The Sports Report: Dodgers get two-game sweep of Giants

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

From Jack Harris: During a San Francisco Giants pitching change in the seventh inning Wednesday night, the scoreboard at Dodger Stadium played a familiar highlight reel.

It was clips from the Dodgers defeat of the Giants in the National League Division Series last year, a memorable five-game battle that came down to the final inning of the final game.

Wednesday night’s contest between the NL West rivals wasn’t nearly as close.

Moments after the game resumed, the Dodgers exploded for four runs to pull away from the Giants in a 9-1 win in front of a raucous 52,203 at Dodger Stadium, completing a two-game sweep in the first series between the team’s this season.

Early on, it looked like the Dodgers and Giants were headed for another tight finish.

Tony Gonsolin pitched five strong innings, giving up just one run while striking out five. The Dodgers battled through a slow start at the plate, going hitless for three innings against Alex Wood before scoring twice in the fourth to take a one-run lead.

After that, however, the Dodgers (16-7) pulled away.

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Hernández: Dodgers proved they don’t trust Julio Urías when they pulled him early against Giants

KINGS

From Helene Elliott: The Stanley Cup playoff experience of eight members of the Kings doubled Wednesday when they stepped out to the ice at Rogers Place for Game 2 of the team’s first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.

Defensemen Mikey Anderson, Sean Durzi, Matt Roy and Jordan Spence and forwards Quinton Byfield, Carl Grundstrom, Arthur Kaliyev and Blake Lizotte got their introduction to the thrills and chills of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the opener. That’s a lot of newbies. But the Kings haven’t hesitated to play their kids, sometimes when injuries made it a necessity but also because they’ve progressed to the point of being able to provide the quality depth the team previously lacked.

None of the newcomers appeared out of place in the opener, and all returned for Game 2. The Kings’ lineup was the same, with Alex Iafallo again taking Viktor Arvidsson’s place at left wing on the second line alongside Phillip Danault and Thousand Oaks native Trevor Moore. Arvidsson remained out for undisclosed reasons, a phrase that becomes annoyingly familiar during the playoffs.

The overriding story line in this series is the matchup at center pitting Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl against the Kings’ Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault, but the performances of the Kings’ kids will have a big impact too. On Wednesday they collectively experienced their first playoff loss after the Oilers struck three times in the second period and feasted on the Kings’ feeble power play in a 6-0 rout that sent the series to Crypto.Com Arena on Friday even at one game each.

NHL playoffs
schedule and results
All times Pacific
First round
Western Conference

No. 2 Edmonton vs. No. 3 Kings
Kings 4, Edmonton 3
Edmonton 6, Kings 0
Friday, at Kings, 7 p.m., TBS
Sunday, at Kings, 7 p.m., TBS
Tuesday, at Edmonton, TBD
*Thursday, May 12, at Kings, TBD
*Saturday, May 14, at Edmonton, TBD

No. 1 Colorado vs. WC#2 Nashville
Colorado 7, Nashville 2
Tonight at Colorado, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Saturday at Nashville, 1:30 p.m., TNT
Monday, at Nashville, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Wednesday at Colorado, TBD
*Friday, May 13, at Nashville, TBD
*Sunday, May 15, at Colorado, TBD

No. 2 Minnesota vs. No. 3 St. Louis
St. Louis 4, Minnesota 0
Minnesota 6, St. Louis 2
Friday, at St. Louis, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Sunday, at St. Louis, 1:30 p.m., TBS
Tuesday, at Minnesota, TBD
*Thursday, May 12, at St. Louis, TBD
*Saturday, May 14, at Minnesota, TBD

No. 1 Calgary vs. WC#1 Dallas
Calgary 1, Dallas 0
Tonight at Calgary, 7 p.m., TBS
Saturday at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Monday at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., TBS
*Wednesday at Calgary, TBD
*Friday, May 13, at Dallas, TBD
*Sunday, May 15, at Calgary, TBD

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Florida vs. WC#2 Washington
Washington 4, Florida 2
Today at Florida, 4:30 p.m., TBS
Saturday at Washington, 10 a.m., ESPN
Monday at Washington, 4 p.m., TBS
*Wednesday at Florida, TBD
*Friday, May 13, at Washington, TBD
*Sunday, May 15, at Florida, TBD

No. 2 Toronto vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay
Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 0
Tampa Bay 5, Toronto 3
Friday, at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m., TBS
Sunday at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m., TBS
Tuesday at Toronto, TBD
*Thursday, May 12, at Tampa Bay, TBD
*Saturday, May 14, at Toronto, TBD

No. 1 Carolina at WC#1 Boston
Carolina 5, Boston 1
Carolina 5, Boston 2
Friday, at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT
Sunday, at Boston, 9:30 a.m., ESPN
*Tuesday at Carolina, TBD
*Thursday, May 12, at Boston, TBD
*Saturday, May 14, at Carolina, TBD

