The Sports Report: Mike Trout out at least six weeks with calf injury

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

Jack Harris on the Angels: Star center fielder Mike Trout is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a right calf strain he suffered Monday night, dealing a major blow to a team that has already dealt with several key injuries in the season’s opening two months.

“I’m really crushed about it,” Trout said.

This is the first time since 2018 that Trout has gone on the injured list, and will likely be only the second full season in his career he will miss more than 30 games (he played 114 games in 2017 after suffering a torn ligament in his thumb).

Mike Trout

(Associated Press)

In 36 games this season, the three-time MVP was hitting .333 and leading the majors in on-base-percentage (.466) and OPS (1.090). He also had eight home runs and 18 RBIs.

“Not being able to go out there with the guys, that hurts the most,” Trout said. “The numbers obviously were great to start, but I want to be out there with the guys. It just sucks.”

Trout sustained the injury, which the team said is a Grade 2 strain, while running the bases in the first inning against the Cleveland Indians.

After drawing a walk in the bottom of the first and moving to second base on a wild pitch, Trout took off for third when Jared Walsh popped up with two out. About halfway to the bag, Trout appeared to pull up and run gingerly the rest of the way, limping to a stop as the inning ended.

“I knew it was bad when it happened,” said Trout, who described feeling a pop in his leg that felt like he’d been hit by a line drive.

“I got to the bag and said, ‘Man, something’s not right.’ ... It was a freak thing.”

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Shohei Ohtani hits 14th home run, but Angels lose late to Cleveland

DODGERS

Gavin Lux hits a grand slam.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Jorge Castillo on the Dodgers: Yoshi Tsutsugo always wanted to play for the Dodgers. When he decided to leave Japan’s Yokohama Bay Stars for the major leagues after a decade and five All-Star seasons in 2019, he preferred them over the other interested teams interested in his services. It took another a year and a half, but he’s a Dodger after the roughest patch of his professional career.

The Dodgers acquired Tsutsugo from the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday for a player to be named later or cash after the Rays designated him for assignment, essentially discarding him after he failed to adjust to major-league pitching in 288 plate appearances.

He made his debut at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, starting in left field and batting seventh behind Albert Pujols in the Dodgers’ 9-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. He became the third Japanese-born position player to ever play for the franchise, joining his manager Dave Roberts and Norihiro Nakamura.

The left-handed hitter walked in his first two plate appearances and finished 0 for 2. His new teammates supplied the production as the Dodgers improved to 24-18. Chris Taylor, starting at third base for the first time since 2019, went two for four with a walk and a two-run home run after not starting the previous two days because of right wrist soreness. Shortstop Gavin Lux busted the game open with a grand slam on an 0-2 pitch with two out in the seventh inning.

Julio Urías had exited minutes earlier after holding the Diamondbacks (18-25) to one run and three hits with eight strikeouts and no walks. He added a single at the plate. Blake Treinen relieved him in the seventh inning with two runners on base and induced a flyball to end the inning.

LAKERS

Stephen Curry

(Associated Press)

Dan Woike on the Lakers: Golden State Warriors guard Kent Bazemore could describe what was ahead for him, his team and his opponent Wednesday night.

“Bright lights,” he said.

It’s Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. It’s LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It’s Steve Kerr’s three coaching titles against Frank Vogel, who won the last one. It’s the Bay and L.A.

And the stakes are almost as high as possible — a win putting you in the playoffs; a loss knocking you to the edge of falling out of them.

We can ignore the technicalities of the NBA’s play-in tournament for a moment, the fact that these two teams are operating with a safety net. The loser of Wednesday’s game at Staples Center will have one more shot Friday to win their way into the first round of the playoffs.

But the randomness of this conceit, a single-game series between two of the league’s most recognizable faces and best players, is a dangerous situation, even if the Lakers are favored. The NBA might not have a better knockout puncher than Stephen Curry, a one-man scoring machine who is open even when he’s perfectly defended.

“He’s capable of winning by himself if he wants to,” Dennis Schroder said of Curry.

“We have appropriate fear,” added Kyle Kuzma.

CLIPPERS

Dan Loumena on the Clippers: The Clippers will open their first-round playoff series against Dallas on Saturday at home at 1:30 p.m. while the Lakers, who must qualify through the play-in tournament, would be on the road Sunday, according to a release of Game 1 schedules by the NBA on Tuesday.

