Authorities offer updates on their efforts to deter prostitution of children and young people along LA’s Figueroa corridor

• September 5, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Federal and local law enforcement officials Wednesday discussed a multi-agency effort to stamp out a so-called pipeline in which children and young adults in foster care are lured onto streets along the Figueroa corridor in South Los Angeles to work as prostitutes.

The 3.5-mile stretch of Figueroa Street stretching from Gage Avenue to Imperial Highway has been a hub for underage sex workers for decades. Women and girls in various states of undress can be seen walking the notorious “stroll” day and night while “johns” drive around the area looking to pick them up. Dozens of YouTube videos show the activity.

Since last year, a multi-jurisdictional task force has been focused on the epicenter of human trafficking and criminal activity, aiming to locate and assist trafficking victims, identify, arrest and convict pimps and traffickers, and disrupt buyers of sex services from minors and trafficking victims.

The effort is not aimed at prosecuting commercial sex workers, officials said.

During a news conference, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said that while human trafficking is a global problem, “you don’t need to look to some far-off country to find it. It exists right here … a short distance from downtown Los Angeles and a stone’s throw from USC.”

Estrada added that many of the youths working the streets are “from the foster care system. These victims are as vulnerable as it gets. What we see is a human rights tragedy playing out every night.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the issue “is a scourge on our society. This problem reveals a gap in the safety net that should be protecting these children.”

Roughly 100 young adults leave foster care in Los Angeles County each month because they are turning 21. At that point, they are frequently vulnerable to pimps, “and the next thing they know is they are being trafficked around the country,” according to Bass.

When a young person in a group home turns 21, for example, “we literally pack their bags and put them on the road,” Bass said.

She said the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, primarily a homelessness prevention program, has expanded to serve young adults aging out of the foster care system.

A lack of housing is one of the reasons young people are victimized by pimps along the Figueroa corridor — because they have no place to go, Bass said.

The Figueroa corridor initiative is designed to help the young women and girls who perform sex work in the area find opportunities and get them off the streets, Estrada said.

Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto described “appalling” street scenes witnessed during a recent night-time ride-along with Los Angeles police.

“Women and girls in various states of undress and a specific stroll for kiddies — a kiddies stroll,” she said. “In the daytime, it was nearly as bad.”

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles also announced or discussed several cases Wednesday involving the sex trafficking of minors.

In one, suspected pimp Christian Brandon O’Neal, 21, of Moreno Valley, AKA Christian Brandon O’Neal Scurlock, was linked to minors working as commercial sex workers in the Figueroa corridor. In March, police camera footage on Figueroa Street showed O’Neal appearing to yell at a 13-year-old victim, take her clothes, and depart the area, leaving her completely naked on the street, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A record check of two girls in the case revealed that both had been reported as missing juveniles out of California. Both victims told police that O’Neal had brought them to Las Vegas to provide prostitution services as minor commercial sex workers and that they usually worked on “Fig,” short for Figueroa Street. O’Neal required both minor victims to give him the money they earned from prostitution, prosecutors allege.

Last month, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging O’Neal with two counts of sex trafficking of a minor and two counts of transportation of a minor in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and criminal sexual activity. O’Neal was arrested on Aug. 7 and was ordered jailed without bond by a federal magistrate judge. He has remained in federal custody since then and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him on on Aug. 27

In another case announced by prosecutors, Nanci Jasmin Castillo, 31, and Jonathan Gonzalez-Reyes, 38, both of Anaheim, are charged in a six-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they befriended a 13-year-old girl, provided her with alcohol, and sexually assaulted her, taking photographs and making videos of the attack.

Castillo and Gonzalez-Reyes discussed helping the victim run away from home and possibly trying to find her work on “Fig,” prosecutors said. Castillo and Gonzalez-Reyes have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to go to trial in March 2025. They have been in federal custody since June.

In another case, Donavin Dwayne Bradford, 33, of South Los Angeles, is serving a sentence of life in federal prison after being convicted of recruiting and enticing teenage girls for whom he acted as a pimp and providing them for commercial sex work, prosecutors said.

