Budget mess is due to spending addiction

• June 12, 2024

Only two years ago, California enjoyed an unparalleled budget surplus of $97.5 billion, the result of soaring revenues and an influx of federal coronavirus funds. This editorial board advised Gov. Gavin Newsom to use that opportunity to make substantive changes to the budgeting process, invest in long-neglected infrastructure and prepare for the inevitable downturn.

Any fiscally responsible Capitol observer would have offered similar suggestions. Former Gov. Jerry Brown famously touted charts at all of his budget-release press conferences reminding observers that boom years don’t go on forever. His goal was to remind legislators not to get too carried away creating permanent spending programs.

Newsom largely ignored such advice. As federal COVID funds ran out and the economy slowed, California faced a sizable budget deficit last year. Newsom approved a variety of budget gimmicks to get through the year, with the unrealistic expectation that a recovering economy would throw a lifeline. It didn’t, and now the state faces a deficit of $45 billion (higher according to other estimates).

With no other realistic choice, the governor’s latest budget is serious about cuts, but the Legislature has resisted them. The Legislature has until midnight on Saturday to meet the state constitutional requirement that it pass a balanced budget. If they miss the deadline, the Legislature will pass a provisional budget and follow up with trailer bills.

In announcing his budget plan, the governor said many of the right things. He vowed to cut vacant state positions and avoid raising taxes, although his plan does include some proposed backdoor tax hikes for business. He would cut some from the outsized climate-change budget, slash child-care subsidies and, foolishly, swipe $12 billion from the rainy day fund.

Lawmakers are pushing back over his plans to cut housing and homelessness funding. Instead of paring social services, Democratic lawmakers want deep cuts at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. There’s plenty of room for cutting the bloated prison budget, but it’s a politically risky move at a time of growing fear about crime.

How did we get here? CalMatters columnist Dan Walters summed it up succinctly: “In 2022, Newsom’s budget staff evidently looked at a spike in tax revenue as the state’s economy recovered from the pandemic, mostly due to massive amounts of federal relief funds, and concluded that the cornucopia would continue indefinitely.” In our view, the governor owns the deficit and has no excuses given the size of the previous surplus.

One item highlights that point. Always eager to placate his labor-union allies, Newsom in October signed a law that boosted the minimum wage for healthcare workers to $25 an hour. As the Los Angeles Times reported, “The governor since has been crystal clear about his concerns over the plan’s price tag, originally pegged at $2 billion from the state general fund, with another $2 billion paid with federal funds, in its first year.”

That remains a source of contention, but it strikes us as an unforced error. Why pass something that the state likely couldn’t afford? The state will pass a budget and it will have cuts. But the entire mess is a reminder that — in flush times or lean ones — this governor and Legislature are not focused on the long-term fiscal health of the state.

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers legend and Clippers executive Jerry West dies at age 86

• June 12, 2024

Jerry West, an iconic figure in basketball who became the image of the NBA, passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 86, the Clippers announced.

West was a dynasty builder, winning nine NBA championships as a player, coach, scout, executive and consultant. As a player, he helped the Lakers win the 1972 NBA title, then went on to engineer another eight of the Lakers’ titles in the 1980s and 2000s. He was the architect of the “Showtime” dynasty.

West also was an adviser to the Golden State Warriors during their championship run and earned Executive of the Year twice (1995, 2004).

Most recently, West served as an executive board member and consultant with the Clippers, joining the team during the 2016 season at then-Coach Doc Rivers’ urging.

West was one of the game’s first superstars. He made the All-Star team in each of his 14 seasons and was named to the All-NBA team 12 times and the All-Defensive team five times with the Lakers.

He earned MVP honors in 1969, won the scoring title in 1970 and the assist title in 1972. He was named to the NBA’s anniversary team (35th, 50th and 75th) for his contributions to the game.

West also was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team that won a gold medal in 1960 at the Rome Games.

West, a graduate of West Virginia, spent his playing career with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, where he posted 25,192 points.

West is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for a third time this year — in 1980 as a player, in 2010 for being on the 1960 Olympic Team and this year as a contributor.

LeBron James tweeted Wednesday, “Will truly miss our convos my dear friend! My thoughts and prayers goes out to your wonderful family! Forever I love Jerry! Rest in Paradise my guy!”

