OC man gets probation, ordered to forfeit $3 million in illegal gambling case that allegedly involved Yasiel Puig

• July 6, 2023

An Orange County man was sentenced Wednesday to six months probation and ordered to forfeit $3 million for helping run an illegal bookmaking business that allegedly ensnared ex-Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig.

Edon Kagasoff, 45, of Lake Forest, pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of conspiring to run the gambling operation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The business was begun about 10 years ago by Wayne Nix, 46, a former minor league pitcher who lives in Newport Coast. Nix pleaded guilty in April 2022 to conspiracy to operate an illegal sports gambling business and filing a false tax return. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 20.

Puig, 32, who most recently played professional baseball in South Korea, faces trial in January in downtown Los Angeles on one federal count each of making false statements and obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors allege that Puig began placing bets on sporting events in May 2019 through a third party. Bets were funneled to Sand Island Sports, a Costa Rica-based online sportsbook, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Erik Hiljus, a former MLB pitcher from the San Fernando Valley who worked as an agent for Nix’s business, was sentenced in April to three months’ home detention for filing false tax returns.

Hiljus, 50, of Panorama City, was also ordered to pay $194,701 in fines and restitution. He pleaded guilty last December in Los Angeles federal court to two counts of filing false tax returns.

Hiljus made his MLB debut for the Tigers in 1999, but pitched more often for the Oakland Athletics in 2001 and 2002, ending his career for an A’s affiliate in 2003.

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Angels continue slide, getting swept by Padres

• July 6, 2023

SAN DIEGO — After the Angels, with an injury-ravaged lineup, lost to the Padres, 5-3, on Wednesday night, Manager Phil Nevin wasn’t about to refer to the injured list as an excuse for his team’s current free fall.

“I’m not going to use the injuries (as an excuse),” he said. “We’ve just got to play better.”

The Angels have now lost 11 of their past 15 games, getting swept by the Padres in a series that included injuries to Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon in the first two games. They are also without Brandon Drury, Zach Neto, Gio Urshela and Logan O’Hoppe.

They are 44-43 with two games to go before the All-Star break, at Dodger Stadium on Friday and Saturday. If they are going to give themselves a shot to be in serious contention before the Aug. 1 trade deadline, they need to start winning again, despite the current state of their roster.

“We come out with urgency every single day,” Nevin said. “Yes, we’ve had injuries, but we’ve got to right the ship with what we have right now. We’re gonna get some bodies back soon, but we have plenty of capable players and men in that room to win baseball games. Take tomorrow off, get a strong finish in L.A. and get a start to the second half.”

Their latest loss was a combination of some of the problems they’ve had even when the lineup was intact, including a 2-for-9 performance with runners in scoring position. They also gave up a key unearned run, when starter Patrick Sandoval made a throwing error on a pickoff in the first inning.

And each reliever who entered the game gave up a single run, but the one that Jacob Webb gave up when the game was tied in the seventh inning was most frustrating to Nevin, who ended up getting ejected.

With one out, Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled. The Angels intentionally walked the left-handed hitting Juan Soto to get to right-handed hitting Manny Machado. Webb ended up walking Machado, with two of the pitches that were called balls appearing to catch the strike zone, including the 3-and-2 pitch.

“It’s frustrating,” Webb said. “I’m out there grinding and trying to make pitches and get outs. It’s frustrating to watch that. I’ve got nothing else to say about that. It’s just irritating.”

The call prompted enough barking from Nevin that umpire Jerry Layne ejected him, which got Nevin out of the dugout to get in Layne’s face.

“It was a strike,” Nevin said. “The 3-2 pitch to Machado was a strike. There was a pitch earlier in the at-bat that was a strike. Blatant misses. I just don’t get that part of it, and big spots in the game.”

Shortly after that, Xander Bogaerts hit a bouncer back to Webb, who fielded it on his way to touch first base as the go-ahead run scored.

Right-hander Chris Devenski then allowed the Padres to score an insurance run in the eighth when he issued three walks, including one with the bases loaded.

Sandoval was charged with two runs (one earned) in five innings. The first run scored after his errant pickoff throw and the second on a bloop single in the third. He was pulled after just 85 pitches.

“Obviously, I don’t want to come out of the game that quick, but you know, I get it,” Sandoval said. “I haven’t been the best version of myself for this past month. I got a lot of work to earn the trust back.”

Nevin said it was the third time through the order and he had a whole bullpen of fresh relievers, with an off day upcoming.

“I wanted fresh arms toward the middle and end of the game,” Nevin said. “It just didn’t work out for us.”

The offense didn’t give the Angels enough room for any of the mistakes the pitchers made. One of the three runs scored because of an error by Tatis, the right fielder. Another came on a lucky bounce, when Jo Adell’s grounder hit third base and bounced away from Machado. Matt Thaiss generated the other run with a game-tying homer in the seventh, but it didn’t stay tied for long.

