The Sports Report: Rams win, Chargers lose

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

From Gary Klein: In the immediate aftermath, the Rams did not struggle to find accurately descriptive words.

They knew their 20-12 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium lacked panache. Highlight-reel plays were far from aplenty.

It amounted to a dull — though victorious — display in the desert.

Not that the Rams were complaining. Not after winning the NFC West opener and improving their record to 2-1.

“A strange game,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford concurred.

“Definitely a weird flow to it,” he said.

No argument from safety Nick Scott.

“A little weird per se,” Scott said.

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Rams’ offense still disturbingly hot and cold in lukewarm win over Cardinals

CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: Beforehand, the questions were about whether Justin Herbert would start the game.

Afterward, the questions were about why Justin Herbert finished it.

That’s how comprehensive of a collapse the Chargers had Sunday in losing 38-10 to Jacksonville at SoFi Stadium.

From opening kickoff to final gun, their performance was sorely lacking as Herbert struggled to play through fractured rib cartilage and the defense wilted under the weight of a 17-minute time-of-possession deficit.

Then, afterward, matters didn’t improve much as Brandon Staley attempted to explain why Herbert remained in the game even as the Chargers fell four touchdowns behind in the final five minutes.

“He felt good, and he wanted to finish the game,” Staley said. “... We were going to protect him there at the end … as best we could. But it was more about him wanting to finish the game with his guys.”

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Column: Chargers were dumb not to sit injured Justin Herbert in blowout loss to Jaguars

Photos | Jaguars push around Chargers in dominant victory

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DODGERS

From Jack Harris: It’s still unclear what the Dodgers roster will look like in October, and which pitchers they’ll be able to rely upon.

But what they now know for sure, after a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, is that they will possess the National League’s top seed after a regular season that’s on the verge of being the best in franchise history.

By winning a weekend-series rubber match over the Cardinals, the Dodgers matched the club’s wins record, as well as clinched the best record in NL, by improving to 106-47.

They became the first team in MLB history to win 106 games in three consecutive full-length seasons, having also reached that mark in 2019 and 2021 (the 2020 season was shortened to 60 games because of the pandemic).

And they still have nine more games to establish a new high mark for wins in franchise history.

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Hernández: Dave Roberts still backs his World Series guarantee despite Dodgers pitching woes

Albert Pujols’ 700th home run carried a special significance for Latinos

USC FOOTBALL

From Bill Plaschke: The cry arose from the delighted Oregon State crowd midway through the first half, thousands of orange shirts bursting with swagger at a USC team that was falling flat on its face.

“Over-rated … over-rated …”

Nope.

Not yet, anyway. Not on this night. Not with this coach. Not with this culture.

Within two minutes of blowing another monumental game at cursed Reser Stadium on Saturday night, something breathtaking happened with what is appearing to be a pretty darn breathtaking Trojans team.

They were terrible, terrible, terrible … then brilliantly terrific.

Caleb Williams was terrible, terrible, terrible … then beautifully tenacious.

The defense was terrible, terrible, terrible … then smartly surly.

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Caleb Williams to Jordan Addison TD saves USC vs. Oregon State: ‘It feels damn good’

College football review: Lincoln Riley nearly lost, but few could watch the USC drama

AP top 25: Tennessee, North Carolina State join top 10; USC moves up

ANGEL CITY

From Kevin Baxter: Angel City FC started Sunday with its playoff fate in its hands. By the end of the day, that had slipped through its fingers and now the team needs help if its first NWSL season is to extend beyond next weekend.

What happened in between was a 3-1 loss to Racing Louisville that flipped Angel City from hopeful to desperate with one game left in the regular season.

“It’s in the past. We can’t do anything about it,” said midfielder Savannah McCaskill, who scored Angel City’s only goal. “Obviously, we would have loved to come out of this game tonight with the win and still in control. But we still have a job to do.”

That job is beating the Chicago Red Stars next Sunday — and cheering archrival San Diego to a win over North Carolina on Friday.

ANGELS

Mike Trout had three hits, including his 37th homer of the season, and the Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 10-3 on Sunday.

Trout also doubled twice, walked and scored three runs. Shohei Ohtani had two hits, including an RBI single in the ninth that keyed a five-run rally that broke open the game.

“I’m just trying to finish strong. We have nine games left and just trying to finish strong,” said Trout, who missed more than a month because of injury but still has a shot at hitting 40 home runs for the third time in his career.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1942 — Jockey Club stewards revoke Eddie Arcaro’s license for one year after his display of “rough riding” aboard odds-on favorite Occupation in the Cowdin Stakes on Sept. 19, in which he attempted to injure a fellow rider during the race.

1961 — New York Yankee Roger Maris ties Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old record with his 60th homer, off Jack Fisher of Baltimore.

1981 — Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros becomes the first player to pitch five no-hitters. This one is a 5-0 victory over the Dodgers at the Astrodome.

1981 — Kelvin Bryant of North Carolina rushes for 173 yards and scores four touchdowns in a 56-14 victory over Boston College, giving him 15 touchdowns over the last three games, an NCAA record.

1983 — Australia II wins America’s Cup yacht race to end the longest winning streak in sporting history. Australia II, skippered by John Bertrand, wins the title in the seventh and final race. Australia II crosses the finish line with a winning margin of 41 seconds over Liberty, which is skippered by Dennis Conner. The U.S. had successfully defended the cup over a period of 132 years, since the schooner America won it in a fleet race around England’s Isle of Wight in 1851.

1992 — Rocky Mountain’s Steve Thompson rushes for 405 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-36 overtime victory over Carroll College. The rushing total is the second highest in NAIA history.

1998 — Prairie View A&M ends its NCAA-record 80-game losing streak by stopping a 2-point conversion in the final minute for a 14-12 victory over Langston. The victory is the Panthers’ first since Oct. 28, 1989, when they defeated Mississippi Valley 21-12.

2000 — At the Sydney Olympics, the U.S. softball team completes a stunning comeback by edging Japan 2-1 in extra innings to win its second straight gold medal.

2004 — Peyton Manning of Indianapolis passes for 393 yards and five first-half touchdowns in a 45-31 win over Green Bay. Manning has the most TD throws in one half since Tommy Kramer in 1986, and the most yards in a quarter, 247, since Boomer Esiason in 1996.

2004 — San Francisco’s 34-0 loss at Seattle ends a 420-game streak of not being blanked for the 49ers, an NFL record.

2010 — Christine Sinclair has two goals and Marta adds a goal and two assists as the FC Gold Pride beat the Philadelphia Independence 4-0 to win the Women’s Professional Soccer championship.

2010 — Seattle’s Leon Washington returns two kickoffs — 101 and 99 yards — for touchdowns in the Seahawks’ 27-20 win over San Diego.

2015 — Aaron Green catches a tipped pass in the back of the end zone with 23 seconds left and No. 3 TCU outlasts Texas Tech 55-52 in the Big 12 opener for both teams. On fourth-and-goal from the 4, Trevor Boykin throws four touchdown passes and finishes with a career-high 509 yards for TCU.

2015 — Sebastian Giovinco breaks the MLS single-season points record, assisting on two goals in Toronto FC’s 3-2 victory over the Chicago Fire to push his total to 35.

2017 — Sylvia Fowles grabs a WNBA Finals-record 17 rebounds and scores 13 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 70-68 victory over the Sparks in Game 2, evening the series at one game apiece.

2021 — United States regains the Ryder Cup beating Team Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisc.

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

Nolan Ryan pitches his record fifth no-hitter. Watch and listen here.