The Sports Report: Max Scherzer has an impressive Dodgers debut

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

Mike DiGiovanna on the Dodgers: A sellout crowd of 52,724 in Dodger Stadium turned it down just a notch for most of Wednesday night.

Fans still booed Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, the only two players from Houston’s 2017 cheating championship team in the lineup for the finale of a two-game series, mercilessly, but they seemed as amped up for pitcher Max Scherzer’s Dodgers debut as they were to vent their frustrations on the Astros.

Three inflatable trash-can lids fell on the warning track in right field, but there were far fewer delays than Tuesday night, when several inflatable trash cans bounced onto the field and most foul balls hit by the Astros were thrown back onto the field.

The Dodgers seemed to thrive minus the distractions.

Scherzer shined in his first start after Friday’s trade from the Washington Nationals, giving up two earned runs and five hits in seven innings, striking out 10 and walking one, and the Dodgers clubbed four homers—two by Mookie Betts—in a 7-5 win over the Astros.

Scherzer struck out Altuve three times and Correa once, each whiff eliciting roars from fans who believe the Astros stole that 2017 title from the Dodgers, who lost a seven-game World Series to Houston.

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Cole Hamels signs with Dodgers, adds still-needed rotation depth

ANGELS

Ethan Sears on the Angels: The Angels beat the Rangers 2-1 on Wednesday night, Raisel Iglesias pointing at the sky after inducing a game-ending double play. That was secondary though.

It was the midafternoon announcement, hours before Shohei Ohtani took the mound, that Anthony Rendon will undergo season-ending surgery on a right hip impingement that will matter more.

One week ago — centered on the eventual returns of Rendon and Mike Trout from the injured list — the Angels arguably were not yet out of the playoff race. Now?

Since then, the Angels lost three of four to Oakland, the team they are trying to catch in the AL wild-card standings.

They traded two ancillary pitchers at the trade deadline while the A’s and Yankees added to their lineups. The Angels called up three prospects — pitchers Reid Detmers and Chris Rodriguez and right fielder Jo Adell. (Rodriguez was sent down Wednesday but could make his second start next week).

And now, manager Joe Maddon was unable to say if Rendon would be ready in time for spring training.

As for Trout, there’s been no update, positive or negative.

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MLB releases 2022 schedule: Dodgers-Padres rivalry highlighted; Angels open in Oakland

MLS

Kevin Baxter on MLS: The Galaxy and LAFC combined to place six players on the MLS roster for the league’s Aug. 25 All-star game at Banc of California Stadium. For the first time, the MLS team will face a squad of all-stars from Mexico’s Liga MX.

Defender Julian Araujo and striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, who led the league in scoring with 10 goals when he was sidelined a month ago with a strained calf, will represent the Galaxy.

Midfielders Sebastian Lletget, who captained the U.S. national team in their recent run to the Gold Cup title, and Jonathan dos Santos, a Mexican international, are among the Galaxy players who did not make the team.

LAFC will send midfielder Eduard Atuesta, defender Jesús Murillo and forwards Diego Rossi and Carlos Vela, the last two MLS Golden Boot winners.

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Daniel Salloi had a goal and an assist to help Sporting Kansas City beat LAFC 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Alan Pulido, Gadi Kinda and Luis Martins also scored for Kansas City (10-4-3). Sporting moved into a tie with Seattle atop the Western Conference standings with 33 points.

Pulido tapped a right-footer into an empty net to open the scoring in the 20th minute. Martins redirected a cross by Salloi into the net in the 28th, and Salloi put away a first-timer off an entry by Graham Zusi to make it 3-0 in the 36th minute.

Kinda made it 4-0 in the 58th, and LAFC’s Daniel Musovski capped the scoring in the 82nd minute.

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Efraín Álvarez scored in the 53rd minute and the Galaxy beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Wednesday night.

The Galaxy (10-6-1) won for the fifth time in its last eight matches. Salt Lake (5-5-6) had its two-game shutout streak end.

Álvarez started a give-and-go at the corner of the 18-yard box and calmly curled it around goalkeeper Zac MacMath from a difficult angle.

Los Angeles nearly made it 2-0 in the 80th but MacMath denied Kévin Cabral’s wide-open attempt near the penalty spot.

NFL

San Farmer on the NFL: Philip Rivers is having a blast as the first-year head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School, but the retired quarterback told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that he hasn’t shut the door on returning to the NFL for a stint late in the season.

