TEMPE, Ariz. — When Ron Washington casually mentioned Thursday morning that left-hander Yusei Kikuchi was going to be the Angels’ Opening Day starter, he didn’t seem to think that was much of a revelation. Washington, in fact, said he hadn’t even told Kikuchi. “It’s obvious,” the Angels manager said. “We just signed him to a big contract. We didn’t bring him here to be our No. … [Read more...] about Angels view Yusei Kikuchi as Opening Day starter and leader
Lakers looking to develop ‘ideal rotation’ as group rounds into form
LOS ANGELES — The NBA’s All-Star break, and the rest that came along with it, provided the Lakers with something heading into Wednesday that they haven’t had for most of the season: an opportunity to have a rotation with nearly their full roster available. With LeBron James upgraded from questionable to available for Wednesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com … [Read more...] about Lakers looking to develop ‘ideal rotation’ as group rounds into form
Lakers return from All-Star break with frustrating loss to Hornets
LOS ANGELES — If the Lakers looked like a team ready for the All-Star break in their Feb. 12 road loss to the Utah Jazz, then Wednesday’s 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena showed what can happen when a team is away from the court for an extended period. Because from the onset, the Lakers and Hornets played with a sloppiness of teams that looked like they … [Read more...] about Lakers return from All-Star break with frustrating loss to Hornets
Clippers’ retooled roster has elevated expectations
The final 28 regular-season games could be viewed as a new beginning for the Clippers, something of a do-over given their five new players, a near-full strength Kawhi Leonard and elevated expectations. “We got a chance to be really, really good,” All-Star point guard James Harden said. “Really, really good, a really good team.” Is that wishful thinking on Harden’s part or a … [Read more...] about Clippers’ retooled roster has elevated expectations
Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki draws a crowd for first time facing hitters
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mookie Betts channeled his inner Allen Iverson when asked to assess Roki Sasaki’s performance during Wednesday’s workout. “It’s practice. Who cares?” Betts said of the young right-hander. “If he shoved, it’d be a story. If he didn’t shove, it’d be a story. No matter what. We’ll see when we start in Tokyo.” It wasn’t just any practice, however – as evidenced by … [Read more...] about Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki draws a crowd for first time facing hitters