From the summer of 2021 to February 2022, Bradford caused one of the minor victims – a then-15-year-old girl – to be used for commercial sex acts. As the victim’s pimp, Bradford expected the girl to earn him $1,000 per night.

The Los Angeles Daily News contributed to this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels top prospect Christian Moore has a meniscus injury, but could return this season

• September 5, 2024

ANAHEIM — The Angels provided good news – relatively, anyway – on first-round draft pick Christian Moore on Wednesday night.

Moore, who seemed to be blazing toward his major league debut before he was hurt on Friday night in Double-A, has a meniscus injury in his left knee, the team announced. The Angels said the injury will be treated “conservatively,” which suggests that surgery is not currently a part of the treatment plan.

Moore will remain with the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas to rehab, and it’s possible he could play again in the final month of the season, the Angels said.

Moore, 21, was the eighth overall pick in the draft in July, out of Tennessee. Because the Angels have so aggressively moved their top draft picks to the majors, there was widespread speculation that Moore would be in the majors before the end of the season.

He hit six home runs in his first eight professional games, fueling speculation that he would be up soon.

Moore was hitting .330 with a .948 OPS in 24 minor league games, but he hurt his left knee while trying to field a ball on Friday night. He had to be helped off the field.

The Angels and Moore spent several days collecting information from various doctors before releasing the diagnosis after Wednesday’s game against the Dodgers.

#Angels prospect Christian Moore was taken out of the game tonight after diving for a ball. He looked to be in some significant pain pic.twitter.com/N867JnoLPM

— Jared Tims (@Jared_Tims) August 31, 2024

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​ Orange County Register 

Keyed by improved preparation, USC’s run defense has been born anew

• September 5, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Eric Gentry lined up on the edge, kicking up turf in his stance, and in a blink LSU’s third-down formation appeared to him just as he had seen on tape.

The Tigers, USC and Gentry knew, went tight in short-yardage situations. Receiver backside. And knowing exactly what was coming, in an utterly crucial third-and-1 situation with fourth-quarter minutes waning, Gentry broke untouched through LSU’s right side and stuffed Tigers back John Emery Jr. for a 1-yard loss.

He came up bellowing in glee to his sideline, flexing every vein in his biceps, a 6-foot-6 dynamo finally unleashed amid a defensive overhaul.

On Wednesday, after USC’s practice, he was asked: did he think he would have a clear shot on that third down?

“I think every play, I’m gonna have a clear shot,” Gentry smiled. “Not to be arrogant, but shoot. Just intentions on making a play.”

He finished with seven tackles in just 29 snaps against LSU on Sunday night, part of a group of sudden playmakers in a 27-20 season-opening win, where the Trojans thoroughly exorcised the demons of a 2023 run defense that too often was gashed or steamrolled up the middle. The Trojans surrendered just 72 yards on the ground to the Tigers, fewer than they had allowed in all but one game (Nevada) last season, as returning players suddenly mucked up gaps in the offensive line that had sent running backs marching free in 2023.

When asked Wednesday, simply, why USC had improved against the run, Gentry smirked before a blunt reply.

“Our coaches,” he shrugged, chuckling as his words hung in the late-afternoon heat.

For two years in Trojans uniform, Gentry had alternated between flashes of slinky-armed greatness and flashes of action from the sideline, his snaps and utilization fluctuating week-to-week. New defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s scheme, head coach Lincoln Riley professed last week, had helped tailor roles to Gentry’s skillset – a 215-pound linebacker who defensive end Jamil Muhammad described as built like an edge rusher, linebacker and safety in one.  And Gentry’s evolution, too, starts with new linebackers coach Matt Entz, a man who Gentry said earlier in the fall had “been everything I’d asked for.”

They’ve shared a saying, Gentry described Wednesday: preparation plus desperation equals separation.

“If you’re desperate about preparing yourself for the worst, you’ll do good,” Gentry said.

