The Sports Report: Giants score three in ninth to defeat Dodgers

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

Mike DiGiovanna on the Dodgers: The San Francisco Giants had spent 51 days alone in first place in the National League West, an overachieving club that few expected to contend for the division title holding the best record in baseball for the better part of two months.

For eight innings Wednesday night, it appeared they would have some company, the Dodgers riding the dominant left arm of Julio Urías and the hot bat of Chris Taylor to a one-run lead through eight innings.

Then Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen let the game—and a possible share of first place—slip through his fingers.

Buster Posey led off the top of the ninth with a pinch-hit single to right-center field, and Wilmer Flores crushed a two-run homer to left off Jansen to push the Giants toward a 4-2 victory before a sellout crowd of 52,076 in Chavez Ravine and move San Francisco two games ahead of the Dodgers in the division.

Jansen started the ninth with a 2-1 lead. Posey’s hit was his ninth in 27 career at-bats against Jansen. Flores’ homer came on a 92-mph cut-fastball. It was only the second homer Jansen had given up this season and the first he had yielded in 349 cutters.

Jansen’s fourth blown save of the season and his second in four days got worse. The right-hander struck out Mike Yastrzemski but gave up a double to right to Darin Ruf and walked Donovan Solano and Thairo Estrada to load the bases with one out.

Jansen, who went 1-1 with a 1.45 ERA and 21 saves in 37 1/3 innings of his first 37 games, was booed off the mound in a scene that was reminiscent of 2020, when Jansen struggled for much of the season and lost his closer job in the postseason.

Left-hander Victor Gonzalea came on and struck out LaMonte Wade Jr. but walked Curt Casali to force in a run, giving the Giants a 4-2 lead.

GALAXY

Rayan Raveloson scored for the third consecutive game to help the Galaxy to a 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night at Sandy, Utah.

Julian Araujo played a high ball to the center of the area and Raveloson, at the top of the 6-yard box, scored on a header to make it 2-2 in the 77th minute. The 24-year-old Raveloson, who signed with the Galaxy (8-5-1) on May 20, has three goals in four career MLS games.

Ddefender Aaron Herrera played a low cross to the center of the box and Albert Rusnak put away a first-timer to give Real Salt Lake (4-4-5) the lead in the ninth minute. Maikel Chang scored his first goal of the season — the second of his career — to make it 2-0 in the 25th.

Victor Vazquez blasted a rising right-footer into the net to cut it to 2-1 in the 33rd minute.

RSL has conceded 16 goals — 12 in the second half — this season.

Anderson Julio’s header for Salt Lake late in stoppage time bounced off the crossbar.

Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who is tied with Seattle’s Raul Ruidiaz for most goals in MLS this season with 10, and Sebastian Lletget did not play for the Galaxy.

NHL

The Seattle Kraken chose Boston defenseman Jeremy Lauzon with the first pick in their expansion draft Wednesday night.

The Kraken picked two defensemen from the Southern California teams: the Kings’ Kurtis MacDermid, 27, and the Ducks’ Haydn Fleury, 25.

MacDermid had two goals and two assists in 28 games for the Kings last season. Fleury had two goals and an assist in 12 games after he was acquired by the Ducks in a trade April 12.

The Kraken introduced pending free agent Chris Driedger as their first goaltender and passed on Montreal’s Carey Price. Driedger agreed to terms on a $10.5-million, three-year contract to join Seattle. Driedger, the former Florida goalie who became the first player to show off the Kraken’s home jersey, called it a “life-changing moment.”

Price’s cap hit of $10.5 million — annually — for the next five seasons, plus the 34-year-old’s questionable injury history, led to Seattle passing on him.

“Any time you see a name like Carey Price available, you have to consider it,“ Kraken general manager Ron Francis said. “Certainly we did that, we had a lot of discussions. And at the end of the day, we made the decision that we did to go in a different direction.”