No. 2 New York Rangers vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh 4, New York 3 (3 OT)
Today at New York, 4 p.m., TNT
Saturday at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., TNT
Monday, at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Wednesday at New York, TBD
*Friday, May 13, at Pittsburgh, TBD
*Sunday, May 15, at New York, TBD

*-if necessary

ANGELS

The Angels scored six runs in the 10th inning, including a two-run homer by Taylor Ward and a three-run shot from Jared Walsh, for a 10-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

All of the runs in the 10th came with two outs for the Angels, who had Max Stassi on second to start the inning. Ward drove in Stassi with a homer off Matt Barnes. Then Mike Trout singled and Shohei Ohtani walked, prompting Boston to put in right-hander Hirokazu Sawamura for Barnes.

Anthony Rendon then singled, scoring Trout before Walsh’s homer.

“When the whole stadium’s going crazy, you got to really slow yourself down and live in that moment,” Walsh said. “Just trying to have an extra layer of focus there.”

SPARKS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: In need of a boost after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2011, the Sparks added a key sharp-shooting wing. Derek Fisher, the team’s coach and general manager, moved pieces to get a speedy championship-winning point guard. They added an international star center.

Playing in Australia during the busy free-agency period, Sparks guard Brittney Sykes often woke to news of a new teammate. Seeing the roster take shape, she wondered to herself: “Fish, what are you trying to do?”

When the all-league defender met the players on the rebuilt roster that balanced youth and experience with frontcourt depth and backcourt skill, Fisher’s vision became obvious.

“It’s one of those things that can turn into a dynasty,” Sykes said.

The Sparks, who open the season Friday on the road against the Chicago Sky, will try to execute Fisher’s ambitious plan to get the franchise back into the WNBA limelight. The league is poised for a 36-game season, its longest ever, as the Sparks return full time to Crypto.com Arena.

Here are five story lines to know for the Sparks season.

BOXING/GOLF

From Manouk Akopyan: Canelo Álvarez has gone from selling ice cream on the streets of Guadalajara, Mexico, as a youth to the crème de la crème of boxing.

Álvarez (57-1-2, 39 knockouts) breaks the bank to the tune of nearly $40 million each time he graces a ring. The perennial pound-for-pound king and four-division champion will go down as one of the greatest fighters of his generation.

Álvarez will look to add to his legacy when he faces WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, continuing his lucrative tradition of fighting during the week of Cinco De Mayo.

Álvarez plans on fighting seven more years, and should he beat Bivol, a tantalizing trilogy against nemesis Gennadiy Golovkin awaits during Mexican independence day weekend on Sept. 17.

The day after Álvarez punished and pulverized Caleb Plant in November to further stamp his supremacy, he celebrated the only way he knew how — by heading to Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas to feed his growing obsession with golf.

Álvarez operates by the mantra “No Boxing, No Life,” but once he gives up his gloves, he’ll look for greener pastures with a golf club. His goal is to be good enough to consider pursuing a professional golf career, after picking up the sport in May 2019.

“Golf is competitive, and I am very competitive. That’s why I love it,” Álvarez told The Times in his San Diego gym.

WOMEN IN SPORTS

From Iliana Limón Romero: Billie Jean King, the tennis legend who shared her painful journey to getting an abortion in her memoir “All In,” joined other female athletes calling for the protection of women’s reproductive rights.

A draft of a Supreme Court majority opinion striking down abortion rights codified in the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling was published by Politico Monday night, triggering responses from activists around the country. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. confirmed the authenticity of the document that could still change as justices deliberate, with an official ruling expected to be handed down in two months.

King, a Long Beach native, joined a chorus of athletes who opposed the potential erosion of reproductive protections.

“A woman has had the right to make decisions for her body since #RoeVWade in 1973,” King posted on Twitter. “If Roe falls, millions of Americans would lose access to critical reproductive care. It is vital that we do all we can to protect this legislation.”

Fellow tennis legend Martina Navratilova also vented on Twitter, posting, “Also a worthy reminder — other than [Justice Amy] Coney Barrett, all the men taking away [women’s] rights to choose are well past the age when women could actually get pregnant. So once again — old, mostly white, men are deciding [women’s] fate. I hate the whole lot …”

CLIPPERS

From Andrew Greif: A few days after the Clippers’ season ended last month, Xavier Moon was preparing for a flight home to Alabama. Between gathering his things and the quick turnaround, he didn’t have much time to process the previous nine months.

There would be plenty to unpack later.

During a season when the Clippers’ rotations at times looked like a revolving door because of numerous absences related either to injuries or COVID, Moon became the most familiar of the new faces.