Hints of Entz’s saying drifted across a variety of position groups, the new staff’s fingerprints felt in varying ways Sunday across stout run containment. Gentry and Cobb, prepared by film, suddenly attacked running lanes with a renewed ferocity. The secondary, so often unable to wrap up ball carriers under an old regime, missed only two tackles against LSU, according to Pro Football Focus. And bodies on USC’s defensive line – sporting custom “Dawg Work” hoodies before the game, distributed by new defensive coach Eric Henderson and his wife – burst from the interior and edge in key late-down situations.

“We did a great job, I thought, condensing their run game,” Riley said after the win. “Squeezing them, to where there wasn’t just a bunch of huge, open gaps.”

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Two plays before Gentry’s massive third-down stop, sophomore defensive end Braylan Shelby lined up for a first-and-10 in a “four-technique,” directly opposite an offensive tackle. Veteran edge Jamil Muhammad, Shelby reflected postgame, chirped at him where the tackle would move. So Shelby, seeing his man pull for a run, burst through to swallow up LSU’s Emery for a crucial 5-yard loss.

“That’s immediately juice,” a beaming Shelby put, postgame. “Juiced it.”

Credit strength work, as Shelby professed, for USC’s run defense improvements. Credit coaching, too. Credit players, who went into the offseason, Shelby said, mainly focused on stopping the run.

And suddenly, within the span of one week in Vegas, a once-downtrodden group showed an aggressive readiness for a new, physical conference.

“That,” Riley said Sunday, “was some pretty good Big Ten football.”

​ Orange County Register 

Angels pounce on Bobby Miller early, rout Dodgers

• September 5, 2024

ANAHEIM — If Walker Buehler’s start against the Angels on Tuesday represented a step forward in his attempt to pitch his way onto the postseason roster, Bobby Miller came out moonwalking on Wednesday.

The first five Angels batters reached base and scored against Miller, who gave up seven runs in five innings as the Angels beat the Dodgers, 10-1, on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.

The nine-run margin of victory matched the largest of the Angels’ 58 wins this season. The two SoCal neighbors split their four meetings this season, with each team winning once at the opposing team’s ballpark.

“The atmosphere that we’re in is a playoff atmosphere,” Angels manager Ron Washington said of the two games played in front of sellout crowds in Anaheim. “We’re not in the playoffs, but it’s nice to be in that atmosphere. And they rose to the challenge, and hopefully we just can keep building on it.”

Miller might also be on the outside looking in when the playoffs start. He has not made a case to stay in the Dodgers’ plans when October comes.

The Angels made Miller’s night miserable from the start. Leadoff man Taylor Ward drew a seven-pitch walk, two close calls going against Miller. He hit Zach Neto two pitches later and Nolan Schanuel loaded the bases with a single.

Anthony Rendon drove in two runs with a ground ball single through the middle and Mickey Moniak jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Miller, sending it into the right-field seats for a three-run home run and a 5-0 lead.

Moniak has been the most threatening hitter in the Angels’ lineup since the start of August. In his past 22 games, he has batted .320 (24 for 75) with seven home runs (including four in his past five games) and a 1.030 OPS.

Miller struck out the side after Moniak’s latest home run, but he gave up a leadoff homer to Angels DH Niko Kavadas in the second inning. The No. 9 hitter came into the game batting .079 (3 for 38) in 12 games since being promoted for the first time.

Miller retired nine consecutive batters after Kavadas’ home run – then gave up another home run to Ward when he led off the fifth inning. That was Ward’s fifth home run during a 14-game hitting streak and the first of his three hits Wednesday.

“Besides the first inning, there was a lot of good in there,” said Miller, whose ERA is now 7.79 in his sophomore season. “Just a couple good fastball hitters, couple bad pitch selections. … There’s some good fastball hitters and just threw the wrong pitch at the wrong time, and they put some good swings on some not really bad pitches.”

Miller has seemingly done that a lot. He has allowed eight home runs in four starts since returning from the minor leagues.

