Angels close home slate with ugly loss to Twins

• September 21, 2026

ANAHEIM — This was a fitting performance for what is likely to be the last Angels home game of a miserable era.

The Angels lost, 8-0, to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon, completing their home schedule in the final season under owner Arte Moreno.

They’ll have six more road games, and then their 11th straight season will be officially in the books, allowing the fans to fully turn their focus to the hopeful beginning of Stan Kroenke’s ownership. The sale is scheduled to be completed sometime over the winter.

In the meantime, the Angels (60-96) need to find a way to win three more games if they are to avoid the first 100-loss season in franchise history.

They won’t do it playing the way they did on Sunday.

The offense was poor, even by the standard they’ve set in a second half when runs have been sparse. Twins right-hander Dean Kremer, who brought a 5.35 ERA to the mound, held the Angels to one hit in six innings. He struck out eight.

“(Kremer) is a veteran guy, knows what he’s doing on the mound, keeps you off balance,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I thought him and (catcher Victor) Caratini did well together back there, kept us off balance. We hit some balls hard, and maybe if we pushed a couple across early, it would have been a whole different story, but I thought he did a good job limiting damage to us.”

In the third inning, No. 9 hitter Christian Moore drew a walk, setting the stage for the top of the order to hit with a runner on base. Zach Neto, Mike Trout and Wade Meckler all struck out.

An inning later, Vaughn Grissom led off with a single. Moisés Ballesteros followed by hitting into a double play.

The Angels did not get a runner in scoring position all day.

On the mound, starter Ryan Johnson gave up three runs on seven hits in 4⅔ innings, his worst result in a stretch of solid pitching over the last two months. Johnson actually didn’t pitch that poorly, though. He didn’t walk anyone — the fourth straight Angels starter to have a walk-free game — and he struck out six.

Two of the runs scored in the third, when Johnson gave up four hits. That included an infield hit and a bloop single.

“I thought actually RJ pitched better than the line that he had,” Suzuki said. “He had no walks, six strikeouts, soft contact. He basically got singled to death.”

Johnson took no solace in that assessment, though.

“I think that at the end of the day, the thing that matters the most is keeping the runs off the board, and they they fought hard,” Johnson said. “A lot of credit to them. They had some good at-bats that put put the guys across the plate.”

Mop-up reliever Sammy Peralta then let the game get out of hand by giving up five runs in 1⅔ innings. Peralta didn’t get any help from center fielder José Siri, whose poor defense directly led to two runs.

With two outs in the sixth, Siri seemed to lose track of how close he was to the fence when he was chasing a fly ball. He had room to make the catch on his feet, but he jumped and allowed the ball to drop for a double. The next batter singled, scoring a run. Siri was then slow to back up a throw that got past shortstop Zach Neto on a stolen-base attempt, so Ben Ross came all the way around to score on the play.

​ Orange County Register 

Emmet Sheehan strengthens postseason case as Dodgers sweep Giants

• September 21, 2026

LOS ANGELES – Hiding behind that 5.00 ERA Emmet Sheehan toted around for much of the season might have been a valuable postseason piece.

Sheehan allowed just one hit in 5⅓ scoreless innings Sunday afternoon as the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 to complete a three-game sweep.

Sheehan retired 16 of the 18 batters he faced, allowing just one single and walking one while striking out nine.

“I’ve loved the version we’ve seen of Emmet the last three outings,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s been fantastic.

“We’ve seen confidence. We’ve seen when you’re essentially fighting for your life to create an opportunity for yourself. That’s what I see. There’s urgency. I like the way that he’s trusting his stuff. He’s in a good spot physically, and you know the performance has been fantastic.”

The outing was Sheehan’s third consecutive outstanding performance this month as he has bounced between Triple-A and the majors. It cemented a spot in the Dodgers’ postseason bullpen after a rough season for the 26-year-old right-hander – an outcome that did not seem likely when he was demoted to Triple-A in early August.