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​ Orange County Register 

California’s top wages only buy 61% of typical home

• June 12, 2024

“How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable housing market.

The pain: Even California workers making more than 75% of all jobs will struggle to buy a home.

The source: My trusty spreadsheet created an “affordability” index comparing the 75th percentile income in 50 states as of May 2023 – that’s the median of the upper half of all annual wages – from the Bureau of Labor Statistics against the median home value, as tracked by Zillow.

The pinch

In a state where roughly half of all households own their home, it’s not hard to see why the 75th percentile pay is typical for house hunters.

In California this annual pay ranks third-highest in the nation at $93,250 versus $70,035 nationally. That’s 33% higher.

Tops for upper-crust paychecks was Massachusetts at $98,110, then Washington at $95,180. Lows? Mississippi at $55,870, Arkansas at $58,900, and South Dakota at $59,980. California rivals Texas was No. 22 at $72,640 and Florida was No. 30 at $67,600.

Then ponder pricing, California’s bane.

The typical statewide residence was No. 2 costliest in the US last year at $753,800 versus $325,750 nationally. That’s 131% higher. Yes, more than double.

Top home prices were in Hawaii at $848,700. No 3. was Massachusetts at $586,600. Lows? West Virginia at $157,400, Mississippi at $177,100, and Kentucky at $200,300. Texas was No. 29 at $305,600. Florida was No. 17 at $390,800.

The point of pain

Now, think about who can afford to buy a home.

Imagine the buying power of a 7% mortgage for a borrower devoting 40% of those 75th percentage wages to the house payment.

In California, these wages buy you 61% of the typical residence. That ranks next-to-last and well below the 110% nationally.

Only Hawaii was worse at 45%. No. 3 was Utah at 69%. Tops was West Virginia at 193%, Ohio at 165%, and Illinois and Mississippi at 157%.

And Texas was No. 20 at 118% and Florida was No. 38 at 86%.

Jonathan Lansner is business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]

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​ Orange County Register 

‘Scam alert’ issued by Delaware, targeting California addiction treatment

• June 12, 2024

Despite being fraud central, we’ve never seen California do anything like this. Wow, Delaware.

“SCAM ALERT!” screams Delaware’s social media post. “The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health’s Overdose Response Center is warning of a scam in our area involving individuals claiming to be part of residential rehabilitation programs in California, such as Santa Monica Rehab of California.

“The claims of residential treatment services and ongoing treatment in California are likely FALSE CLAIMS,” Delaware’s Department of Health and Social Services continues. “Beware of body brokering, cash offers, kickbacks, and insurance fraud. For addiction treatment resources you can trust, visit the Treatment Connection website at www.treatmentconnection.com …. The facilities on this site have been reviewed and validated by the state government where they are located.”

Santa Monica Rehab is linked to Nate Young, according to business documents filed with the California Secretary of State.

Young, it turns out, was sued by Beverly Hills in 2020 for operating an “illegal drug rehab facility” that was “a haven for drug abuse and other criminal conduct,” according to the city’s suit. One resident described it as “a place to crash and smoke fentanyl,” where Young provided drugs such as black tar heroin and methamphetamines to residents at “significantly reduced prices,” the suit said.

Young was also sued by insurance giant Aetna last year for being the ringleader in a $40 million fraud scheme targeting “vulnerable Aetna members who suffer from alcohol and/or substance dependency issues as part of a concerted effort to profit at their expense,” according to that lawsuit. Young and his alleged cohorts “used the patients for health benefit payments under the lie of helping them, while doing the exact opposite.”

Young’s attorneys called that “fiction” and “inflammatory speculation” so Aetna can avoid paying millions in outstanding claims. Aetna’s “outrageous allegations” are causing immense damage to business and should be thrown out, they argue in court documents.

While Santa Monica Rehab LLC is not listed as a state-licensed addiction treatment facility in California, Santa Monica Detox LLC is, according to data from the California Department of Health Care Services. Young has been listed as manager and/or CEO for both, according to documents filed with the Secretary of State.

We asked DHCS about Delaware issuing scam alerts for California facilities. Officials are working on a response, they told us, but didn’t make our deadline.