The fourth-seeded Clippers will play the second of four games Saturday, with Brooklyn hosting the Boston Celtics and Miami traveling to Milwaukee in the early games from the Eastern Conference. Portland at Denver would be the nightcap in the West.

The seventh-seeded Lakers would open the first round Sunday at Phoenix if they defeat Golden State on Wednesday in the play-in tournament opener or at top-seeded Utah that day if they lose to the Warriors and beat the survivor of Memphis-San Antonio play-in game Friday.

OLYMPICS

Dylan Hernández on the Olympics: Several years ago, when Shohei Ohtani was playing in his home country, he was honored at an award show alongside Olympic gold medalist figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu.

When the presenter mentioned how they were both born in 1994, Ohtani acknowledged he wasn’t the most important athlete on stage.

“I think of myself [as] part of the Hanyu generation,” Ohtani said.

Because in ordinary times, the Japanese love the Olympics.

Be mindful of that when reading about polls showing that 60%-70% of Japanese people want the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled. Imagine how much has to be going wrong for them to want to call off an event they hold so dearly — one in their own country, no less.

This borders on madness, how the Olympics remain scheduled to start in less than 10 weeks.

Revelations on what is required to stage the Summer Games have simplified to the argument against them, as the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee is known to have requested the Japanese Nursing Assn. dispatch 500 nurses while asking 30 hospitals to admit infected athletes before other patients.

With less than 3% of its population vaccinated, and Tokyo and several other prefectures under extended states of emergency because of the spread of a new and more contagious strain of the coronavirus, there’s no justification for diverting medical resources from an already strained healthcare system.

SOCCER

Kevin Baxter on soccer: The Mexican national team will play in Southern California for the first time in more than two years when it meets Nigeria on July 3 at the Coliseum.

Mexico’s last game in Southern California was a 7-0 blitz of Cuba in its opening game of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Mexico hasn’t played in the Coliseum since May 2017, when it lost to Croatia 2-1.

The Nigeria match is the fourth of five friendlies Mexico will play in the U.S. this year, in addition to June’s Nations League finals in Denver and July’s Gold Cup. The tour begins May 29 against Iceland in Arlington, Texas, and also includes June dates with Honduras (in Atlanta) and Panama (in Nashville)

NBA PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

Play-in round
All times Pacific

Today
No. 9 Indiana 144, No. 10 Charlotte 117
No. 7 Boston, 118, No. 8 Washington 100

Wednesday
No. 10 San Antonio at No. 9 Memphis, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 8 Golden State at No. 7 Lakers, 7 p.m., ESPN

Thursday
Indiana at Washington, 5 p.m., TNT

Friday
Winner of San Antonio/Memphis at loser of Lakers/Golden State, TBD, ESPN

NHL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE/RESULTS

First round
All times Pacific

East Division
Pittsburgh vs. NY Islanders

New York 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)
Pittsburgh 2, New York 1
Thursday: Pittsburgh at New York, 4 p.m., NBCSN
Saturday: Pittsburgh at New York, Noon, NBC
Monday: New York at Pittsburgh, TBD
*Wed., May 26: Pittsburgh at New York TBD
*Friday, May 28: New York at Pittsburgh, TBD

Washington vs. Boston

Washington 3, Boston 2 (OT)
Boston 4, Washington 3 (OT)
Today.: Washington at Boston, 3:30 p.m., NBCSN
Friday: Washington at Boston, 3:30 p.m., NBCSN
Sunday: Boston at Washington, 4 p.m., USA
*Tuesday: Washington at Boston, TBD
*Thursday, May 27: Boston at Washington TBD

Central Division

Carolina vs. Nashville

Carolina 5, Nashville 2
Today: Nashville at Carolina, 5 p.m., CNBC
Friday: Carolina at Nashville, 4 p.m., USA
Sunday: Carolina at Nashville, 11:0 a.m., NBCSN
*Tuesday: Nashville at Carolina, TBD
*Thursday, May 27: Carolina at Nashville, TBD
*Saturday, May 29: Nashville at Carolina, TBD

Florida vs. Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay 5, Florida 4
Tampa Bay 3, Florida 1
Thursday: Florida at Tampa Bay, 3:30 p.m., USA
Saturday: Florida at Tampa Bay, 9:30 a.m., CNBC
*Monday: Tampa Bay at Florida, TBD
*Wed., May 26: Florida at Tampa Bay, TBD
*Friday, May 28: Tampa Bay at Florida, TBD