His fastball remains his biggest problem. The velocity on his four-seamer was down at times this season after he returned from a shoulder injury. It was back up Wednesday to an average of 98.3 mph. But he didn’t get a single swing-and-miss on it and two of the home runs were hit off four-seam fastballs. The third was a two-seamer.

“You have to, as a starting pitcher, to be able to get ahead with different secondary pitches. You have to,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Unless you have 80-command and right now he doesn’t. It’s a fastball that hitters see so it either has to be commanded really well and moved to different locations or you have to be able to get ahead with different breaking balls. That’s just the way it goes. And if you can’t do that, then the catcher is in a tough spot. We have to get better.”

Miller will remain in the rotation and start against the Chicago Cubs next week – “I don’t think that right now we don’t have another alternative” – but Roberts acknowledged Miller’s chance at a postseason role is fading.

“I think where we’re at right now with certain players – Bobby, in this particular case – performance matters,” Roberts said. “It’s got to be better. And he knows that. You just can’t go out there and give up five runs and put us behind the 8-ball. It’s not about the stuff because as we’ve seen the stuff is there. I say it time and time again, it’s about performance. You’ve got to perform and give us a chance.”

Angels starter Griffin Canning has taken his share of lumps this season, but Wednesday was his best start of the season.

The 28-year-old right-hander had a 7.10 ERA in the first or second innings of his previous 26 starts this season. It was such an issue the Angels used an opener for him against the Toronto Blue Jays two starts ago. He followed that with six scoreless innings.

He was his own opening act Wednesday, retiring Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in order in the first inning and giving up just two harmless singles through six scoreless innings.

Canning’s slider and changeup were particularly effective, getting 13 of his 18 swings-and-misses against the Dodgers.

“It was just a lot of fun competing against those guys. Obviously a really, really great lineup, so that kind of brings out the best in you,” Canning said.

“I feel like I was utilizing kind of everything. To some of those lefties I was dropping in curveballs to get ahead, kind of picking and choosing my spots with a changeup, and then later in the game, kind of relying on the slider, using the fastball to both sides.”

He ran out of gas in the seventh and gave up a run on two more singles, including a two-out RBI single by Andy Pages before Washington went to his bullpen.

Canning has a 2.04 ERA over his past three games. But Roberts didn’t sound impressed.

“I just think we got so far behind that guys just didn’t put together the at-bats that I think we could have,” he said. “No excuse with that, but I think at that point in time Canning got into a rhythm and we just didn’t take the at-bats that we could have.”

The Angels added three runs in the eighth inning against Dodgers right-hander Michael Petersen and finished the night 6 for 13 with runners in scoring position. They were 20 for 147 (.136) with RISP in the previous 23 games.

“I hope the offense is waking up and able to finish the rest of the season like that,” Washington said. “It would be nice to finish the rest of the season swinging the bats and getting that type of pitching. Canning was outstanding tonight. Good fastball, moving around, good off-speed stuff. He was just outstanding.”

Staff writer Jeff Fletcher contributed to this story.

RENDON PLATES @Angels | #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/uO1eIJF2L8

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) September 5, 2024

MICKEY MONIAK DINGER @Angels | #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/lAEHvNUCiA

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) September 5, 2024

Wash talks postgame after the win @Angels | #RepTheHalo | #AngelsLive pic.twitter.com/lprAjIAO7T

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) September 5, 2024

Wardy talks with @EricaLWeston after the win @Angels | #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/pP5ST6aOnh

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) September 5, 2024

Dave Roberts talks about Bobby Miller’s performance and the #Dodgers loss. pic.twitter.com/lWa4ZbVezu

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) September 5, 2024

Bobby Miller discusses his performance tonight. pic.twitter.com/ydmCxJIcoZ

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) September 5, 2024

Niko Kavadas goes deep @Angels | #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/V0vwOXmdwO

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) September 5, 2024

ANTHONY RENDON SHOWING RANGE @Angels | #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/dlpokPRavV

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) September 5, 2024

​ Orange County Register 

LAFC rallies to secure a point before falling to Vancouver on PKs in Leagues Cup match

• July 31, 2024

LOS ANGELES — A frantic finish on Tuesday night salvaged the result the Los Angeles Football Club needed to advance to the knockout stage of the Leagues Cup.