“I don’t know that I proved anything to myself. It was just getting a couple things right and I think I’m in a much better spot now,” Sheehan said.

“My confidence stayed the same the whole time. I knew the coaches down there were going to help me and I was going to get right. I took that approach going into it. I wasn’t helping the team here so I needed that a little bit.”

Sheehan has been called up for two starts this month and pitched in ‘bulk’ following Jack Dreyer as an opener Sunday. Sheehan carried a 5.29 ERA into September after 20 starts for the Dodgers that landed him back in the minors.

In his three September outings, though, Sheehan has shown rediscovered fastball command after working on his delivery in Triple-A. He has allowed just one run in 17 innings, holding hitters to a .105 average (6 for 57) with 24 strikeouts and three walks. After giving up 20 home runs in those first 20 starts, he has allowed just one in his 17 September innings.

If his confidence didn’t need repair, his delivery and pitch mix needed some work.

Now two years removed from Tommy John surgery, Sheehan was thrown by not quite having recovered all of his fastball velocity this year. When he chased those extra miles per hour, it was counterproductive. He has become more comfortable at 94-95 mph now.

“I think it’s a few things,” he said Sunday. “Definitely … being more comfortable in my delivery, being out there staying free and easy with everything, not trying to do too much. Instead of saying, ‘I need 97 here.’ It’s more like ‘If I hit my spot, he’s not going to hit it.’”

They haven’t. Sheehan has gotten 50 swings-and-misses in his three outings this month, nearly half of them (24) on his reborn four-seam fastball. He also got six on his curveball Sunday.

“I think that’s something that Connor (McGuinness), Mark (Prior) and I and the coaches down in Triple-A have been working on is just expanding the front-to-back game with the fastball and the curveball,” Sheehan said. “I think some guys ended up throughout the season sitting mid-speed, slider-changeup, on me. Having that change of speeds the last couple has been very important.”

The Dodgers moved Sheehan to the bullpen for the postseason last October and saw him as a big weapon in that role. The results were mixed, however, in part because of some pitch tipping issues which Sheehan said have been addressed. He will be wiser this time around, he said.

“Definitely,” Sheehan said. “I think the routine of everything can be a little bit hard to adjust to right away. So having that experience helps a lot. Just getting back into that, I know what I need to do to get ready to go into the game.”

The Dodgers gave him a little bit of a test drive by using Dreyer as an ‘opener’ before him. The Giants scratched out one run in the first inning against Dreyer when he walked leadoff man Jonah Cox. Cox moved to second on a wild pickoff attempt by Dreyer, stole third and scored on Victor Bericoto’s RBI single. The Giants had just one more hit in the game.

“I think that obviously there’s a 97 that plays better, but 94-95 commanded still misses bats,” Roberts said of Sheehan, who will rejoin Oklahoma City for the Triple-A playoffs this week before returning to the Dodgers for the postseason. “That’s one part of it. The other part of it is holding the velocity. And so, for me, the last three or four since he’s been back here, he’s held those 94s and 95s for the, call it, 85 pitches.”

The Giants’ run against Dreyer stood up as the only run of the day until Tommy Edman emerged from a 2-for-41 slump to hit a solo home run in the sixth inning.

The Dodgers broke the 1-1 tie in the seventh on singles by Max Muncy and Josue De Paula followed by an RBI double from Kike’ Hernandez.

They stranded De Paula and Hernandez in scoring position but singles by Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman and Muncy produced another run in the eighth inning.

Kris Bubic, Brock Stewart and Tanner Scott combined on 2⅔ innings of hitless relief to close out the combined two-hitters for the Dodgers’ 96th win. With the win, the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch a first-round bye over the Atlanta Braves (who clinched the National League East division title Sunday) dropped to three.

​ Orange County Register 

Beckett Sennecke’s hat trick lifts Ducks past Sharks in preseason opener

• September 21, 2026

ANAHEIM –– The Ducks didn’t hold back their stars before the crowd at Honda Center on Sunday afternoon, when Beckett Sennecke’s natural hat trick buoyed a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks in both teams’ preseason opener.