Marc Williams, one of Young’s attorneys, said Delaware’s announcement “has to be viewed in the context of ongoing litigation brought by Aetna against affiliates of Santa Monica Rehab and Santa Monica Detox. We have recently filed a detailed Motion to Dismiss in that matter and it contains a number of important points that demonstrate major flaws with Aetna’s lawsuit.

“My client has been denigrated for too long and greatly looks forward to his day in court and having the opportunity to restore his reputation by showing how he has helped more than a thousand individuals get clean, sober and back into the workforce,” Williams said by email.

Aetna’s battle

First, the cast of characters in the Aetna suit:

In addition to Young, also known as Pablo Lopez, Aetna alleges the scheme included his brother, David Young, also known as Sancho Lopez; Jose Ricardo Toscano Maldonado; Ali Beheshti; Marc Adler; Ani Mirzayan; Zealie LLC; Helping Hands Rehabilitation Clinic, Inc.; Joser Forever LLC; Get Real Recovery LLC; Revive Premier Treatment Center, Inc.; Healing Path Detox LLC; Ocean Valley Behavioral Health, LLC; Rodeo Recovery LLC; Sunset Rehab LLC; Natural Rest House, Inc.; 55 Silver, LLC; and 9 Silver, LLC, according to the suit.

Aetna maintains that they “lured patients into their programs by offering them kickbacks in the form of … free or low-cost living arrangements in ‘sober living homes’ located in highly desirable locations throughout California. In reality, the sober living homes were little more than drug dens, used to ensure patients remained in Defendants’ treatment ‘programs’ for as long as possible,” the suit says.

To continue growing, they hired some patients as “body brokers” to find other addicts to cycle through their facilities; enrolled people in good insurance plans in order to ensure good insurance reimbursements; created multiple entities with multiple tax identification numbers to avoid fraud detection, the suit said. It accused Young of trolling Alcoholics Anonymous and/or other drug counseling meetings for “recently sober individuals,” who were offered jobs or housing in his “‘sober living homes’ that were rife with drugs if they would allow him to use their insurance companies to bill for treatment,”  the suit said. “Such temptations for recently sober individuals are extremely dangerous and naturally can result in relapse.”

In the rare instance where a patient progressed through treatment while still retaining some benefits, Young et al “encouraged ‘relapse’ so a patient’s programs and benefit payments could start anew,” the suit said.

Aetna seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees “and any other relief the Court deems appropriate” for alleged fraud, negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, among other things.

‘Fiction’

Many motions to dismiss Aetna’s case have been filed by the defendants. They objected to its original filing as woefully lacking in specifics. Aetna filed an amended complaint. They maintain it’s still not enough.

“Lawsuits that seek to forward a fiction must fail,” said Young’s motion to dismiss. “If Aetna had more facts, it would have alleged them … But Aetna did no such thing. Rather, Aetna has only attempted to spin a contrived theory. That theory – that the Young Defendants have been operating a fraudulent scheme, as opposed to legitimate addiction and substance use disorder treatment facilities – is based on inflammatory speculation and a desire to avoid paying the Young Defendants millions of dollars in pending, unpaid insurance claims.”

Aetna’s core accusations are based on allegations from totally unrelated court cases, they argue. The Beverly Hills suit was a civil nuisance case involving “only one of the facilities,” and it settled before the facility served Aetna members. Criminal body brokering cases happened before the defendants came on the scene, and before Aetna members were served, they argue.

“There are no facts because the Young Defendants do not tolerate such conduct,” the motion says.

Aetna counters that the granular detail Young seeks does not come in a complaint; it comes later, through the process of discovery. A complaint needs only to give fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon which it rests, a standard “easily met here,” it told the court. 

Young’s arguments are echoed in separate dismissal motions filed by other defendants.

“Aetna’s suit is devoid of allegations directed at Revive, instead incorrectly lumping all defendants together,” its motion said. “Aetna’s allegations against Revive Defendants are entirely void of the who, what, when, where, and how required for fraud-based claims. Aetna’s efforts to evade its pleading obligations through misstatements and mischaracterizations are unavailing and unpersuasive.”

Zealie is just a third-party billing vendor, its motion argued, yet, “Aetna smears Mr. Beheshti with criminality based on allegations in an unrelated indictment in an unrelated case, in which he is not named, and that involves an unrelated entity and someone else’s purported criminality.”