LAFC didn’t earn a second point, however, ultimately losing to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a penalty kick shootout to close their two-match group stage with four points.

Playing in front of an announced crowd of 18,351 at BMO Stadium, LAFC still walked away with its most dramatic comeback of the year, completing stage one of the monthlong MLS-Liga MX competition.

Goals by Kei Kamara in the 88th minute and Mateusz Bogusz in the 95th dug LAFC out of a hole that seemed insurmountable until it wasn’t.

In the spring, when Vancouver fell to LAFC, 3-0, at BMO Stadium in an MLS regular-season contest, the Whitecaps attempted to play with the ball and dictate the game.

This time around they willingly conceded possession, focusing instead on denying space to LAFC’s wingers and limiting the Black & Gold’s potent transition attack.

LAFC didn’t get a clean look at goal until Cristian Olivera’s shot in the 25th minute.

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By that point in the game, however, the hosts knew they would have to rally if they were going to secure at least one point.

Sebastian Berhalter’s half-volley from 35 yards put Vancouver on the board in the fifth minute.

After failing to clear the ball off a Whitecaps corner kick, LAFC goalkeeper Abraham Romero was caught by surprise and reacted late as Berhalter’s curling shot veered away from him.

Then in the 17th minute, Vancouver defender Ranko Veselinovic exploited LAFC on a corner kick by deking fullback Ryan Hollingshead near the 6-yard box before redirecting the ball past a stationary Romero, making his third start of the year for Coach Steve Cherundolo’s team.

With the final group standings hanging in the balance, Vancouver will host the team LAFC defeated on Friday, Club Tijuana, this Saturday at BC Place.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers squander another 5-run lead in 10-inning loss to Padres

• July 31, 2024

SAN DIEGO — The Dodgers don’t seem to have enough fingers to plug all the leaks they are springing.

For the third time in their past 13 games, a five-run lead wasn’t enough to get the Dodgers a victory. They scored five times in the first inning against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, then sat back and watched the lead disappear over the next eight innings.

It was only a two-run lead by the ninth inning and Blake Treinen gave up two solo home runs to tie the score before Donovon Solano’s walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning gave the Padres a 6-5 win.

“This is a game that hurts,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “You got to win this game tonight.”

There have been a few like that recently.

The loss was the Dodgers’ fourth in their past six games overall and their fourth walkoff defeat in their past six road games.

The Dodgers took a five-run lead into the ninth inning at Detroit on July 13 and lost — one half of back-to-back walkoff losses to the Tigers. Saturday in Houston, they led 5-0 after the top of the sixth and eventually lost to the Astros on a ninth-inning walkoff home run surrendered by Treinen.

This meltdown even extended to the coaching staff.

In the 10th inning after Alex Vesia intentionally walked Jurickson Profar to load the bases with one out, the Padres sent up Solano to pinch-hit for Jake Cronenworth, prompting Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior to make a mound visit — as they do virtually every time a pinch-hitter enters the game.

But Roberts then left the dugout, planning to replace Vesia with Evan Phillips to face the right-handed Solano. He was stopped by home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna and reminded that the rules do not allow back-to-back mound visits. Vesia had to face the next batter and the Dodgers were assessed a pitch-clock violation.

Three pitches later, the game was over.

“We take pride in doing the best we can. I think our bullpen has been one of the best, if not the best, over the last five years since I’ve been here,” Treinen said. “There’s obviously going to be some tough stretches. And a lot of that falls on me and two of the last few that you talked about.

“I don’t know if we really think much about it. It’s just the day of when it happens, it’s pretty frustrating.”

