Dodgers hit 3 home runs, take 2-game series from Rockies

• April 5, 2023

LOS ANGELES ― The Dodgers hit six home runs in their two-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, continuing a trend of dominance. Their 5-2 win on Tuesday night was their 61st against the Rockies since 2018, more wins than any single head-to-head matchup in MLB over that time.

The usual suspects did their part.

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías followed up his strong start in the season opener by throwing six shutout innings, striking out six batters without allowing a walk. One batter, Elehuris Montero, struck out when he called time for the second time in a single plate appearance – a violation of the new pace-of-play rules.

The game quite nearly unraveled when the Rockies loaded the bases with three consecutive singles to begin the third inning. But Urías struck out Kris Bryant with his new-look slider, then induced a double-play groundout to end the inning.

Urías (2-0) threw 87 pitches before handing the game to Caleb Ferguson in the seventh inning.

Down 5-1 in the ninth inning, the Rockies scored a run and threatened to tie the game. Evan Phillips relieved Phil Bickford in pursuit of the save, and promptly hit Elias Diaz to load the bases.

Phillips came back to retire Mike Moustakas on a sacrifice fly and retired Charlie Blackmon on a groundout to end the game.

After Mookie Betts singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning, Will Smith hit his third home run in as many games to give the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead. Smith went 2 for 4 with an RBI double and is batting .421 through five games. Max Muncy also homered for the Dodgers, his first of 2023.

The most surprising contribution came from the bat of Jason Heyward.

Starting in right field for the second consecutive game, Heyward went 1 for 3 with his second home run in as many days. The home run was the opposite of cheap: at 112.7 mph, it was the hardest homer he’s hit since at least 2015, the first year of publicly available Statcast data.

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With two homers in eight at-bats, Heyward has doubled his home run total from 2022, when he hit one in 137 at-bats for the Chicago Cubs.

Heyward was released with one year remaining on his contract in November. The Dodgers are paying him $720,000 this season; the Cubs are paying him $21.3 million.

Betts played second base with Miguel Vargas nursing a thumb injury, allowing Heyward to get his second start of the young season.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ José Suarez hit hard in blowout loss to Mariners

• April 5, 2023

SEATTLE — José Suarez had little trouble shrugging off a discouraging first start of the season.

After Suarez gave up seven runs, including four on two homers by Teoscar Hernandez, in the Angels’ 11-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, he said that he felt most of his pitches were where he wanted them.

“I was feeling my pitches right,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “I had good command. But that’s part of the game and I know I’m gonna have a better game next time.”

Through the first four games of the Angels’ season, their starters had allowed just three earned runs, but Suarez gave up more than that on two misplaced pitches to Hernandez.

The Angels were down 1-0 in the fourth when Suarez threw an 83.9 mph slider that hung at Hernandez’s thighs. He crushed it 419 feet to straightaway center field.

That was one of 26 sliders that Suarez threw among his 77 pitches. They averaged 84.9 mph, which was up from his average of 81.7 mph last season. The increased velocity was likely because Suarez threw almost entirely the harder of his two sliders against the right-handed heavy Seattle lineup. He has a slower sweeper that he uses against lefties, so he only threw that to No. 9 hitter J.P. Crawford.

Manager Phil Nevin said he likes the harder of Suarez’s sliders better, but they didn’t work on this night.

“He’s actually worked on that, building up speed on that,” Nevin said. “The harder ones he threw were actually the better ones. The location on them, that was a little different.”

Suarez also gave up an RBI double to Cal Raleigh and a single to Eugenio Suarez on sliders.

In between, he tried a different approach to Hernandez, and it didn’t go any better. Suarez threw a fastball that Hernandez blasted out for a three-run homer in the fifth, putting the Angels in a 6-0 hole.

Hernandez’s second homer sailed over the Angels’ bullpen, which at that time had no one warming up. Jaime Barría got up and threw just a handful of pitches before Suarez gave up one more hit, ending his night.