No ruling on motions to dismiss yet; these things tend to take a while. We’ll keep an eye on it. We suspect Delaware will, too.

California? Hello?

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​ Orange County Register 

Frumpy Mom: What do you do with all your stuff?

• June 12, 2024

Many moons ago, when I was still young and considered myself a hipster, I went to a party in the Hollywood Hills. This party was thrown by a good looking young architect who also considered himself hip, although in his case it was probably true.

In my mind, I started calling him Mr. Cutie Pie.

I only knew this guy slightly, so I was stunned when I walked into his ultra-modern house and looked around. His living room held a couple of stylish but uncomfortable looking chairs and sofa, and something glass I assumed was a coffee table.

“That’s not weird,” you’re saying to yourself. But wait. Let me explain. That was all. The entire contents of the room, except for some smooth almost invisible cupboards against the walls.

I walked over to Mr. Cutie Pie and asked him, “Where’s your stuff?”

I mean, everyone cleans up before they have a party, right? To create the illusion that they’re not nearly as messy as they actually are. I’ve been known to throw things into the oven, if I weren’t planning to use it. One reason I still peer inside to this day before I make a pizza, just in case there’s a folded sweater in there.

Nowadays, on the exceedingly rare occasions I entertain anyone, I’ve just started to toss tablecloths over anything that I’m too lazy to declutter, like my desk.

Anyway, back to the party. Mr. Cutie Pie looked at me and said, “What do you mean, my stuff?”

“Oh, c’mon,” I taunted him. I could get away with these borderline rude comments to men back then because I wore exceedingly low-cut blouses. “Where are your shelves of unread books? Your 30-foot-high pile of New Yorker magazines you intend to read someday?

“Where is your television? Where is your television remote? Where’s your pen and note pad for when you finally get that call you’re expecting? Where’s your pile of unread mail? Where are the shoes you kicked off when you came home? Couch pillows? Snuggly velour throw blanket? Cases of stuff you bought at Costco? Dog leash? Dog?

I could have kept going for a few more hours, but he interrupted me. “I don’t have any stuff,” he said.

Now, I really just could not wrap my head around this. It seemed so blatantly untrue. Everyone has stuff, unless maybe if you’re in prison, but I think even prisoners are allowed to have a few things, right? Maybe there’s no stuff on the International Space Station. I think the guy was flat-out lying. Don’t you?

I really wanted everyone to leave at this point, so I could dig through those almost invisible smooth cupboards and find all his stuff. (This is the type of curiosity that turns you into an underpaid journalist for life, by the way. Avoid if possible.)

Sadly, though, the guy who brought me to the party came over and he wanted to leave, so I never got to find out.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been working gradually to declutter my house, which was always packed with stuff. And it only got worse after I got cancer, because God forbid either of my young adult children would open that box from Sam’s Club in the foyer and put the contents away.  Or sort the mail and toss out the junk ads. No one in this house wants to go to a steak dinner hosted by Forest Lawn.

The problem with decluttering is that the moment you get rid of something, you feel great, but then later there’s always that realization that you shouldn’t have let it go.

When I took my fondue pot still in the box to the Salvation Army, did I know that fondue was once again going to become a thing? Of course not. It didn’t become a thing until the week after I donated it.

Now, it is not my intention to encourage all you hoarders out there. No. There is no reason to keep that stack of newspapers you’ve had since 1993.

Ooops, bad example, because I actually do have a stack like that. In my defense, they’re from newspapers where I worked containing my own front page and travel stories that maybe someday after I’m gone my kids might want to look at and keep. I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.

Then, there’s the pasta rolling machine I bought decades ago, lost in the fantasy world where I was going to make my own pasta. (Tip: No, you won’t.) So, eventually, it finally went to charity.

The next day, I read an article about how you could use a pasta roller to roll out your polymer clay for craft projects. Which I was doing at the time. Um, yeah. That was a good move.

At this exact moment, I’m sitting at a cheap IKEA desk (I know that’s redundant) in a corner of my dining room, writing this on my laptop computer. This is my “office.” There’s tons of clutter here too.

Because, guess what? I have stuff. And so do you. And so does Mr. Cutie Pie, where ever he is today. Especially if he had kids. And that’s OK.