It was an awkward ending to a game that started so promising for the Dodgers. Buoyed by their trade-deadline boost and with a Petco Park record crowd of 47,559 on hand, the Dodgers announced their presence with authority, taking that 5-0 lead after the first half-inning Tuesday.

The Dodgers’ deadline moves are certain to shake up their roster in the weeks ahead with the anticipated return of injured players. Two of the players likely to see their roles – or team – change had big hits in the big inning. Andy Pages drove in two runs with a single and Cavan Biggio bounced a fly ball off the foul pole down the right field line for a two-run home run.

But that was it. The Padres rolled out six relievers after starter Matt Waldron and the Dodgers had just three more hits over the final nine innings.

“They matched up with the ‘pen,” Roberts said of the disappearing offense. “I think they used five or six guys tonight. It was a different look and you saw that they got the lefties on Shohei (Ohtani) the last two at-bats. They just matched up. We just didn’t get that same look.”

Staked to that big early lead, Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow let most of it get away.

He gave up a solo home run to Manny Machado in the second inning and allowed two more runs in the third inning on consecutive hits by Luis Arraez (double), Jurickson Profar (RBI single) and Jake Cronenworth (RBI double).

Glasnow settled in after that and retired 12 of the next 15 batters he faced while completing seven innings for the first time since doing it in back-to-back starts in mid-June. Glasnow struck out eight while walking just one but said he felt “not sharp.”

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“I think it got better as the game went on,” Glasnow said. “Just that one strange inning. But yeah, definitely not as sharp as I usually feel.

“Rhythm just feels a little foreign right now. It always happens during the course of the season and I’m definitely working through it right now for sure.”

Nonetheless, it was the longest start by a Dodgers pitcher since Gavin Stone’s complete-game shutout in Chicago on June 26 – and left just two innings for the Dodgers’ taxed bullpen to cover.

Even that was too much to ask. The Dodgers’ bullpen hasn’t had a scoreless game since July 12 and now has a 6.75 ERA in 12 games since then.

Anthony Banda got through a scoreless eighth. But Machado crushed BTreinen’s first pitch of the ninth inning for a 414-foot solo home run. Alex Bregman did the same for his ninth-inning walkoff home run off Treinen in Houston. Two batters later, Jackson Merrill tied the score with a solo home run to right field.

“I take pride in being successful for my teammates,” Treinen said. “They work hard and put up five runs on the board, gave us a chance to go out there, put their faith in me to go put up a zero and I didn’t get the job down. So I’m gonna need to be better than what I have been.”

Returning from shoulder surgery, Treinen has had diminished velocity on his fastball this season.

“I don’t know if anybody’s done damage on the fastball like Bregman did to me,” Treinen said. “Machado is a very familiar face with me. The most impressive one is probably Jackson Merrill. It’s a ball and a half inside. So I’m not going to try to reinvent the wheel. I know who I am. They give me lanes to be successful. It just comes down to execution.

“Movement patterns are great. My velo has been what it’s been this year. I know it’s gonna be a focus and talking point for a lot of people. But at the end of the day, execution and stuff will win. Velocity is a luxury. I would love to have more. But I have what I have. It’s been working for literally a year. Just a few outings have really bit me.”

The Dodgers went down quickly against Padres reliever Robert Suarez in the 10th inning, failing to even advance their free runner. In the bottom of the 10th, walks loaded the bases, the Dodgers mishandled their pitching change and Solano slapped a ground ball down the third-base line to drive in the winning run.

​ Orange County Register 

Rams rookie OLB Brennan Jackson focusing on mental aspect of game

• July 31, 2024

LOS ANGELES — As he wrapped up an interview, Rams outside linebacker Brennan Jackson made his way across the field and yelled, “Jared! Jared!”

Fellow rookie Jared Verse looked up, waiting for the reason behind this greeting. But Jackson simply waved vigorously. Verse returned the gesture and cried back, “Hey B.J.!”