San Jose fielded an understated assortment of players. Mainstays like Macklin Celebrini and No. 2 overall pick Ivar Stenberg, as well as new additions, such as former Ducks defender Jacob Trouba, skipped Sunday’s game. By contrast, the Ducks played a star-studded lineup that included their core four of young stars as well as their last two top draft selections, along with veterans Mikael Granlund and Alex Killorn.

Leo Carlsson gave glimpses of what made him worth $18 million a year, scoring a spectacular goal and following it up with a jaw-dropping primary assist on the first of three consecutive goals by Sennecke. Jackson LaCombe’s tally was engineered by Cutter Gauthier. Tristan Luneau and Nico Myatovic each dished out two assists, with Luneau adding a late goal. Free-agent addition Laurent Brossoit made 21 saves.

Eric Pohlkamp and Jimmy Huntington scored for San Jose. Eric Comrie played just over half the match before giving way to Matt Davis, who earned the loss.

“There were some nice plays and our top guys played well,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “But if you go into their building, they’re playing all their top guys and our lineup might not be as strong.”

He added: “(Sennecke) has had a great camp so far, and Leo, it was a real strong game for him, he stepped up to that level where we like to see him.”

The Ducks buried the Sharks in the final frame, slathering on two more goals at 8:10 and 13:44.

Sennecke gloved down an aerial pass just outside the blue line, zooming in with a forehand-to-backhand move that sent the fedoras flying.

Luneau later hammered a one-timer from the left point for goal No. 6.

The Ducks gave up the first goal in each of the first two periods but put up a pair of unanswered markers both times to hold a 4-2 advantage through 40 minutes.

They surrendered an equalizer but jumped back in front 70 seconds later before creating some separation with 3:53 to play in the second stanza.

Former Duck Brett Leason made a brilliant one-handed pass off the right-wing wall, where both Ducks defensemen were stuck, to a wide-open Huntington at the 11:05 mark.

The Ducks would respond with two goals from Sennecke, the first on the power play (12:15)  and the second at even strength (16:07).

Carlsson’s explosive entry drew three defenders and his show-stopping saucer pass hit Sennecke in stride to scoop a short-side shot over Davis’ shoulder.

“The speed there going through the middle of the ice, whatever you want to call that, to me, that’s the greatest strength you can have as a centerman,” Quenneville said. “Leo earned some of that money tonight.”

Sennecke then smashed a one-timer from high in the zone off a Luneau feed.

The Ducks fell back into some bad habits early to allow the first goal but then struck twice to carry a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

They ceded the game’s first goal early, on the second Sharks shot just 97 seconds into the affair, and from the slot, where Pohlkamp flicked in a wrister from above the hash marks with 2025 Ducks lottery pick Roger McQueen caught behind the play.

But they’d fire back 80 seconds later with LaCombe’s equalizer and then establish an edge at the 6:07 mark off Carlsson’s dandy of a deke.

After Luneau’s blue-line-to-blue-line pass found Gauthier, Gauthier sloughed off contact from Sam Dickinson and then beat Roland McKeown to slide a cross-ice pass to LaCombe, who finished with aplomb.

Then, Carlsson got the puck from Drew Helleson and simply went to work, tying Samuel Huo in knots by dangling from his forehand to backhand and back before snapping the puck past Comrie.

Nikita Klepov, 2026’s 15th overall pick, earned the secondary assist and played much of the match with Carlsson and Gauthier. The 18-year-old did not look out of place at all in his first pro game.

“It depends what the game dictates,” Klepov said. “If they’re open, I’m always trying to give (the puck) to them, but if I have open ice, I’ll try to skate it there.”

The Ducks host the Kings on Wednesday in the second of their four exhibition dates.