North Division

Toronto vs. Montreal

Thursday: Montreal at Toronto, 4:30 p.m, NHL Network
Saturday: Montreal at Toronto, 4 p.m., CNBC
Monday: Toronto at Montreal, TBD
Tuesday: Toronto at Montreal, TBD
*Thursday, May 27: Montreal at Toronto, TBD
*Saturday, May 29: Toronto at Montreal, TBD
*Monday, May 31: Montreal at Toronto, TBD

Edmonton vs. Winnipeg

Tonight: Winnipeg at Edmonton, 6 p.m., NBCSN
Friday: Winnipeg at Edmonton, 6 p.m., NBCSN
Sunday: Edmonton at Winnipeg, 4:30 p.m., NBCSN
Monday: Edmonton at Winnipeg, TBD
*Wed., May 26: Winnipeg at Edmonton, TBD
*Friday, May 28: Edmonton at Winnipeg, TBD
*Sunday, May 30: Winnipeg at Edmonton, TBD

West Division

Colorado vs. St. Louis

Colorado 4, St. Louis 1
Tonight: St. Louis at Colorado, 7:30 p.m., CNBC
Friday: Colorado at St. Louis, 6:30 p.m., USA
Sunday: Colorado at St. Louis, 2 p.m., NBCSN
*Tuesday: St. Louis at Colorado, TBD
*Thursday, May 27: Colorado at St. Louis, TBD
*Saturday, May 29: St. Louis at Colorado, TBD

Vegas vs. Minnesota

Minnesota 1, Vegas 0 (OT)
Vegas 3, Minnesota 1
Thursday: Vegas at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., NBCSN
Saturday: Vegas at Minnesota, 5 p.m., NBC
Monday: Minnesota at Vegas, TBD
*Wed., May 26: Vegas at Minnesota, TBD
*Friday, May 28: Minnesota at Vegas, TBD

*-if necessary

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1910 — Cy Young, the career leader in major league victories, wins No. 500 as the Cleveland Indians defeat Washington 5-4 in 11 innings.

1923 — Zev, a 19-1 long shot ridden by Earl Sande, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1½ lengths over Martingale.

1973 — Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, rallies from last with a powerful move on the clubhouse turn to win the Preakness Stakes by 2½ lengths over Sham. There is controversy over the timing of the race as original teletimer time was 1:55 for the 1 3/16-mile race. Pimlico amends it to 1:54 2/5, two days later.

1974 — The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins 1-0 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.

1979 — Spectacular Bid, ridden by Ron Franklin, wins the Preakness Stakes by an easy 5½ lengths over Golden Act.

1990 — Hobart wins its 11th straight NCAA Division III lacrosse championship, beating Washington College of Maryland 18-6. The Statesmen, winners of every final since the tournament’s inception in 1980, are 100-3 in Division III in that time.

1991 — Willy T. Ribbs becomes the first black driver to make the lineup for the Indianapolis 500.

2007 — Curlin, ridden by Robby Albarado, nips Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense by putting his head in front on the final stride, winning the Preakness Stakes in a riveting finish. The winning time was a blazing 1:53.46, equaling the stakes record of 1:53 2/5.

2012 — I’ll Have Another overtakes Bodemeister down the stretch to win the Preakness. Like the Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another races from behind to beat pacesetter Bodemeister, who also finished second in the Derby. I’ll Have Another, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, covers the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.94.

2014 — Lucy Li becomes the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open by winning the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay in California. The 11-year-old Li shoots rounds of 74 and 68 on the par-72 Old Course and surpasses Lexi Thompson as the youngest competitor in a U.S. Women’s Open when she tees off at Pinehurst on June 19. Thompson was 12 when she qualified for the 2007 Open.

2015 — The NFL announces it is moving back extra-point kicks and allowing defenses to score on conversion turnovers. The owners approve the proposal to snap the ball from the 15-yard line on PATs to make them more challenging.

2017 — LeBron James scores 30 points, Kevin Love had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers steamroll the Boston Celtics 130-86 to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals and tie an NBA record with their 13th straight playoff victory.

2018 — Justify holds off several hard-charging challengers and win the Preakness Stakes on a sloppy, slippery track. Ridden by Mike Smith, the 2-5 favorite wins by a half-length after completing the race in 1:55.93. Bravazo edges Tenfold for second. Trainer Bob Baffert ties D. Wayne Lukas’ record with his 14th Triple Crown victory and matches 19th-century trainer R.W. Walden with his seventh Preakness title.

And finally

Secretariat wins the Preakness. Watch it here.