Although Barria gave up a two-run homer to A.J. Pollock and three more runs in the seventh, he still soaked up the final 3-2/3 innings. That allows the Angels’ high-leverage relievers to be ready for the rubber game of the series on Wednesday.

They’ll send Shohei Ohtani to the mound in search of a 4-2 trip to begin the season.

In truth, Tuesday’s game was the one in this series they seemed most likely to lose. Suarez is the Angels’ No. 5 starter, and he was going against Seattle right-hander Luis Castillo.

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Castillo, who had a 2.99 ERA last season, clamped down on an Angels’ lineup that had scored 26 runs in the previous three games.

Taylor Ward led off the first with a double, but the Angels stranded him there. The Angels were down 3-0 in the fifth when Brandon Drury opened the door for them to get back into the game with another leadoff double.

Again, the Angels failed to convert.

And by the time they came to bat in the sixth, they were down by eight and looking forward to Wednesday.

“He was really good,” Nevin said of Castillo. “They got him a couple runs early and he’s really good. I thought we took some good swings here and there. We didn’t give up. We got a chance to win a series and have a really nice road trip tomorrow.”

​ Orange County Register 

LeBron James, surging Lakers avoid misstep with OT win against Jazz

• April 5, 2023

By JOHN COON The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — LeBron James scored nine of his 37 points in overtime – including the game-winning basket – to lead the surging Lakers to a 135-133 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

Anthony Davis tallied 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who squandered a 10-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation. Austin Reaves added 28 points, as five players scored in double figures to help the Lakers win for the seventh time in eight games.

Kelly Olynyk finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead Utah. Former Laker Talen Horton-Tucker added 23 points and seven assists for the Jazz. Horton-Tucker has scored 123 points over his last four games. Ochai Agbaji chipped in 22. The Jazz lost for the seventh time in eight games.

James drove for a go-ahead layup with 27 seconds left to help the Lakers escape with a win. The Lakers held Utah without a basket over the final 1:38 after Olynyk gave the Jazz a 132-129 lead with a 3-pointer.

Utah rallied from a double-digit deficit after shooting 71% from the field in the third quarter. The Jazz finally took their first second-half lead on back-to-back baskets from Collin Sexton and Luka Samanic, going up 99-97 early in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers retook the lead on back-to-back baskets from Dennis Schroder and James and went up 124-114 with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter on eight straight points from Reaves.

Utah countered with a 10-0 run to force overtime. Olynyk scored a basket and assisted two others and Jones knotted the score on a pair of free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining in regulation.

TIP-INS

Lakers: Reaves is averaging 20.5 points during the Lakers’ 7-1 stretch. … James, Davis, and Reaves combined for 18 assists, dishing out six apiece.

Jazz: Samanic made his first start of the season, finishing with 12 points. … Sexton returned to action after missing 18 games with a hamstring strain. He scored 15 points and had three assists in 16 minutes.

UP NEXT

The Lakers face the Clippers on Wednesday in a Clipper home game at Crypto.com Arena.

More to come on this story.

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​ Orange County Register 

After Donald Trump’s arrest, dozens of his supporters rally in Laguna Hills

• April 5, 2023

For around two hours Tuesday afternoon, about 60 supporters of former President Donald Trump congregated on sidewalks outside a Laguna Hills In-N-Out Burger.

There was loud music, dancing and, of course, a lot of chanting: “We love Trump!”

A man stands at the curb at a rally for Donald Trump at the intersection of El Toro Road and Avenida de Carlota in Laguna Hills on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 in reaction to 34 felony criminal charges against the former president. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The demonstrators — many decked out in red, white and blue with American flags draped over their shoulders — were there to protest what they call the “unlawful” indictment of the former president, who pleaded not guilty earlier Tuesday to 34 felony charges.

“What they’re doing to Trump is dangerous to the country. They’re trying to make misdemeanors into felonies,” said Laguna Woods resident Marilyn Fischer. “Trump loves this country, and I love Jesus, my country, my family and President Trump.”