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers sink to 0-2 after lackluster loss to Raiders

• September 21, 2026

INGLEWOOD — This was supposed to be the easy part. Two lackluster opponents and then the difficult part of the schedule. Two expected victories to get things rolling. Two games to break in a new offensive scheme and a new defensive one, too. Two reasons for optimism for the Chargers.

Now what?

What do the Chargers do after losses to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at SoFi Stadium and to the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 13 by matching scores of 26-14? How can they recover going into the most difficult part of their schedule starting next Sunday against the Buffalo Bills?

“Work,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh didn’t go into specifics despite repeated opportunities to do so.

“Execute,” Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said.

Herbert didn’t dive into the details, either.

“I’d be lying if I said we look totally prepared out there because we’re not executing,” Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater said, cutting to the heart of the matter after their offense sputtered for the second consecutive week under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.

In fact, the Chargers looked like they should be wearing those “Hello, my name is … ” sticky badges as they stumbled and fumbled their way to a second consecutive defeat. For starters, Herbert completed 15 of 27 passes for only 192 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Chargers also fumbled six times, including running back Omarion Hampton’s game-altering fumble in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, killing a potential go-ahead drive. The Raiders’ Jeremy Chinn picked up the ball at his own 41-yard line and returned it to the Chargers’ 16.

Two plays later, Las Vegas quarterback Kirk Cousins threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cody White, their second scoring connection of the game, with 2:59 remaining in the game. Cousins completed 19 of 29 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns by game’s end.

The Raiders led, 24-14.

Right tackle Joe Alt, who had been penalized for false starts on consecutive snaps with the Chargers backed up near their own goal line earlier in the game, was then called for holding while Herbert attempted a pass from his own end zone. The Raiders were awarded a safety.

Las Vegas led, 26-14 with 1:41 left.

Game over.

Season on the brink?

“We have to find our way out of this,” Harbaugh said.

Asked why he believed the Chargers could rebound next week against the Bills, with the Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks up next and the AFC West champion Denver Broncos after that and the Kansas City Chiefs to follow before the bye week, Harbaugh sounded adamant that a turnaround was possible.

“The competitors, the fight,” he said. “You’ve got to fight your way out of it.”

The Chargers started with good intentions, but their opening possession stalled and Cameron Dicker was called upon to try a 58-yard field goal. His kick had the distance, but the ball struck the right upright and bounced away. It was a hint of things to come.

After a scoreless first quarter, Cousins threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tre Turner with 11:51 left in the half. Hampton’s 1-yard touchdown run capped a 10-play drive, pulling the Chargers into a 7-7 tie. Las Vegas took a 10-7 lead on Matt Gay’s 59-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half.

Herbert threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Oronde Gadsden to give the Chargers a 14-10 lead, their first of the season, with 9:49 left in the third quarter. Cousins then tossed touchdown passes of 13 and 11 yards to White, who was elevated from the practice squad before the game.

The Chargers’ defense under new coordinator Chris O’Leary had a second consecutive credible game, limiting the Raiders to 57 yards rushing on 29 attempts, for a puny average of two yards per carry. Top running back Ashton Jeanty rushed for 48 yards on 21 carries, an average of 2.3 yards.

Cousins did all the damage with his right arm, though.

The Chargers’ error prone offense did not live up to its end of the bargain for the second game in a row. Hampton rushed for 94 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries. Herbert looked unsettled far too often even with top receiver Ladd McConkey in the lineup after he hurt a rib against Arizona.

“We’re losing in the margins,” Harbaugh said after coaching his 100th game in the NFL. “That’s what we have to get fixed. We’ll go back and look at the tape. We’ll go back to work. That’s all I know how to do. That’s all we know what to do. We’ll find our way, find a way. We’ll move forward.”

Only 16% of NFL teams that started a season 0-2 went on to advance to the playoffs, so it’s going to take a great deal of work for the Chargers to get their game back in order.

