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With Gavin Stone injured, who's left to carry Dodgers' starting rotation?

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With Gavin Stone injured, who's left to carry Dodgers' starting rotation?

The Dodgers spent $308 million last winter to compile a star-studded roster featuring four most valuable player award winners — Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw — enough quality arms to fill not one but two major league rotations and a deep bullpen teeming with power arms.

The financial investments — more than $1 billion in Ohtani and Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto alone — have clearly paid off, as the Dodgers entered play Friday with an 84-56 record, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the best mark in baseball.

But as the Dodgers head into the final three weeks of the regular season, a time when they’re usually making their final push toward a National League West title, fine-tuning their roster and lining up their starting pitchers for the playoffs, they will enter October with a rotation of Jack Flaherty and … just who, exactly?

“We’re gonna have enough pitching,” manager Dave Roberts said, when asked if the Dodgers rotation will be good enough to make a deep October run. “The names might be a little bit different. I don’t think anyone knows who [will] and who won’t be a part of it.”

Gavin Stone threw the latest wrench into the team’s potential playoff pitching plans when the 25-year-old right-hander, the only member of the opening-day rotation who had not missed a start this season, was placed on the 15-day injured list because of shoulder inflammation on Friday.

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Stone, who is 11-5 with a 3.53 ERA in a team-leading 25 starts, is the 11th starter to go on the IL this season, and he joins a group that currently includes ace Tyler Glasnow (elbow tendonitis), Yamamoto (rotator-cuff strain) and Kershaw (left big-toe inflammation).

Yamamoto, who has not pitched since June 15, is scheduled to return for Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs, but he threw only two innings and 53 pitches in his rehab start for triple-A Oklahoma City last Tuesday and will need several starts to build up his endurance.

Glasnow, who is 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 22 starts, is scheduled to throw off a mound on Saturday for the first time since he went on the IL on Aug. 16, but Roberts admitted that “time is running out” for the right-hander to position himself for an impact October role.

“He’s getting off the mound [on Saturday] and he’ll probably have a more aggressive bullpen session [this week], but we just gotta know, we gotta get going,” Roberts said. “We only have so much time before he [can] get built up and he’s pitching in major league games. Time is certainly of the essence.”

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw walks off the field after giving up a home run to the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 30. Kershaw was placed on the injured list the next day.

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(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

Kershaw, who returned from shoulder surgery in late June and went 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts before injuring the toe on his push-off foot, is playing catch to keep his arm active, but hasn’t been able to throw off a mound.

“He’s still trying to figure out the best way to provide relief [for his toe], and figuring that out is challenging,” said Andrew Friedman, the team’s president of baseball operations. “There’s not a playbook for that … it’s just not a common [injury].”

Stone will not pick up a baseball for at least 10 days, after which he will resume throwing, but when asked if he was optimistic about Stone returning this season, Friedman said, “I’m not sure … there’s just so much unknown, it’s hard to speculate right now.”

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Friedman added that Stone’s injury is “really more symptom-based. It wasn’t something that was like, ‘Oh, we need to have surgery.’ It was, ‘Hey, let’s let everything calm down, pick up a ball and see where you’re at.’ If he comes back and feels good, I think we’re in a good spot. If he picks up a ball and has problems, then we’re in a tough spot.”

So, where does that leave the Dodgers? They’ll enter the homestretch with a rotation of Flaherty, Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, who showed promise in his last two starts after struggling in his initial return from elbow surgery and a hip injury, Bobby Miller, who is 2-4 with a 7.79 ERA in 11 starts, and rookies Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski.

“It’s been a really challenging year, certainly,” Roberts said of the starting pitching injuries. “I think other teams are going through it, and fortunately we have a lot of depth, we’re giving a lot of guys opportunities, and our guys have done a great job of not fretting, continuing to move forward and remaining positive.

“I think the main thing is whatever day we play baseball, you look at the locker room and see who is available, and you try to win a game that day. I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but that’s just the way we have to look at it. I think that’s kind of the way to manage some of this stuff.”

A thin rotation could put even more strain on a bullpen that recovered from a rocky July in which it posted a 5.65 ERA and had a major league-leading nine blown saves to compile a 3.55 ERA and a major league-high 12 saves and 28 holds since Aug. 1. A prolific offense will also likely have to out-slug some of the rotation shortcomings.

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“Looking at our team big picture, I think this is arguably the deepest, most balanced lineup we’ve ever had,” Friedman said. “I think our bullpen is as deep and talented as I can remember. Now, we’ve got to figure out how to line up our starters, and as guys are coming back, making sure they get enough work under their belt to hit October in stride.

“We’re going to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position going forward. All of our focus right now is on doing what we can to finish the regular season strong and be in the best position to go out and win, hopefully, 11 games in October.”