The Rams remade the front of their defense in the April draft. Their first two picks were spent on Verse and his Florida State teammate, Braden Fiske. A couple of Day 3 picks went to add depth to those positions, with Jackson and Clemson’s Tyler Davis.

Over the last three months, Jackson has leaned on that group as they make their adjustment to the NFL.

“Me and Jared have created some really great friendship. We push each other every single day and just being able to take things from each other and hype each other up when we make plays,” Jackson said. “Same with the guys in the interior. All of us are taking it one step at a time, understanding that we’re all going through it together so just uplift each other.”

The rookies have had some standout moments through the first week and a half of training camp. Verse made an early impression, while Fiske has been one of the highlights since the Rams put on pads on Monday. He followed his strong first day by blowing past offensive linemen in one-on-one pass rush drills and clogging running lanes in full-team work on Tuesday.

Jackson too earned a positive review from head coach Sean McVay on Monday for his work in competitive periods as Jackson has shown off his enduring motor.

“I tell everybody when they ask me how I’m doing: ‘Living the dream,’” Jackson said. “This is everything I dreamed of as a kid, being around such amazing players and vets that all have done a great job of giving their piece of knowledge to me.”

Michael Hoecht is the veteran in the outside linebackers room, and Jackson likes to joke that he’s become Hoecht’s shadow.

He and other Rams have emphasized the mental aspect of the game to Jackson. The rookie is working to understand his advantages and placement within the Rams’ scheme to avoid finding himself in the wrong position and at a disadvantage.

“Everybody here is so talented and so capable of doing the job right, so it really is understanding your piece in the scheme,” Jackson said. “One-on-ones are going to happen and the guy that has a slight advantage is going to be the one that wins.

While he’s had a positive start to camp, Jackson knows there will tough days, too, but he’s preparing for those moments.

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“One of the best things Hoecht was saying, when you have a good practice, clip some of those clips and go back on those when you have a bad day,” Jackson said. “Because you’re not going to be perfect every single day. You’re in the NFL, these guys are grown men, everyone’s here for a reason. So remind yourself.”

GREAT LAKE

Third-year safety Quentin Lake had a strong day of camp on Tuesday. He recovered well to break up a deep pass to open up 11-on-11s, albeit taking advantage of an underthrow by Jimmy Garoppolo on the play. He matched up with Cooper Kupp during some drives and held his own, then used his strength to shed a block from Kupp to meet Blake Corum at the line of scrimmage on a run play.

“He’s got great versatility; so smart,” McVay said. “He really understands the defense from an all-11 perspective. … I think he can do a lot of different things in both the run phase and defending the pass.”

INJURY REPORT

The left side of the Rams’ offensive line is banged up after two days of pads. Left tackle Alaric Jackson was in street clothes Tuesday after tweaking his ankle on Monday, while left guard Jonah Jackson left practice late with an athletic trainer. McVay said he did not know yet what happened to Jackson, the Rams’ big free-agent acquisition of the offseason.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers will have riddle to solve with moving parts on roster

• July 31, 2024

SAN DIEGO — With a number of injured players expected back in the weeks ahead, the Dodgers will have a lot of moving parts.

So they added some more.

Trade deadline pickups Tommy Edman and Amed Rosario play multiple positions. Three Dodgers currently on the injured list – Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor – also play multiple positions.

When all are available, the Dodgers could have eight players capable of playing second base (including Gavin Lux, Cavan Biggio and Kiké Hernandez) and seven with experience at shortstop. Six of them also have played third base.

The addition of Kevin Kiermaier gives the Dodgers three options in center field (with James Outman, Andy Pages and Taylor) with spillover at the corner outfield spots.

All will not survive the roster shuffling to come. Something will have to give in order to create space on the roster and formulate a lineup on a day-to-day basis.

“I think this allows us a lot of different options to assess, and see how guys are coming along,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “And we’ll all sit down with Doc and the coaching staff in the coming weeks, and as guys start to come back, it will paint a clearer picture for us.”

Edman joined the Dodgers in San Diego on Tuesday and was surprised to be one of the players on the move at the trade deadline.