Demonstrators came from around Orange County and Southern California, including Pepperdine University student Brandon McDonald who said he learned about the protest on Twitter.

“All of us are here to show our support for Trump and the unlawful, unconstitutional indictment,” McDonald said. “It’s a political witch hunt.”

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Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony charges, is admonished by judge
Trump supporters rally in Redlands area after his arraignment

Frank Trinh, a Vietnamese American man from Hacienda Heights, said he missed work to attend. He said he was a registered Democrat for 20 years but “educated himself from 2016 to 2018 and became a Republican.”

“I’m from the poor working class, so I didn’t like rich guys,” Trinh said. “After two years of Trump’s presidency, I saw that what he promised, he delivered. I’m a small guy, but I’m trying my best to contribute to preserve freedom for the world.”

Some people honked in support as they drove by the line of protestors, which started on the corner of El Toro Road and Avenida De La Carlota. One passerby popped the roof of her car to fly a pink “Women for Trump” flag, which was met with loud cheers.

There was also a small tent at the intersection selling Trump merchandise.

Trump, in the midst of his third bid for the White House, is the first president ever to be charged with a crime.

According to the 34-count felony indictment against him, Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments “to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president,” said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.

After traveling back to his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida Tuesday evening — following his earlier arraignment in New York — Trump gave a speech in which he attacked those involved in the investigations into the criminal case and criticized Democrats and President Joe Biden.

A Saturday rally in Huntington Beach resulted in at least two people injured and one arrested, a police spokesperson said at the time. Nick Taurus, a Trump supporter and self-proclaimed American Nationalist, later posted on Instagram that he was receiving care at a local hospital and that he had taken “a skateboard to the head for President Trump.”

Taurus was present at the Laguna Hills event Tuesday but did not wish to speak to reporters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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​ Orange County Register 

Angels reliever Carlos Estévez has flipped switch after a rough spring

• April 5, 2023

SEATTLE — Carlos Estévez is looking to prove to the Angels what he proved to the Colorado Rockies.

The Angels reliever said the Rockies had to prepare themselves for the fact that he was going to be terrible in spring training.

“The Rockies always gave me a hard time,” Estévez said. “They’d say ‘Here we go again. He’s going to give up five runs and then say I’m good.’”

Estévez has a career 6.66 ERA in spring training, which included a 10.57 mark in nine games this spring with his new team.

For most of his Rockies career, though, he was able to flip the switch after a poor spring to be a reliable reliever during the regular season. So far he’s pitched two scoreless innings with the Angels since the season started.

“It’s a lot better,” Estévez said. “I’m more locked in. … Now it counts. Now I’m going for it. I was going through the motions sometimes in spring training.”

Estévez still isn’t quite where he wants to be, though. He has walked two and allowed a hit.

His fastball has averaged 95.6 mph in his first two games, compared with 97.5 mph last year.

“Early in the year I don’t throw as hard,” he said. “I’m not really good friends with the cold weather.”

Estévez also said he’s made some tweaks to his changeup and his slider, and he’s still expecting to see improvement in both of those pitches. He said he and the pitching coaches had a “long conversation” on Tuesday about an adjustment with his slider.

“I feel really good about it,” he said. “We made some changes playing catch. It feels really good.”

If Estévez can put everything together, the closer role is available to him. He still hasn’t done enough for Manager Phil Nevin to give him the job officially, though. For now, Nevin said each game situation will dictate which reliever finishes games.

Estévez said he understands that.

“Honestly, if we have three guys with 20 saves or 20-plus saves, that’s great,” Estévez said. “We’re going to be winning a lot of games. If I get to close, good, but if someone else does, that’s good too. We’ve got a lot of really good arms. I’m excited to see what we can do as a group.”

CANNING UPDATE

Right-hander Griffin Canning (groin) is scheduled to pitch for Class-A Inland Empire in a rehab game on Thursday.