Seattle’s NHL Expansion Draft selections

Jeremy Lauzon, D, Boston Bruins

William Borgen, D, Buffalo Sabres

Dennis Cholowski, D, Detroit Red Wings

Chris Drieger, G, Florida Panthers

Cale Fleury, D, Montreal Canadiens

Joey Daccord, G, Ottawa Senators

Yanni Gourde, C, Tampa Bay Lightning

Jared McCann, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

Morgan Geekie, C, Carolina Hurricanes

Gavin Bayreuther, D, Columbus Blue Jackets

Nathan Bastian, RW, New Jersey Devils

Jordan Eberle, RW, New York Islanders

Colin Blackwell, C, New York Rangers

Carsen Twaryenski, LW, Philadelphia Flyers

Brandon Tanev, D, Pittsburgh Penguins

Vitek Vanecek, G, Washington Capitals

Tyler Pitlick, C, Arizona Coyotes

John Quenneville, C, Chicago Blackhawks

Joonas Donskoi, RW, Colorado Avalanche

Jamie Oleksiak, D, Dallas Stars

Carson Soucy, D, Minnesota Wild

Calle Jarnkrok, C, Nashville Predators

Vince Dunn, D, St. Louis Blues

Mason Appleton, C, Winnipeg Jets

Haydn Fleury, D, Ducks

Mark Giordano, D, Calgary Flames

Adam Larsson, D, Edmonton Oilers

Kurtis MacDermid, D, Kings

Alexander True, F, San Jose Sharks

Kole Lind, RW, Vancouver Canucks

BOXING

Manouk Akopyan on boxing: Oscar De La Hoya’s comeback fight at the age of 48 against former UFC champion Vitor Belfort officially has a home, and it will take place in the Los Angeles born-and-bred boxer’s backyard at Staples Center on Sept. 11.

Triller announced the news Wednesday, noting the bout will be a pro boxing match and not as an exhibition in Las Vegas as was originally planned. The fight will have a maximum of eight rounds at two minutes each at the light-heavyweight limit.

A news conference is scheduled for July 27 in Los Angeles to formally announce the fight between the Hall of Fame fighter and six-division champion De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) and two-division MMA titlist Belfort (26-14, 18 KOs). The California State Athletic Commission will sanction the professional bout once both fighters pass comprehensive medical testing.

OLYMPICS

Where’s the Olympics coverage? You will be receiving a special Olympics edition of the Sports Report, which should hit your inbox around 7 a.m. PT each day, and will run daily during the Games. You can also check out all of our Olympics coverage by clicking here.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1921 — Jim Barnes wins the U.S. Men’s Open golf championship by edging Walter Hagen, Leo Diegel, Jock Hutchinson and Fred McLeod.

1962 — Gary Player of South Africa becomes the first nonresident of the United States to win the PGA championship.

1963 — Sonny Liston knocks out Floyd Patterson in 2 minutes, 10 seconds of the first round to retain the world heavyweight title. Liston took the title from Patterson with a first-round knockout in Chicago on Sept. 25, 1962.

1973 — Sue Berning wins the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship for the third time with a five-stroke victory over Gloria Ahret.

1984 — Kathy Whitworth becomes the all-time winner in pro golf tournaments by capturing the Rochester Open. Whitworth, with 85 wins, passes Sam Snead’s total of 84 PGA tournament victories.

1984 — Seve Ballesteros wins the British Open with a four-round 276, breaking the course record set by Ken Nagle in 1960 by two strokes. Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer finish two strokes behind.

1990 — Nick Faldo wins his second British Open in four years, defeating Payne Stewart and Mark McNulty by five strokes.

1990 — American Greg LeMond wins his second straight Tour de France. LeMond, a three-time winner, does not win an individual stage in the 21-stage race. Italy’s Claudio Chiappucci, the leader two days earlier, finishes second, 2:16 behind.

1996 — Naim Suleymanoglu of Turkey becomes first Olympic weightlifter to win three gold medals. Suleymanoglu takes the 141-pound division by hoisting 413 1/4 pounds.

1998 — Jackie Joyner-Kersee ends her brilliant heptathlon career with a victory at the Goodwill Games. It’s her fourth consecutive Goodwill title. Earlier, the 4x400-meter relay world record of 2:54.29, set by the 1993 U.S. world championship team, is broken. Michael Johnson, the anchor on that 1993 team, anchors this team to a finish of 2:54.20.

2001 — David Duval shoots a 4-under 67 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes to win the British Open title, his first major championship. He beats Sweden’s Niclas Fasth by three strokes.

2012 — Bradley Wiggins becomes the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France by protecting the yellow jersey during the final processional ride into Paris. Fellow Briton and Sky teammate Christopher Froome finishes second, 3 minutes, 21 seconds behind.

2012 — Ernie Els wins his fourth major championship, rallying to beat Adam Scott in the British Open when the Aussie bogeys the last four holes. Els starts the final round six shots behind and completes a flawless back nine with a 15-foot birdie putt for a 2-under 68. Scott was four shots ahead with four holes to play.

2013 — Ryan Braun, the 2011 National League MVP, is suspended for the rest of the season and the postseason, the start of sanctions involving players reportedly tied to a Florida clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs.

2017 — Branden Grace sets the scoring mark in majors with a 62 in the British Open at Royal Birkdale, the lowest round in 442 major championships.

And finally

Seve Ballesteros wins the 1984 British Open. Watch it here.