And soon the Angels were packing up for a bus ride back home with another loss.

“We’re just grinding through this tough time,” Sandoval said. “Bunch of injuries obviously. Next man up, but it’s tough.”

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Daniel Hudson adds veteran presence to Dodgers’ bullpen

• July 6, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The guys in the Dodgers’ bullpen were so anxious for Daniel Hudson to rejoin them that left-hander Caleb Ferguson said they joked about going to management and telling them Hudson could skip his rehab assignment and just do it at the big-league level with them even if it meant extra work for everyone else.

The Dodgers’ bullpen has missed Hudson’s veteran presence and voice as much as his arm, Ferguson said.

“I think that’s the biggest thing, having last year DP (David Price), Huddy,” Ferguson said. “For me, I had Huddy in ’18. He really helped me become a reliever. That’s who we bounced things off of. I’d never pitched out of the bullpen until then. I leaned on him a lot to ask him a lot of things – what a routine should look like, how do you manage this, how do you manage that?

“We’ve never had to manage everybody’s emotions the way we’ve had to now (before Hudson’s return). We’ve always had a closer or somebody in that nature of a veteran presence. There’s always been that. … I think just not being able to go to somebody and go, ‘Hey, how do we do this?’ I don’t want to say we’ve been missing it because everybody knows how to handle rough patches on their own. But as a group, we had to learn it. A veteran guy brings that already to a group.”

Evan Phillips has also noticed the absence of “veteran leadership” in this year’s bullpen group. But he said it led to a breakthrough recently when the group had some meetings

“Having those guys in the ’pen were kind of like those relaxing factors that would keep everybody’s mind at ease and reassure that everything’s going to get rolling in the right direction, even through struggles the past couple years,” Phillips said. “Not having that voice down in the ‘pen and kind of putting that pressure on our group has really forced a lot of open communication.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called Hudson “another adult in the ’pen” who can preach the merits of “accountability” and going after hitters aggressively.

“He’s been battle-tested. He’s got a good heart rate. He gets lefties and righties out. He’s got the respect of everyone in the ’pen and the club,” Roberts said.

NOAH HELP

Right-hander Noah Syndergaard is expected to throw three simulated innings to hitters at Dodger Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Syndergaard has been out since June 7 ostensibly with a blister on his pitching hand. More truthfully, the right-hander was placed on the injured list as a way to wipe the slate clean and hopefully address the issues that led to his 7.16 ERA over 12 starts.

The Dodgers’ need for starting pitching has only grown more pointed in Syndergaard’s time away. The plan is for him to go out on a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment after Thursday’s simulated game.

“Then the ball is in his court, to be honest, to go out there and perform,” Roberts said. “The sample that we’ve seen up to this point – whether it be related solely to performance or a combo of injury, finger blister, layered onto performance – it hasn’t been where we need it to be. Noah understands that. So I think for us, the challenge is to go out there and be the pitcher we know he can be.”

Roberts said Syndergaard’s finger has healed and he will be evaluated on his rehab assignment for performance even more so than health.

“I do think the stuff, what hitters are telling him, telling us is important,” Roberts said. “I’m sure he’s 100 percent healthy. Now he’s got to go out there and show that he  can be that dependable major-league starter that we expect him to be.”

ALSO

Seedings and first-round matchups for next week’s All-Star Home Run Derby were announced by MLB on Wednesday. Mookie Betts is the third seed (based on his 23 home runs this season) and will face Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first round on Monday in Seattle. …

Right-hander Gavin Stone was optioned to the minor leagues on Wednesday after giving up one run in two innings in Tuesday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Left-hander Bryan Hudson was recalled for the second time. …

UP NEXT

Pirates (RHP Johan Oviedo, 3-9, 4.61 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP Julio Urias, 5-5, 4.94 ERA), Thursday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network, 570 AM

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Irvine police recover thousands of pieces of stolen mail potentially used for identity theft

• July 6, 2023

A 33-year-old Anaheim man suspected of stealing mail throughout Irvine was arrested June 28 on suspicion of burglary and identity theft, police said.

The suspect, described as a prolific mail thief by police, is believed to work in construction. Police served a search warrant at the suspect’s girlfriend’s home after tracing the man back to a vehicle seen during one of the crimes, which an officer had recognized from a prior stop, said Irvine Police Sgt. Karie Davies.

Mail that could be used to commit identity theft, such as involving credit cards, bank cards, IDs, and passports, were some of the mail targeted by the suspect, Davies said.

During the search warrant, thousands of pieces of mail were recovered from the suspect’s girlfriend’s residence.

According to police, the suspect had an elaborate locksmith setup that he used to create keys to access mailboxes and buildings, mostly from apartment communities and large mailboxes that used a master key to open, police said.