That revelation is particularly interesting in light of the Indianapolis Colts, for whom he played last year, losing quarterback Carson Wentz to a foot injury for five to 12 weeks.

Rivers retired in January after 17 seasons in the league, the first 16 with the Chargers. He finished his career ranked fifth all time with 63,440 yards passing and 421 touchdown passes.

But did he really finish his career? Well, although he still looks to be in good shape, he said he would have some work to do if he were to return.

“I’m not quite there,” said Rivers, 39. “I’m getting back there. I wouldn’t have made weight if I had to report last week, that’s for sure. But I am getting back into the lifting and running, and shoot, I occasionally throw a ball around out here in this heat. It’s not too hard to get a good lather going.

“I’m just going to stay ready. I want to make sure I’m very clear: I’m not predicting I will play in December or January, for that matter. One, you’ve got to have somebody who wants you, and two, it’s got to be right.

“But I have not completely ruled that out.”

CHARGERS

The Chargers are in the midst of training camp. Click here for our live blog of updates throughout training camp.

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 — Radio station KDKA and announcer Harold Arlin provide the first broadcast of a major league game as the Pirates beat the Phillies 8-5 at Pittsburgh.

1936 — At the Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens wins his third of four gold medals, winning the 200-meter race in an Olympic-record 20.7 seconds.

1954 — The first election for the Boxing Hall of Fame is held. Twenty-four fighters are elected, with the most noteworthy from the modern era Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis and Henry Armstrong. Fifteen are selected from the pioneer era including John L. Sullivan, Gentleman Jim Corbett and Jack Johnson.

1967 — The Denver Broncos beat the Detroit Lions, 13-7, in a preseason game, for the first AFL victory over an NFL team.

1984 — American Joan Benoit wins the first Olympic marathon for women in 2:24:52, finishing 400 meters ahead of Norway’s Grete Waitz.

1991 — Sergei Bubka becomes the first to clear 20 feet outdoors in the pole vault, breaking his own world record by a half-inch at the Galan track meet in Malmo, Sweden.

1997 — Michael Johnson wins his third straight 400-meter title at the world championships in Athens, Greece, capturing the gold medal in 44.12 seconds.

2005 — Jason Gore shoots a 12-under 59 in the second round of the Nationwide Tour’s Cox Classic in Omaha, Nebraska.

2007 — Tom Glavine earns his 300th victory in an 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

2007 — Lorena Ochoa wins the Women’s British Open — the first women’s pro tournament played at venerable St. Andrews — for her first major title.

2012 — Jamaica’s Usain Bolt claims consecutive gold medals in the marquee track and field event at the Summer Games in London. Only about fifth-fastest of the eight runners to the halfway mark, Bolt erases that deficit and overtakes a star-studded field to win the 100-meter dash final in 9.63 seconds, an Olympic record that lets him join Carl Lewis as the only men to win the event twice.

2012 — Britain’s Andy Murray cruises past Roger Federer 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in the Olympic tennis singles final at Wimbledon. Serena and Venus Williams win the doubles title, as Serena becomes tennis’ first double-gold medalist at an Olympics since Venus won singles and doubles at the 2000 Sydney Games. Ben Ainslie earns another gold medal in the Finn class to become the most successful sailor in Olympic history.

2013 — Alex Rodriguez is suspended through 2014 (211 games) and All-Stars Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta and Everth Cabrera are banned 50 games apiece when Major League Baseball disciplines 13 players in a drug case.

2014 — The San Antonio Spurs hire WNBA star Becky Hammon as an assistant coach, making her the first woman to join an NBA coaching staff.

2017 — Justin Gatlin spoils Usain Bolt’s farewell beating him in the 100 meters at the world track championships in London. Bolt gets off to a slow start and Gatlin holds him off at the line in 9.92 seconds. American sprinter Christian Coleman takes silver in 9.94 seconds and Bolt took bronze in 9.95.

2018 — The Springfield Lasers win their first World TeamTennis title edging the Philadelphia Freedoms 19-18. The Lasers were 0-5 in WTT championship finals and winless in three meetings with the Freedoms during the 2018 regular season.

2018 — Georgia Hall of England catches Pornanong Phatlum in a final-round duel at Royal Lytham & St. Annes to win the Women’s British Open for her first major title.

And finally

Jesse Owens wins gold at the 1936 Olympics. Watch it here.