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Charles Barkley scolds sports fans for getting wrapped up in Olympic hockey frenzy

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Charles Barkley scolds sports fans for getting wrapped up in Olympic hockey frenzy

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Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley sounded off on the frenzied reactions to the U.S. men’s hockey team getting invited to the White House by President Donald Trump.

Trump talked to the Olympic gold medal-winning team immediately after they defeated Canada in overtime last weekend. He said they would be invited to his State of the Union address and added that he needed to invite the women’s team as well or he would be “impeached.”

Charles Barkley sits courtside against the Minnesota Timberwolves during an NBA Cup game at Mortgage Matchup Center on Nov. 21, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

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Trump critics took the joke as a shot at the women’s team, which sparked questions from NHL and Professional Women’s Hockey League reporters as the players returned to their respective club teams.

“I’m proud of the United States men. I’m proud of the United States women. You should have invited both of them to the White House, but it shouldn’t have been disrespect, misogyny,” Barkley said on the “Steam Room” podcast. “Like, yo, man, why do y’all have to mess everything up? Everything isn’t Democrat, Republican, conservative, liberal. That’s why we got this divided, screwed up country. Stop it man. Because, you know, the public, they’re idiots. They’re fools. They can’t think for themselves. I know y’all say stuff to trigger them. Y’all say stuff and y’all know they’re going to be fools.”

Barkley lamented that the average person would get riled up over the supposed controversy.

The U.S. team poses for a group photo after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 22, 2026. (Luca Bruno/AP Photo)

“We don’t have to fall for stupidity. But we do – that’s my point. These people out here are stupid. They need something to trigger them. Just because they want us to be stupid. We don’t have to be stupid. He should have invited both teams to the White House. Simple as that. Guys who didn’t want to go shouldn’t have to explain why they didn’t go.”

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The former Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns star made clear he would go to the White House regardless of whether Trump was in office.

“I’ve said this before, I’m not a Trump guy. But if I got invited to the White House, I would go. I’m not a Trump guy – I want to make that clear. But I respect the office,” Barkley said. “He’s the president of the United States. But if guys don’t want to go, I understand that too. It doesn’t have to be a talking point. It doesn’t have to be un-American.

Megan Keller (5) celebrates with a flag alongside Cayla Barnes (3) of Team United States after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime during the women’s gold medal match against Canada on Day 13 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 19, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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“I just wish y’all would stop falling for the stupidity.”

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Prep talk: Birmingham’s Slava Shahbazyan celebrates winning state wrestling title

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Prep talk: Birmingham’s Slava Shahbazyan celebrates winning state wrestling title

Three years ago, as a 14-year-old freshman, Slava Shahbazyan made it to Bakersfield for the state wrestling championships.

“It was good to get experience that young,” he said.

Then came Saturday night when he had a breakthrough moment, winning the state 165-pound championship as a 17-year-old senior for Birmingham High.

“It means everything to me,” he said. “It took four years.”

Shahbazyan, who transferred from Chaminade after his sophomore year, is set to attend Stanford and still in the hunt to be valedictorian at Birmingham. Coach Jimmy Medeiros said he was close to winning last season before finishing fourth.

“He got a lot better,” Medeiros said.

Shahbazyan has been wrestling since he was 8. “My father loves wrestling,” he said.

Two St. John Bosco wrestlers, Jesse Grajeda at 144 pounds and Michael Romero at 150 pounds, also won state titles.

Here’s the link to complete results.

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

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Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

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Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Dominiq Ponder died this weekend, the team’s head coach Deion Sanders confirmed on Sunday with a social media post. 

“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends and loved ones,” Sanders wrote on social media. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us.”

Ponder was 23 years old. 

Details of Ponder’s death are not yet known. 

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Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

Ponder, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller, joined the Buffaloes and “Coach Prime’s” program in 2024 after spending time at Bethune-Cookman before making his way to Boulder. 

Last season, Ponder played just two games for the Buffaloes while serving in his backup role. He recorded two rush attempts and one pass attempt. 

The Opa Locka, Fla., native also received tribute from a fellow quarterback with the Buffaloes, Colton Allen. 

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Bethune-Cookman QB Dominiq Ponder takes a snap during the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Daytona Stadium. (IMAGN)

“Dom, you were a blessing to so many people,” Allen wrote on Instagram. “You had a presence about you that just made everything better. You brought so much joy to me and everyone around you. I’m grateful for every lift, every practice, every rep, every conversation we got to share. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life.”

Ponder was going to be a part of Colorado’s spring practices, which are set to begin on Monday. It’s unknown if Sanders will postpone the start due to Ponder’s passing. 

Ponder also received a tribute from the University of Central Florida.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (Tyler Tate/AP Photo)

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“Our prayers are with Dominiq and the Ponder family along with all in the Colorado football program,” the university’s football account on X wrote. 

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