​ Orange County Register 

Dana White on UFC 331: ‘Could not have a more perfect evening’

• September 20, 2026

LOS ANGELES — A sold-out arena on a record-breaking night with a star-studded crowd. A taut, action-packed main event between heated rivals. The upset heard around the world. And a finish that no one could ever recall seeing before.

Not a bad night if you’re UFC President and CEO Dana White, who couldn’t hide his happiness after Saturday night’s UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena.

“Tonight was about, as a promoter, as perfect of a night as you could possibly hope for,” White said in an exclusive interview less than an hour after the fights had concluded.

“I mean, just all of it stacked up. You could not have a more perfect evening.”

While it has held shows over the years at Intuit Dome, Honda Center and the Kia Forum, the UFC hasn’t been in downtown Los Angeles since Aug. 4, 2018, for the bantamweight championship rematch between T.J. Dillashaw and former champ Cody Garbrandt.

Eight years later, the UFC featured the flyweight championship rematch between Joshua Van and former champ Alexandre Pantoja. All the hype and trash-talking lived up to the billing as the 125-pounders, with no love lost, went toe-to-toe for 25 minutes.

“Most grudge matches don’t live up to the hype, and that one did,” White said of the main event, which ended with Van retaining his title via unanimous decision. “That one exceeded it. I mean, it’s probably the best fight, or one of the best fights, in the history of that division.”

The hotly contested headliner was the cherry on the sundae Saturday. Some 19,357 fans packed Crypto.com Arena with an announced live gate of $8,228,105, making it the highest-grossing event in the arena’s nearly 27-year history.

The night ended with seven finishes – two particularly eyebrow-raising – and five decisions and one particularly thrilled executive, who spoke in a hallway adorned with some of the arena’s iconic moments, from Kobe Bryant and the NBA champion Lakers to the Kings and the Stanley Cup and innumerable legendary musical acts.

“Means everything to me. It means everything to me,” White said of setting the arena standard. “It’s like, think about how long it took us to get into New York, right? And we’re eight of the top 10 all-time gates in New York, right? In two years, we’ll be 10 of the 10.

“We know what this arena means to people. The biggest acts, from music to entertainment to sports, and we’re number one. Incredible! I love it.”

UFC 331 was the sixth card held in the downtown Los Angeles arena and the first under its Crypto.com banner. Between the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome, Inglewood has hosted three. Anaheim remains the most popular with 10, from 2006 to 2024, and rumors are that it could be on the UFC docket in early 2027.

It helps that Southern California is a quick flight from the UFC’s headquarters in Las Vegas, but White was effusive in his praise for local fight fans.

“I love putting on events in Southern California because the fan base is so rabid and so educated,” he said.

All-time upset

All it took was 12 seconds and one punch for heavyweight Sean Sharaf to upend the combat sports world in one of the unlikeliest upsets in UFC history.

Gable Steveson, with a 2020 Olympic gold medal and five All-American honors on his résumé, seemed to be making a smooth transition from wrestling to MMA as one of the hottest prospects in the sport.

Enter Sharaf, the 33-year-old Anaheim native and Santa Ana resident who was 0-2 in the UFC with his UFC career likely on the line. The 4-0 Steveson was such a sure shot that he was a 12-to-1 favorite on some sites.

Upsets happen all the time in the UFC, but not of that magnitude and violence. A Sharaf left to the jaw sent Steveson and his unblemished record reeling.

White has often said he is in a certain business, which starts with “holy” and ends in an expletive. When asked if Sharaf’s stunning victory was the holiest of the holies, White said it ranks among the biggest ever.

“I’ve had a few. It’s up there. It’s up there,” White said with a smile. “I mean, when you look at what the odds were for that fight, and for it to end that fast and that decisive? Yeah, it’s a holy (crap) moment.”

Money matters

Sharaf’s historic knockout did not go unrewarded. Sharaf was one of the lower earners on the card, with a $30,000 payout for show and another $30,000 for the win.