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Frumpy Mom: This is a real trashy column
Letting go of my junky ways
Frumpy Mom: Thanks, kids, for pointing out my faults
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Frumpy Mom: Costco is forcing me to get another house

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​ Orange County Register 

Alexander: Dodgers are rolling again, but it’s all about October

• June 12, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Last weekend’s series at Yankee Stadium featured a playoff atmosphere, and the Dodgers responded with playoff intensity and won two out of three from the team with baseball’s best record.

And I’m sure, Dodger fans, that plenty of you watched that series and asked yourselves, “Where was that the last couple of Octobers?”

That is the irritant among the fan base, and that discomfort will remain until it’s eradicated by a full-season championship. And so Manager Dave Roberts was asked Tuesday if those type of performances – and, not incidentally, that type of mental edge – could be sustainable beyond one weekend in the Bronx.

“You know, I think you can,” Roberts said. “But it’s just not going to show every night. Baseball is so difficult and so up and down. So the hope is that you can. But looking at however many more games we have, there’s going to be some duds in there. And that’s just inevitable for any ballclub.”

The trick is to keep the duds to a minimum. Even so, I’m not sure that’s the answer the public wants to hear, as truthful and logical as it is. Baseball people understand that it’s a long season, and the object is to handle the grind, put themselves in position for the postseason and reach a crescendo when they get there.

The fan, more often than not, lives day to day. Slumps such as the couple the Dodgers have already faced this year – seven losses in nine games in April, when they averaged just under four runs per game, and a five-game losing streak in late May when they scored 2.2 runs per game – lead to near-panic among those who care, along with shouts of “Do something!”

It’s a baseball truism. When a team isn’t hitting, it looks like it lacks energy.

“I know, it’s like kind of cliché, but it’s ebbs and flows of the season,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said Tuesday night after the Dodgers had pummeled the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, 15-2, hitting four homers and scoring seven times in the sixth inning.

“We’re going to go through stretches where you just don’t get the hits when you need to. And, the last few weeks we’ve been getting the hits. I’m sure you might ask us (about generating runs) here in a month again. You know, that’s just kind of how it goes throughout the course of the year. But in Pittsburgh (mid-week last week), you could see … just better at-bats, quality at-bats. And for about 10 to 12 days now we’ve been putting together good at-bats, and it kind of carries over to hits.”

It’s possible to limit those dry spells, Roberts said, “by just competing.” He pointed to Gavin Lux, who came into Tuesday night’s game hitting .216 with a .560 OPS but had two hits, a grounder off the first base bag in the fourth after fouling off three two-strike pitches, and an RBI single in the fifth.

“I thought he competed tonight and he got results,” Roberts said. “But there’s some at-bats, I just don’t see our guys competing the way they’re capable of doing. You’re not going to have your ‘A’ swing every night. But you should have compete. And I saw that tonight. And I’ve seen that the last four or five games.”

And so we go back to the last two Octobers. In 2022 San Diego upended the 111-win Dodgers in four games in a National League Division Series. Last year, the Dodgers won 100 games in the regular season and were swept by Arizona, scoring six runs in three games.

(Again: When you have trouble scoring, you look anemic, period.)

You think the rest of baseball doesn’t love it? Consider the reaction of one anonymous player to a survey by The Athletic, on the question of whether the Dodgers’ offseason spending spree was good or bad for the sport.

“That’s what makes baseball beautiful. Those guys spend $1 billion and will still get swept in the first round.”

Ouch.

While today’s Dodgers are again comfortably ahead in the NL West, with a 7½-game lead going into Wednesday’s play, they’re also a flawed team, benefiting from a mediocre division and, to be honest, a National League with only five teams over .500.

The Dodgers’ batting order is top-heavy, the six through nine slots have often been unproductive this season, and Chris Taylor (.102 batting average) and Kiké Hernandez (.207) have been drags on the lineup.

The Mookie Betts shortstop experiment has had its shaky moments, and Freeman saved Betts from another throwing error Tuesday night on Adolis Garcia’s first-inning grounder. Max Muncy’s oblique injury has removed a potent bat, which has had an effect on the bottom of the lineup, and there remains no timetable as to his return.