Moon’s first, partial NBA season ended with 10 appearances, 137 minutes, 58 points, a four-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio and a front seat to January’s 25-point comeback against Denver and 24-point comeback in Philadelphia. He grew close with point guard Reggie Jackson, who called Moon a “Clipper for real,” and credited Moon with helping keep him energized during the winter at a time when the Clippers’ depth was at its thinnest.

In an interview with The Times, Moon expressed confidence that he will play in the Las Vegas Summer League in July, though he was unclear whether it would be with the Clippers.

Read the Q&A with Moon here.

NBA PLAYOFFS

Schedule and results
All times Pacific
Conference semifinals
Western Conference

No. 1 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 4 Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix 121, Dallas 114
Phoenix 129, Dallas 109
Friday, at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, at Dallas, 12:30 p.m., ESPN
*Tuesday, at Phoenix, TBD, TBT
*Thursday, May 12, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday, May 15, TBD

No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 3 Golden State Warriors
Golden State 117, Memphis 116
Memphis 106, Golden State 101
Saturday, at Golden State, 5:30 p.m., ABC
Monday, at Golden State, 7 p.m., TNT
Wednesday at Memphis, TBD, TNT
*Friday, May 13, at Golden State, TBD, ESPN
*Monday, May 16, at Memphis, TBD, TNT

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Miami Heat vs. No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers
Miami 106, Philadelphia 92
Miami 119, Philadelphia 103
Friday, at Philadelphia, 4 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, at Philadelphia, 5 p.m., TNT
*Tuesday at Miami, TBD, TNT
*Thursday, May 12, at Philadelphia, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday, May 15, at Miami, TBD

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee 101, Boston 89
Boston 109, Milwaukee 86
Saturday at Milwaukee, 12:30 p.m., ABC
Monday, at Milwaukee, 4:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday at Boston, TBD, TNT
*Friday, May 13, at Milwaukee, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday, May 15, at Boston, TBD

*-if necessary

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1904 — Cy Young of the Red Sox pitches a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics, beating Rube Waddell 3-0.

1934 — Cavalcade wins the Kentucky Derby by more than three lengths over Discovery. It’s his third victory in less than two weeks.

1966 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.

1969 — The Boston Celtics beat the Lakers 107-102 in the seventh game to win the NBA championship for the 10th time in 11 years. Player-coach Bill Russell and Sam Jones retire as players.

1973 — Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, wins the Kentucky Derby with a record time of 1:59.2. Secretariat beats Sham by 2½ lengths and goes on to win the Triple Crown.

1978 — Pete Rose of the Reds becomes the 14th player with 3,000 hits, singling in the fifth inning against Montreal’s Steve Rogers at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium.

1993 — Canisius beats Niagara 11-1 in softball to set an NCAA Division I record with 34 straight wins.

2001 — Monarchos wins the Kentucky Derby carrying Jorge Chavez across the finish line in 1:59 4-5, only two-fifths of a second off the track record set by Secretariat en route to the Triple Crown in 1973. Monarchos finishes a dominating 4¾ lengths over Invisible Ink.

2007 — Street Sense, ridden by Calvin Borel, roars from next-to-last in a 20-horse field to win the Kentucky Derby by 2 1-2 lengths over Hard Spun.

2007 — Floyd Mayweather Jr. beats Oscar De La Hoya in one of the richest fights. Mayweather, with superb defensive skills and superior speed, wins a 12-round split decision and the WBC 154-pound title in his first fight at that weight. The sellout crowd of 16,200 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas sets a record $19 million gate.

2012 — I’ll Have Another catches Bodemeister down the stretch and pulls away in the final furlong to win the Kentucky Derby. Jockey Mario Gutierrez, riding in his first Derby, guides the 3-year-old colt to a 1½-length victory in front of a Derby-record crowd of 165,307.

2013 — LeBron James is the overwhelming choice as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. The Miami star gets 120 of 121 first-place votes in this year’s balloting, giving him the award for the fourth time.

2017 — Corey Perry scores 6:57 into the second overtime after the Ducks rally from a three-goal deficit in the final minutes of regulation, completing a spectacular 4-3 comeback win over the Edmonton Oilers. Rickard Rakell scores the tying goal with 15 seconds left in regulation to cap a stunning sequence of three goals in just over three minutes, all with goalie John Gibson pulled for an extra attacker.

2018 — Justify splashes through the slop to win the Kentucky Derby by 2½ lengths, becoming the first colt in 136 years to wear the roses after not racing as a 2-year-old. The colt that began his racing career in February improves to 4-0 and gives trainer Bob Baffert his fifth Derby victory. Jockey Mike Smith earns his second Derby victory as the 5-2 favorite in the field of 20.

2021 — John Means of the Baltimore Orioles pitches a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners, 6-0 at T-Mobile Park, Seattle.

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

Secretariat wins the Kentucky Derby. Watch and listen here.