But the former Marine was the recipient of a one-time perk known as the Proper Chaos bonus, which had been announced by White in partnership with broadcast partner Paramount+ and its series “MobLand.”

The bonus was $50,000, with White saying he was matching it for a $100,000 payout to Sharaf.

Others earning bonuses:

Van and Pantoja took home $100,000 each for Fight of the Night.

Arman Tsarukyan, whose first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event solidified him as the next challenger for Justin Gaethje’s lightweight crown, received $100,000 for Performance of the Night.

Flyweight Casey O’Neill also took home $100,000 for her spectacular Performance of the Night armbar submission of Eduarda Moura. Mounted late in the first round, O’Neill used her feet on Moura’s hips to flip her up and over and, in the same motion, latched on to one of Moura’s arms, turned on her belly and got the remarkable tapout win.

White confirmed that, in all his years in seeing thousands and thousands of fights, he’d never seen a transition and submission like that. He spoke of seeing a limping O’Neill after the fight.

“I saw her on her way out, and she was just, you know, she was experiencing everything that you shouldn’t be experiencing after something like that,” White said. “Her knee was messed up. I said, ‘You’re going to the hospital.’ She said, “Hospital? I’m going to party. I’m going to celebrate!’ I said, ‘Good for you, kid. Have a great night.’”

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ Dave Roberts trying to find ‘balance’ as Freddie Freeman struggles to rediscover his swing

• September 20, 2026

LOS ANGELES – Dave Roberts has a dilemma.

His first baseman, Freddie Freeman, just turned 37 years old and has been slumping badly down the stretch while playing through patellar tendinitis in his right knee. Never one to accept days off as the answer to anything, Freeman would probably benefit from some down time this week – but he also needs at-bats to rediscover the swing that had him batting .300 for the season just two weeks ago or recalibrate it to accommodate his balky knee.

“There’s rest, but there’s also trying to find your swing,” Roberts acknowledged after putting Freeman in the lineup Saturday and Sunday – a day game following a night game.

“I think it’s a work in progress,” Roberts said of Freeman’s swing. “I think that the other day in Cincinnati (a three-hit game Tuesday), I think it was looking pretty good, and then. I actually thought yesterday there were a couple good swings there.

“Obviously, the results weren’t there for him, and he’s frustrated, and I think that you just kind of have to count on him to figure it out and bet on him. And that’s kind of where we’re at. But again, having the week off (with a first-round bye) would be huge too.”

Freeman said he has been doing some different drills in the batting cage, focused on hitting the ball “out front” more.

“I feel like my faults are I try to hit the ball to the opposite field too much, and I let the ball get too deep, and it caused me to slide,” Freeman said earlier this week. “So today (in the cage) was – foot down early, catch the ball out front a little bit.”

Even with that three-hit game in Cincinnati and a two-hit game on Thursday, Freeman went into Sunday just 6 for his past 48 (.125), hitless in nine at-bats in the first two games of the series with the Giants.

“Got to go for results-based things right now,” Freeman said. “Looking to be hot for a few weeks. That’s all I’m trying to do.

“I’m just trying to find something that gives me results. We’re at the time where we’re just trying to get hot for five weeks here. So kind of like I did in the World Series a couple years ago (when his ankle was injured), I did the step-out move. That’s not sustainable over six months. I’m not trying to find something that’s sustainable. I’m trying to find something that works for four weeks.”

OHTANI WORK

The “hope” is that Shohei Ohtani will be ready to come off the Injured List when he is eligible on Wednesday, Roberts said. When he does, Roberts expects him to be in the lineup for the final five games.

“Absolutely,” Roberts said. “Yeah, he’ll need those live at-bats.”

Roberts has said Ohtani is “pain free” but he acknowledged that Ohtani won’t be 100 percent when he returns – but will be closer to it than he has been in weeks.

“Discomfort you can play through,” Roberts said of how Ohtani is feeling. “I think there’s a difference between discomfort and pain. Is it 100 percent? Probably not. Is it better than it was a week ago? Yes.