Due to the volume of evidence recovered, police do not have a list of the neighborhoods targeted yet, said Davies.

Detectives are working alongside U.S. Postal Service inspectors to identify victims and other potential crimes committed, police said in a statement.

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Lakers fall to Spurs in their California Classic finale

• July 6, 2023

The Lakers fell to the San Antonio Spurs, 109-99, on Wednesday evening in their second and final matchup of the six-team California Classic in Sacramento.

Second-year guard Max Christie had another strong showing, scoring 13 third-quarter points on his way to a team-high 25 on 7-of-13 shooting to go with four rebounds and four assists. He had 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go with six rebounds and four assists in Monday’s loss to the Miami Heat.

Guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers’ first-round pick (No. 17 overall) in last month’s NBA draft, had 20 points (8-of-17 shooting) and four assists.

Center Colin Castleton (18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four blocked shots) and forward Cole Swider (18 points, seven rebounds) also scored in double figures for the Lakers.

The Spurs were led by Malaki Branham (32 points, five rebounds) and Julian Champagnie (28 points, five rebounds, two blocks).

The Lakers next travel to Las Vegas to compete in the league-wide Summer League.

Their first game will come against the Golden State Warriors on Friday at 8 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. They have three more games scheduled for the same venue:

• Sunday vs. Charlotte (1 p.m.)

• Wednesday vs. Boston (7 p.m.)

• July 14 vs. Memphis (7:30 p.m.)

The date and opponent for the Lakers’ fifth game in Las Vegas will be determined by the results of their first four matchups.

Additional preseason game

The Lakers announced that they have added a sixth matchup to their October preseason slate.

They’ll face the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 11 at the Honda Center.

The Lakers’ full preseason schedule:

• Oct. 7: at Golden State (5:30 p.m.)

• Oct. 9: vs. Brooklyn at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (6 p.m.)

• Oct. 11: vs. Sacramento at Honda Center (7 p.m.)

• Oct. 13: vs. Golden State (7 p.m.)

• Oct. 15: vs. Milwaukee (5 p.m.)

• Oct. 19: vs. Phoenix at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs (7 p.m.)

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Team USA opens Volleyball Nations League by sweeping Cuba

• July 6, 2023

ANAHEIM — Team USA outside hitter T.J. DeFalco seemed to be only half-joking when he outlined the squad’s daily routine leading up to the Volleyball Nations League this week.

“Our routine after 8½ months playing internationally, our routine is to get to this coast as quickly as you can and to the beach,” the former Huntington Beach High and Long Beach State standout said.

Team USA’s 3-0 victory against Cuba – 27-25, 25-17, 25-15 – in the teams’ VNL opener on Wednesday night at the Anaheim Convention Center wasn’t exactly a day at the beach, but it was the kind of gritty match the U.S. needed as it builds toward the Olympic qualifying tournament in Japan later this year (Sept. 30-Oct. 8).

Struggling with Cuba’s serving early, the Americans, playing their first match on U.S. soil since 2019 and their first in Southern California, the sport’s talent hotbed, since 2016, trailed as late as 24-23 in the first set before capitalizing on a couple of breaks to clinch the set. Cuba was able to hang with the U.S. through the middle of the second set before outside hitter Matt Anderson gave Team USA some breathing room with a pair of kills and then closed the door on the Cubans with back-to-back aces to end the second set.

After that, the third set was a mere formality.

“We didn’t start that well in the first set and it kind of put us in a tough position because they were serving well and that put a lot of pressure on our side out,” said Anderson, who finished with a match-high 13 points. “But we held onto it and toward the end it just got to the point where we had to make the play. Fortunately for us, we did and trusted our system of play out there and returned a couple balls late in that first set to give us the set and kind of a deep breath, sigh, let it all out and move forward. If we can play like that and still win, let’s focus on a couple more plays and that second set we returned more and in that third set we kind of ran away with it.”

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Longtime baseball scout Doug Deutsch remembered for searching deeper for talent

• July 6, 2023

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Doug Deutsch of Costa Mesa, a longtime professional baseball scout with the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals, is being remembered for his astute ability to identify talent and strong belief that the character and work ethic of a prospect mattered.

Deutsch, 81, died last month from lung cancer, his son, Tim, said.

As one of the Southern California’s most recognizable scouts, Deutsch signed and drafted several Orange County standouts from the college and high school ranks in a nearly 26-year career that started in 1983.

“Doug was beloved,” said John Elliott, owner of Quakes Baseball Academy who was mentored in scouting by Deutsch. “He looked at character traits. He didn’t get caught up (solely) on the numbers.”

Deutsch achieved his most success with the Astros.