So for a team with a $308 million Opening Day payroll, they’ve got quite the shopping list leading up to the July 30 trade deadline. Among the targets: Another bat to shore up the bottom of the lineup, one or more bullpen arms and maybe another starting pitcher, and quite possibly a shortstop to allow Betts to at least move to second.

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Having players who are impervious to postseason pressure, or at least able to rise above it, always helps. The presence of Corey Seager in the ballpark this week is a reminder. Seager won a World Series MVP trophy with the Dodgers in 2020, and he won another one with the Rangers last October. Letting him walk after the 2021 season, as it turns out, was a huge mistake.

Seager was asked in a pre-game media session if he thought there was such a thing as an “October player,” and he wouldn’t take that bait. “I don’t have a good answer for you on that one,” he said. “Sorry.”

But he suggested his formative years as a player in the Dodger organization helped prepare him to excel in key moments.

“They taught me everything I knew,” he said. “You know, how to win, how to do things the right way. It’s a first-class organization, you know, and (I) tried to bring that to another first-class organization. It’s all those little things that you’ve learned through the years … you know, you’re trying to do less harm than good.”

There are plenty of others in the Dodgers’ clubhouse who are capable of magical October moments. But until they actually perform them, the faithful will remain restless.

[email protected]

​ Orange County Register 

Angels lose ugly game to Diamondbacks

• June 12, 2024

PHOENIX — The Angels’ game was pretty ugly already, and then in sixth inning there was one of those moments when it became really difficult to watch.

Catcher Logan O’Hoppe had to leave the game after a foul ball hit him squarely in the cup. O’Hoppe writhed in pain on the field, and a few minutes later gingerly walked to the dugout.

After the Angels’ 9-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night was over, O’Hoppe stood at his locker and was able to smile, thankful that the cup had done its job.

He said it was “by far” the worst he had ever been hit in that area in all his years of catching.

“Better now,” O’Hoppe said. “I’m still in some pain. I was dizzy after I got hit. And that was why I left. That was tough.”

Beyond that disturbing moment, it was a rather nondescript performance for the Angels.

They hoped for the best with left-hander José Suarez making a spot start, and it didn’t go well. Suarez gave up four runs in 2⅔ innings.

Suarez was filling the rotation spot vacated when left-hander Reid Detmers was sent to Triple-A.

Suarez had been a reliable starter in 2021 and 2022, but he’d struggled with injury and ineffectiveness for most of the time since. His previous seven relief outings, in which he’d posted a 2.87 ERA, were somewhat encouraging, though.

The Angels had planned for Suarez to throw around 75 pitches, but he was done after 65. One of the main problems was that Suarez threw a first-pitch strike to just five of the 14 hitters he faced.

“We were just in some counts we had to work out of,” O’Hoppe said. “It wasn’t lack of effort. He was trying to make his pitches. It just didn’t go our way. It was a frustrating night.”

Suarez gave up a pair of triples to Randal Grichuk and Corbin Carroll in the second, and a two-run homer to Grichuk in the third.

“I just made bad pitches,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “I left my pitches over the middle and that was it.”

Right-hander Carson Fulmer took over after Suarez and was charged with two more runs in 2⅔ innings.

Right-hander Ben Joyce entered in the sixth and had a shaky outing. The reliever who throws 103 mph has struggled with his command and control in his brief experiences in the major leagues.

Although Joyce struck out Joc Pederson on three pitches – all at 102 mph or harder – that was his only highlight. Joyce gave up three hits, including two infield hits, and he walked a batter. He was charged with three runs, two of which scored after he was out of the game. Joyce has allowed five runs and eight hits in two innings in his first three games.

“When you are throwing 100 mph to the outside of the plate and they punch it into right field, we’ve got to look at that and see what we’ve got to do,” Manager Ron Washington said.

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The Angels pitched poorly on a night when most of the offensive attack came from Taylor Ward, who had a nice night before leaving in the eighth inning with tightness in his lower back. Ward said he came out as a precaution, and he hoped to play on Wednesday.

Ward drove in a run with a double in the third and he hit a solo homer, his 12th of the season. His homer pulled the Angels within 5-3 in the sixth inning.

Ward, who also drew a walk, snapped out of a 2-for-29 slump with his big night.

The Angels could use an extended hot streak from Ward to pump up his trade value leading up to next month’s deadline.