That would put him in line to be available to start on April 12, which is the first time the Angels need a sixth starter.

Left-hander Tucker Davidson is seemingly the first choice for that start because he’s already on the roster, but if Davidson is needed in relief within a few days of April 12, the Angels might need to go to Plan B. That could be Canning starting or Jaime Barría starting and Canning taking Barria’s spot in the bullpen.

NOTES

Outfielder Mickey Moniak has been out with a sore elbow at Triple-A Salt Lake, but it’s not considered serious. He is expected to be back in the lineup on Wednesday. …

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Left-hander Ky Bush, the Angels’ top pitching prospect, has been throwing bullpen sessions. Bush missed most of spring training with an oblique issue, but the Angels are hoping to have him back on the mound in games by the end of the month. …

Infielder Gio Urshela was out of the lineup for the first time this season on Tuesday. Nevin said it was just a routine day off and not a reflection of his four-strikeout game on Monday. “I’ve seen him play a lot,” Nevin said. “Everybody has days like that, but he turns around and makes two really fine plays (defensively) late in the game.”

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 0.00) at Mariners (RHP Chris Flexen, 0-0, 2.25), Wednesday, 1:10 p.m., T-Mobile Park, Bally Sports West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ middle-infield Miguels are nursing minor injuries

• April 5, 2023

LOS ANGELES ― The Dodgers’ all-Miguel middle infield is on temporary hiatus.

Shortstop Miguel Rojas and second baseman Miguel Vargas are nursing minor injuries that kept both out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies.

Rojas felt a twinge on the left side of his groin making a critical play at second base in the ninth inning Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was replaced by a pinch hitter, Jason Heyward, in the ninth inning and did not play Monday against the Rockies.

Tuesday afternoon, Rojas was back on the field to take batting practice. The 34-year-old veteran did not expect to be sidelined long-term.

“Nothing really to worry about,” Rojas said. “I feel like that play, when I stepped on second base in the ninth inning, I felt something in the groin right there. We just want to be smart about it. Knowing it’s an off-day (Wednesday) I can take an extra day off. I’m available off the bench if they need me. We’re thinking big-picture. We’re not thinking ‘if I need to play through it I will.’ I’m on the same page with Doc (manager Dave Roberts) and the organization, thinking about the big picture and the long run.”

Rojas succeeded in retiring the lead runner, Christian Walker, when he fielded a Corbin Carroll grounder and stepped on second base in the top of the ninth inning of a 1-1 game. But when Carroll beat Rojas’ relay throw to first base (which pulled Freddie Freeman off the bag), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. advanced to third base and the inning continued.

The next batter, Jake McCarthy, laid down a perfect drag bunt between first base and the pitcher’s mound to drive in Walker with the go-ahead run. The Dodgers lost, 2-1.

Even though he didn’t complete the double play – and was hurt while stepping on second base – Rojas said his plan gave the Dodgers the best chance of getting out of the inning.

“I thought the best combination was me trying to step on the bag and throw to first (base) because I got the momentum,” Rojas said. “Carroll is one of the fastest guys in the game. So if you see Vargas playing second base … he’s way off the bag. Even if I flip the ball to him it’s impossible for him to turn and flip the ball to first base. So I thought the best chance was for me to step on the bag and throw to first.”

Vargas was hit by a pitch on the inside of his right thumb while batting in the seventh inning Monday. The 92 mph fastball from Connor Seabold somehow eluded the protective guard Vargas wears on his top hand while batting.

Even though he stayed in the game, Vargas’ thumb was still “tender” Tuesday, Roberts said. The rookie second baseman did not take infield practice with his teammates before the game.

Chris Taylor and Mookie Betts started at shortstop and second base, respectively.

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“Hopefully with two days of rest we can get (Vargas) back in there on Thursday,” Roberts said. “Still pretty benign.”