“Honestly I think that’s just a better question for Shohei to give more specifics, but I do think that when he’s activated it’s going to be the best physical place he’s been in in quite some time.”

Ohtani has spoken with the media just once in the past five weeks (before he went on the IL).

KIM CALL

Signed to a three-year, $12.5 million contract, Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim has spent most of the second season of that contract in Triple-A where he hit .265 with a .682 OPS in 84 games. He hasn’t been up with the Dodgers since May but Roberts said Kim will be part of the “conversation” for the postseason roster.

“My expectation is Hyeseong will be here during the off week (next week) and potentially be a conversation for the postseason (roster) because he has the ability to run, to play defense, and steal a base,” Roberts said. “He’s in the conversation, yes.”

Kim was on the postseason roster last fall, appearing in just two games. It will be difficult to give him a spot on a bench that seems set with Alex Call, Hunter Feduccia, Miguel Rojas, Kike’ Hernandez and Josue De Paula.

ROSTER MOVES

The Dodgers placed Tarik Skubal on the bereavement list Sunday and recalled Emmet Sheehan from Triple-A to pitch ‘bulk’ in Sunday’s game.

Also, Seth Halvorsen was returned to Triple-A and Kyle Hurt was recalled.

Sheehan is still under consideration for a bullpen role on the postseason roster.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers are off on Monday.

Padres (TBA) at Dodgers (TBA), Tuesday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Tayler Saucedo has been a positive for the Angels struggling bullpen

• September 20, 2026

ANAHEIM — Tayler Saucedo has emerged from the rubble of the Angels’ embattled bullpen.

Saucedo, a 33-year-old who has been kicking around professional baseball since 2015, is not an up-and-coming prospect, but he has enjoyed some of the best success of his career over the last two months with the Angels.

Saucedo has a 2.66 ERA and he’s held opposing hitters to a .205 average, with 24 strikeouts and five walks in 20⅓ innings. He has not allowed a run in his last 13 appearances, the longest such streak of his career.

Overall, the Angels bullpen ranks 20th in the majors with a 4.29 ERA. They’ve suffered 29 blown saves, which is fifth most in the majors, and they’ve lost 11 games when leading after eight innings.

Fixing that over the winter will one of the Angels’ most pressing tasks.

Saucedo, who is arbitration eligible, will presumably still be with the team next year. What he’s done this season has been too small of a sample to be certain that he’s part of the bullpen solution next year, but so far his performance has been encouraging.

“I feel like the stuff is ticking up a little bit,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “The strikeout to walks have been  elite. I think everything he’s been doing, coming in and attacking the strike zone, getting righties out, has been definitely a positive. He’s been awesome.”

When the Angels made the change from Mike Maddux to Tim Leveque as pitching coach, there was an emphasis throughout the staff on having pitchers throw their best pitches more often.

In Saucedo’s case, that’s meant using his sweeper more. He’s thrown more frequently that at any previous time in his career in the last month.

Opponents have hit .115 against Saucedo’s sweeper, and they’ve whiffed on 42% of their swings. He’s thrown it against righties and lefties.

Saucedo used his sweeper to strike out Ryan Kreidler on Saturday night, ending a 1-2-3 11th inning that set the stage for the Angels to win in the bottom of the inning.

After the strikeout, the normally subdued Saucedo was visibly pumped up as he strutted off the mound.

“That caught me off guard,” Suzuki said. “He’s a guy that kind of never shows any emotion. For him to do that, I think it fired the guys up. It was a big moment. He came up and did a great job and was fired up. That emotion, this time of year, is great.”

NOTES

With one week to go in the regular season, Suzuki said so far he’s heard nothing about his job status beyond the season. Suzuki is coming to the end of his one-year deal as manager. …

Since the start of August, Angels catchers have thrown out 31% of would-be base-stealers, leading the majors.

