutive World Series title in three weeks.
Japan’s starting pitcher Friday was a decorated Dodger nevertheless. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, MVP of the 2025 World Series, threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two while giving up no hits.
His command wasn’t pinpoint — he threw 53 pitches, 33 for strikes — but it is still spring training, even though the atmosphere was electric for Japanese players competing in front of a crowd of 42,314 that included actor Timothy Chalamet and superstar Bad Bunny.
“I know there will be some tough battles ahead, but if the fans and the team can unite and everyone can help build the excitement together, it will really encourage us,” Ohtani said.
Sports
Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’
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Russell Wilson and Sean Payton spent just one NFL season together, but tension lingered after a rocky year.
And it appears the tension that built up from that tumultuous stretch continues to linger.
Wilson’s interview on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, recorded before last month’s Super Bowl between Seattle and New England, recently resurfaced.
In the interview, Wilson doubled down on his October comment labeling Payton “classless,” saying he felt slighted by his former coach’s remarks.
Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos talks to quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium Aug. 11, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
“[When] you’ve been on the same side or this and that, and I got the same amount of rings as you got, meaning Sean, right?” said Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks as Payton did coaching for the New Orleans Saints.
“I got a lot of respect for him as a play-caller, this and that, but to take a shot, I don’t like. I don’t think it’s necessary, you know, I mean, especially when I’m not even on your own team anymore. So, for me, there’s a point in time where you have to, I’ve realized, I’ve stayed quiet for so long. There’s a there’s a time and place where I’m not.
“I know who I am as a competitor, as a warrior, as a champion, too, and, you know, I’ve beaten Sean, too. You know, like we’ve been on the same place and the same thing. And so, it’s not a matter of disrespect. Just don’t disrespect me.”
Sean Payton and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos during an a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High Nov. 19, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
After a rocky one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, Wilson joined the New York Giants last offseason. However, he was relegated to a backup role after just three games.
Rookie Jaxson Dart quickly showed promise once he had the chance to start, but his season was briefly derailed by injury. Jameis Winston — not Wilson — stepped in for Dart in a handful of games. Dart threw three touchdowns in a Week 7 matchup with the Broncos, nearly pulling off an upset in what was eventually a close loss.
After the game, Payton said Dart provided a “spark” to the Giants’ offense.
“I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said, ‘We were hoping that that change would have happened long after our game,’” Payton said.
The New York Giants’ Russell Wilson attempts to escape a sack by Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston (53) in the first half of a game Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Payton also said the Broncos would have faced less of a challenge had Wilson been under center.
“Classless … but not surprised,” Wilson responded in a social media post. “Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later though the media.”
Despite last season’s struggles and chatter about his football future, Wilson does not appear ready to call it quits in 2026.
“I wanna play a few more years for sure,” he said. “I think, for me, I’ve always had the vision of getting to 40, at least. I think the game is different. Quarterbacks, we get hit. It’s not, you know, we get hit hard, but … there’s certain rules. I mean, back in the day when I started, bro, it was you just get [clobbered].
“I mean, so I feel like the game allows you to, you know, live a little longer, I guess. I feel healthy. I feel great. But I think, more than anything else is, do you love the game? Do you love studying? Do you love the passion for it all? Do you love the process? Do you love the practice? Do you love — everybody loves the winning part of it, but it’s process. There’s a journey that you got to be obsessed with. And that part I’m obsessed with.”
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