Vargas suffered a hairline fracture of his right pinkie early in spring training and was prohibited from swinging a bat in games until March 9.

ALSO

Relief pitcher Daniel Hudson is making minimal progress as he attempts to return from the knee injury that ended his 2022 season. “The arm is in shape, (his knee) just hasn’t responded well,” Roberts said. “Getting better but I don’t know a timetable for Huddy. He’s disappointed. We want him back. I expect him back. Just don’t know when.” … Rosters for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, advanced-A Great Lakes, and Double-A Tulsa were announced. … Among the notable prospect assignments: pitcher Landon Knack, catcher Diego Cartaya, infielders Brandon Lewis, Kody Hoese, Eddys Leonard and Jorbit Vivas, and outfielders Jonny DeLuca, Yusniel Diaz and Andy Pages were assigned to Tulsa; catcher Dalton Rushing and pitcher Jake Pilarski were assigned to Great Lakes; and pitchers Maddux Bruns and Jared Karros were assigned to Rancho Cucamonga. … Pitcher Bobby Miller is at the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch facility building up his pitch count.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers have a day off Wednesday.

Dodgers (RHP Dustin May, 0-0, 0.00 ERA) at Diamondbacks (RHP Merrill Kelly, 0-0, 0.00 ERA), Thursday, 7:10 p.m., SNLA, 570 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Street medicine pilot launches in Garden Grove

• April 5, 2023

Health care providers are taking to the streets of Garden Grove armed with a “doctor’s office on wheels” to bring medical assistance to homeless people where they are at – including primary care, but also behavioral health services and case management.

The street medicine program is being organized by the county’s provider of publicly funded health coverage, CalOptima Health, in partnership with the city of Garden Grove and Healthcare in Action, a medical group that provides health care and other services to unhoused individuals. Through a $4 million, two-year contract, Healthcare in Action will deliver care to up to 200 CalOptima members using a medical van to reach those living in parks, under freeways and elsewhere on the streets.

“This program focused on bringing supportive health care and social services for our homeless community is a model of dedicated teamwork, outside-the-box thinking and passion for serving those in need,” Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Along with being mobile, the program uses a “people-centric” approach, said Benjamin Kaska, Healthcare in Action’s director of clinical operations.

“There’s a barrier to care,” Kaska said for people who are dealing with homelessness. “When you go to a doctor’s office, you’re expected to arrive on time, have all your paperwork organized, I.D., your payment. In this environment, you remove those barriers. We come out and provide the care directly to them, wherever they’re located.”

A large percentage of folks experiencing homelessness are in “survival mode,” prioritizing where their next meal will come from, where they will sleep and taking care of their belongings, said Kelly Bruno-Nelson, CalOptima’s executive director of Medi-Cal/CalAIM.

“Clearly, health care needs come secondary to that,” Bruno-Nelson said. “It’s not that folks on the street don’t care about their health, it’s that they can’t prioritize it because they have to prioritize basic needs that those of us who are housed don’t have to prioritize.”

Deploying with be a medical team with a physician assistant and registered nurse, who will provide primary care and clinical management, and a “peer navigator” team with a social worker and an individual with lived experience, who will be offering supportive services and community resources.

The peer navigator team will approach people on the street to make connections and see what help they need; once someone engages with the program, Healthcare in Action will function as their primary care physician and visit on a regular basis, Bruno-Nelson said.

“We feel very strongly about, when it comes to street medicine, unlike the traditional health care system, it’s rapport first, and then care second,” she said. “If you can’t build rapport with those that you’re serving, you won’t be able to provide the care. So, you have to have folks on your team who know what it feels like to be unhoused. Lived experience is very important.”

Challenges the teams will face include locating their patients and providing medications, because most pharmacies require a form of identification, according to Kaska.

“Some of the barriers that we’ve tried to avoid still exist within other areas, and we try our very best to navigate those waters and provide the care despite the barrier,” he said. “Some of our teammates, for instance, will go and will pick up the medication for the patient and deliver it back to them, which is time intensive, but it matters.”