UP NEXT

Angels (LHP Yusei Kikuchi, 1-6, 5.02) at Athletics (LHP Brady Basso, 1-3, 4.50), Tuesday, 6:40 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Who can USC’s offense turn to without Trent Mosley?

• September 20, 2026

Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s body twisted in the air — just enough so that he could still plant his left foot inside the red paint of Rutgers’ end zone.

The true freshman receiver’s vertical jump and catch radius allowed him to snatch a high pass from Jayden Maiava and get No. 12 USC (4-0) the valuable two points it needed to extend its lead to 35-21 against the upset-minded Scarlet Knights (0-3) on Saturday afternoon.

“In practice, we go over those (catches) — me and Jayden,” Dixon-Wyatt told reporters after the game. “I feel like it’s nothing new out there and it’s a repetition thing. So if you keep getting reps and reps, eventually it’ll come easier.”

The Mater Dei product has now surpassed Trent Mosley as the team’s leading receiver. Mosley was not available due to a knee injury for the 42-35 road win over Rutgers, leaving the Trojans to experiment with other offensive tools.

Dixon-Wyatt, receiver Corey Simms and running back Riley Wormley answered the call on a day in which the offense significantly outperformed the defense.

“(Simms and Wormley are) two of the stronger competitors on the team that have been really good special teams players,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “They’re two guys that you never have to worry about their effort or their physicality or their competitiveness.”

Dixon-Wyatt was the leading receiver with five catches for 77 yards, and his nine targets made him Maiava’s favorite target of the game. Simms collected 72 yards and a 52-yard touchdown on four catches, with a team-high 33 yards after catch, and Wormley broke off a handful of explosive runs — something USC has been looking for.

He carried the ball three times for 52 yards and a touchdown and also caught a 2-yard pass for a quick score.

“With my preparation and eventually getting an opportunity to go on the field,” Wormley said, “I’m very thankful to the coaches and thankful to God. It’s all glory to God.”

USC will need Mosley’s compact yet powerful 5-foot-11 frame and his elite route-running ability as it goes deeper into Big Ten Conference play — starting with Oregon this weekend.

It’s unclear when the former Santa Margarita player will be back. Riley said the injury is not expected to be long-term and added that it’s something the team is continuing to monitor.

There is solid depth in the run game between King Miller, Waymond Jordan and Wormley, and running backs coach Anthony Jones, Jr. holds them to a high standard. Maiava has multiple receivers to choose from in addition to dependable tight end Mark Bowman.

The defense just needs to keep them on the field.

Rutgers scored a season-high 35 points against USC after losing its first two games of the season to the lowly UMass and Boston College and had the ball for 33:08, compared to USC’s 26:52.

The Scarlet Knights also produced a season-high 168 rushing yards, and their 292 passing yards were the most the Trojans had allowed all season. Running back Antwan Raymond unleashed a 49-yard rush that set teammate Clay Thevenin up for a 17-yard touchdown run.

It overshadowed Prophet Brown’s interception returned for a 99-yard touchdown and fellow safety Christian Pierce’s first-quarter interception.

“I like our good, but when we get teams — especially behind the chains — we better do a better job of making them pay,” Riley said. “That’s kind of when the game is in your favor defensively and that’s when we were at our worst today.”

USC has a lot to shore up before its first Top-25 matchup of the season when Oregon comes to the Coliseum on Saturday.

The Ducks have struggled out of the gate with a loss to unranked Oklahoma State and a near-loss to Boise State, another unranked team, in their season opener. They made a statement by shutting out Portland State 84-0 on Friday.

Whichever team wins in Los Angeles on Saturday will achieve a momentum-controlling, signature win.

“The locker room, the coaches, everyone,” Riley said of what gives him confidence. “It’ll be a fun atmosphere and we’re looking forward to it. We’ve got to have a good week of preparation and these are the kinds of games that you enjoy being in the Coliseum for and being at USC for.”

​ Orange County Register