“It was very shocking,” Edman said of the trade from St. Louis. “I haven’t heard of too many guys getting traded while on the injured list, so I kind of thought that my name wasn’t going to be a part of it. But I started to hear some stuff over the past couple of days. Obviously I’m very excited that it was to the Dodgers.”

Edman had wrist surgery in October and expected to be ready for the start of the season. His recovery was slow, however, and he injured his ankle while doing defensive drills in June, pushing things back even further.

He finally started a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment earlier this month and has played eight games, all at DH. The Dodgers plan to evaluate Edman over the next few days and formulate a plan to complete his rehab.

“It’s kind of tough to say,” Edman said when asked how much longer he might need on a rehab assignment. “I’m almost treating this like a kind of spring training. But having gotten a fair number of at-bats so far helps out with the timing factor. That’s one of the biggest issues, is getting timing back as a hitter. I’m going to try to get some live at-bats and then getting comfortable in the field as well.

“It’s tough to say exactly when that’ll be, but everything’s been feeling good so I’m excited to get back and contribute to this team.”

Edman won a Gold Glove at second base in 2021 but can also play center field, shortstop and third base. Rosario is expected to join the Dodgers in San Diego on Wednesday. He played mostly second base for them last year but has also played right field and third base for the Tampa Bay Rays this season.

The most interesting moving part in this puzzle might be Betts. With so many options at shortstop and second base, he might be better utilized back in right field, where he and Kiermaier would give the Dodgers 10 Gold Gloves side by side.

Betts has only recently started swinging a bat but he has continued to take ground balls at shortstop while waiting for his fractured left hand to heal. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Betts continues to work out at shortstop.

“I talked to Mookie today, that’s his intent. I welcome that, I support that,” Roberts said. “As we get to the middle of August when we’re expecting him back, I don’t know if that’s going to change. I really don’t.

“We have a second baseman that’s playing his best baseball in the last few years (Lux), so that shouldn’t be lost on anyone. Certainly not lost on me. And we have guys that can really defend in the outfield. So, I’m gonna have a conversation with Mookie and we’ll figure out what’s best for him and our ballclub when the time comes.”

Roberts did not dismiss the idea of Betts playing multiple positions when he returns.

“The facts are that Mookie is a superstar. He’s one of the best people and teammates I’ve ever been around,” Roberts said. “When he did play different positions – last year for example – he had one of his best years. So I don’t think that there’s a correlation to playing two different positions affects Mookie because using his words, when he plays defense, he plays defense and when he’s in the box, he’s in the box and he’s focused on hitting.

“I think the question is what’s best for the Dodgers? Where is it best for Mookie to play that is best for the Dodgers with the construction of the roster? I don’t think anyone knows that answer right now.”

FREEMAN STATUS

First baseman Freddie Freeman did not join the Dodgers in San Diego and Roberts said there is nothing to update on his status.

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Freeman’s wife Chelsea announced on Instagram last week that their 3-year old son Maximus was hospitalized as he battled transient synovitis, an illness that has progressed from a viral infection Maximus came down with at the All-Star Game in Texas. Freddie Freeman traveled to Houston with the Dodgers last week and went through his pregame routine before Friday’s game, but he was later scratched from the lineup two hours before that game and flew home to L.A. to be with his family.

“He’s still kind of in it with Max,” Roberts said. “I don’t see him coming back for this series and we have the off day after this series and we’ll revisit. To be quite honest, I haven’t even broached that subject of him coming back, I just don’t feel it’s right.”

ROSTER MOVES

In order to clear 40-man roster spots for the two players acquired Tuesday, right-hander Jack Flaherty and Kiermaier, the Dodgers designated two pitchers for assignment – right-hander Gus Varland and left-hander Nick Ramirez.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (LHP Clayton Kershaw, 0-0, 4.50 ERA) at Padres (RHP Dylan Cease, 10-8, 3.50 ERA), Wednesday, 5:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

​ Orange County Register