Kaska said locating unhoused patients is easier with the help of those who know the community best, including local law enforcement. Also, patients can be given a cellphone or a GPS tracker if they’re willing.

After six months of running the street medicine program in Garden Grove, the goal is to expand to other cities throughout the county, according to Bruno-Nelson.

CalOptima CEO Michael Hunn said the county organized health system’s entry into providing street medicine is one of the many programs in the relatively new state initiative, California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal, or CalAIM. The state Department of Health Care Services launched the multiyear health program to strengthen Medi-Cal by integrating in other social services.

“We’re taking (CalAIM) seriously,” Hunn said. “The impetus for this, and us expanding into it, is to be that health plan that takes the health and – as this van says – puts it in action.”

In his years working in health care, Michael Hochman, CEO of Healthcare in Action, said he has never seen so many community entities joining together to address homelessness.

“This is the first time in 20 years that I have seen around the table city leaders, county leaders, law enforcement, EMS, fire, health plans, community organizations; it’s really an incredible testament to Hunn and his team at CalOptima and the city of Garden Grove to pull this together,” Hochman said. “I applaud them not just for being ambitious with the goal of making a dent in homelessness in Garden Grove, but in the holistic approach.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Julie Ertz returns to USWNT with ‘love for the game’

• April 5, 2023

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer

Like a lot of new moms, Julie Ertz had emotional conversations with her husband about what her return to work would look like after having a child.

Only Ertz’s job as a midfielder for the United States is a bit more unusual. And in her case, returning to work means preparing for a Women’s World Cup.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz, as an athlete himself, understood the challenges his wife was facing. One conversation in particular stood out.

“I was sitting on the couch with my husband and my baby and just – we talked about everything, like having a baby, the process of having a baby, life, wanting to play, but how does it work logistically and making sure my family is there,” she said on Tuesday. “It’s all that. And anyone who has gone through that process of having a kid and coming back to work, it’s challenging, and I would say extremely emotional.”

Ertz is back in camp with the U.S. for a pair of exhibition matches against Ireland, the team’s last international games before Coach Vlatko Andonovski names his 23-player roster for the game’s biggest tournament this summer in Australia and New Zealand.

Ertz has not played for the United States since the bronze medal-winning victory over Australia at the Tokyo Olympics – just over 600 days ago. She dealt with a right knee injury she suffered while playing with the Chicago Red Stars before she and Zach welcomed son Madden last August.

Ertz, 30, was on the U.S. teams that won World Cups in 2015 and 2019.

“I don’t want to come back and be the player that I was. I want to be better. I know it seems weird being out so long but I don’t know if you all feel like this, time is just crazy, especially when you have a baby,” she said. “I don’t feel like I’ve been gone as long as I have but I feel good. And I love the sport differently than I did then and I thought I loved it then. But taking a step away and kind of having a new perspective has given me kind of like a new drive.”

Ertz is the only player on the roster who is not currently playing for a professional club but she said she’s currently negotiating with a few teams. To prepare for her return, she trained with an MLS Academy boys team as well as working with a private trainer in a bid to regain fitness.

“I think clearly the love for the game is hard to stop. Away from obviously coming back for pregnancy changes things obviously, with your body,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure when I was coming back that I felt like I was strong enough to be able to feel like I could be myself.”

Ertz is certainly not the only player in camp with a child. The USWNT has at least five mothers in camp: Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn, Casey Krueger, Adrianna Franch and Ertz.

Ertz said she had leaned on the experience of her international teammates, who are also moms in navigating her return. She saids she has also received advice from Chicago Red Stars forward Cheyna Matthews and former teammate Kealia Watt.

“It’s nice to be able to have somebody there that also understands, but also pushes you and knows where you kind of want to be and being teammates prior as well,” she said.

The United States first plays Ireland on Saturday in Austin, Texas, before a second match on April 11 in St. Louis.

​ Orange County Register