If he’s hitting well, Ward could be one of the Angels’ most attractive trade pieces, because he’s under control for two seasons beyond this one.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers dismantle Rangers with 5 homers in 15-run outburst

• June 12, 2024

LOS ANGELES — It takes a village, and on Tuesday night, the Dodgers assembled in the town square.

With former shortstop Corey Seager in the house, the Dodgers showed they have moved on from their former star shortstop in a 15-2 victory over the Texas Rangers, even if they have yet to advance to a World Series without him.

Mookie Betts, the Dodgers’ third shortstop since Seager departed via free agency after the 2021 season, hit a three-run double. Three left-handed power bats that have arrived since lefty-swinging Seager moved on all hit home runs in a seven-run sixth inning as Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward went deep.

Teoscar Hernandez also hit a home run in the sixth inning as the Dodgers delivered a season high in runs. Hernandez has been the hottest Dodgers hitter of all with four home runs over his last three games and five over his last five contests.

The last time the Dodgers hit four home runs in an inning was Sept. 29, 2021, against the San Diego Padres. Seager hit the last of those four, making Tuesday’s display something of a symbolic outburst.

“You always hear it: hitting is contagious,” said Freeman, who followed Ohtani’s home run with one of his own. “… Shohei hit the homer and you just want to keep it going; start the inning again. You do that and Will (Smith) gets a hit and Teoscar does it again, (then) it’s Jason. Those are the innings that are fun.”

All Seager could do Tuesday was watch as he sat out his fourth consecutive game for the Rangers with a left hamstring strain. He has not given up hope of playing in the series at some point.

The Dodgers did welcome Seager back before the game, allowing fans to shower him with appreciation. The former National League Rookie of the Year emerged from the dugout to wave to the crowd and for a brief moment it seemed like old times.

The cheers only grew louder as the Dodgers’ offense grew stronger. Will Smith had a three-run home run for the Dodgers in the first inning. Betts’ three-run double made it 6-0, and by the time their power explosion was done in the sixth, the statement was complete.

“It’s awesome when you see everybody getting hits again, getting some production and scoring runs,” Hernandez said. “That’s fun. We enjoy it. I enjoy it. We’re having a great time right now.”

The Dodgers entered the game scoring 4.9 runs per game but have averaged 5.8 runs over the past 13 games when they went 9-4.

“I think there’s a little bit better conviction, at-bat quality,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “We ran into some really good arms on the road and navigated our way through that. Tonight, I just thought they won a lot of at-bats, pitches.”

Even with all of the power, Roberts said his favorite moment came in the middle of the game, on a single run in the fifth inning when Gavin Lux delivered an RBI single for a 7-1 advantage.

“He was 0-2, spoiled a pitch and found a way to get on base,” Roberts said.

Lux and Andy Pages each had two hits toward the bottom of the order, while Lux, Pages and Heyward combined to score five runs with three RBIs.

“I’m always optimistic and just what I saw on the back of that road trip, there are a lot of good things that are happening offensively,” Roberts said. “Tonight, it all came together and I can see us sustaining this for a bit.”

After winning two of three games in New York against the Yankees over the weekend amid a playoff-like atmosphere, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked if that type of energy and focus was sustainable.

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“I thought (the Yankees series) was potentially a good preview,” Roberts said of the Dodgers’ capabilities. “Really good baseball. So I definitely know it was in there. It was fun to see it. This is still gonna be a fun series. We’re playing against the world champs.”

Texas might have a different idea of fun. The Rangers had catcher Andrew Knizner pitching in the seventh inning. Credit to Kinzer, who did not give up a hit while recording five outs.

“These games aren’t fun; no getting around it,” Rangers manager Bruch Bochy said. “We have to put it behind us. This is a tough team and if you get behind, they’ll make you pay for it.”

Lost amid the chaos of all that Dodgers’ offense was a rebound effort from Dodgers veteran left-hander James Paxton (6-1), who gave up one run over six innings with just two hits. The start came six days after Paxton gave up a season-worst seven runs (six earned) to the Pittsburgh Pirates in his only loss of the season so far.

“I mean, the bats are hot and it’s fun to watch all of those homers from the bench,” Paxton said. “It’s great to see.”

​ Orange County Register