From 1998-2000, he drafted four players — Mike Gallo (Long Beach State), Morgan Ensberg (USC), Jason Lane (USC) and Mike Burns (Cal State L.A.) — who helped Houston reach the World Series in 2005.

“That’s unheard of,” said Burns, now an assistant coach at UC Riverside. “He just had a gift. He saw talent, and saw beyond the talent to see work ethic, heart and determination.”

Burns’ journey to the big leagues typified the impact Deutsch made with dozens of prospects. He selected Burns, who played shortstop on his scout team while at Diamond Bar High, in the 30th round after watching him blossom as a pitcher at Cal State L.A.

“Doug took a chance on me,” Burns said, “and I’m grateful for that.”

Tim Deutsch said his father developed much of his insight by visiting prospects in their homes, and getting to know their parents, background and character.

“He didn’t just scout the player as a player, he scouted the player as a person,” Tim said of Deutsch, whose father Jack was a Hall of Fame baseball coach at Cal State L.A. “It was a labor of love.”

Some other notable draft picks by Deutsch included late all-star pitcher Darryl Kile (Chaffey College), former Angels catcher Matt Treanor (Mater Dei), all-star catcher John Buck (Taylorsville, Utah), Brandon Barnes (Cypress College) and Mike Simms (Esperanza).

Several of Deutsch’s selections found their success after their professional playing days.

Dave Matranga (Pepperdine) works for PSI Sports Management, which represents Aaron Judge among others. Undrafted signee Matt Lucas (Cal State L.A.) became the successful high school coach at El Dorado. And former Cal State Fullerton pitcher Kirk Saarloos is now the coach at TCU, which played in the College World Series last month.

“He pulled a lot people forward,” Elliott said.

Deutsch is survived by children Tim, Michael, Kelly and Kari, 11 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. His wife Linda died in 2019.

A vigil for Deutsch is scheduled for July 24 at 7 p.m. at Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Church in Huntington Beach. The funeral service will be July 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the church.

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Angels keep Anthony Rendon on active roster for now

• July 6, 2023

SAN DIEGO — The Angels are giving Anthony Rendon a chance to avoid a third trip to the injured list this season.

Although Rendon was walking with the help of crutches on Tuesday, and still using one crutch on Wednesday, the Angels kept the veteran third baseman on the active roster in hopes that he can play by Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

“Hopefully this thing subsides in the next couple of days and he’ll be fine for L.A., but we’ll reevaluate it after the game tonight, probably again tomorrow sometime and make a decision,” Manager Phil Nevin said before Wednesday’s game against the Padres.

Rendon suffered a contusion when he fouled a ball off his left shin during Tuesday’s game. After the game, he said “it’s not looking good” when he was asked if could avoid the IL.

That still might be the ultimate outcome. If the Angels do place Rendon on the IL on Thursday or Friday, it could be retroactive to Wednesday, so he would be eligible to return on July 15, the second game after the All-Star break.

The only downside to waiting to make the decision is that the Angels went into Wednesday’s game with only three healthy players on the bench instead of the normal four.

Rendon, 33, has already been on the IL twice this season, with a strained groin and a bruised wrist. He missed most of the previous two seasons with hip and wrist injuries that required surgery.

TROUT SURGERY

As expected, Mike Trout underwent surgery on Wednesday to have his fractured hamate bone removed, which is the standard procedure in these cases.

The timetable for recovery is at least four weeks, but in most cases, it requires six to eight weeks.

“It just remains to be seen, how Mike’s hand responds when he starts doing the treatments and his rehab,” Nevin said. “I know he’s anxious to get going. He was happy he could get this done right away so he can get back to the team as quick as possible.”

OHTANI’S BLISTER

Shohei Ohtani was back in the lineup on Wednesday, despite the blister that hindered him on the mound on Tuesday afternoon.

Nevin said he expects Ohtani to be ready to pitch again after the All-Star break.

“He’s got 10 days off,” Nevin said. “We can stretch that further if we need to. But I would anticipate him making that first start after the break (on July 14).”

NOTES

Left-hander Tyler Anderson will be temporarily available in the bullpen because the Angels don’t need him to start before the break. Griffin Canning and Reid Detmers will start on Friday and Saturday against the Dodgers. Nevin said he thought Anderson would “react better and perform better (out of the bullpen) than the other guys.” …

Left-hander José Suarez (shoulder) has begun throwing bullpen sessions in Arizona. He is scheduled to face some hitters next week. …

The Angels recalled right-hander Zack Weiss and optioned right-hander Gerardo Reyes on Wednesday. …

Hunter Renfroe’s home run against the Padres on Tuesday gave him a homer against all 30 teams. Renfroe is the 71st player in major league history to homer against 30 different franchises.

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP Griffin Canning, 6-3, 4.29) at Dodgers (TBD), Friday, 7:10 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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