The Sports Report: Clayton Kershaw comes to the rescue again

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

From Mike DiGiovanna: This season has been one long farewell to arms for the Dodgers, who lost Tony Gonsolin to a left-ankle sprain and Ryan Pepiot to a left-oblique strain in March, Dustin May to a serious forearm injury and Julio Urías to a left-hamstring strain in mid-May, and Noah Syndergaard and his unsightly 7.16 ERA to a blister in early June.

The one constant in this cluster of calamities, the only pitcher to not miss a start through a haze of injuries and ineffectiveness, is the 35-year-old left-hander with a balky lower back and an elbow that gave out on him in 2021, causing him to miss three months.

Clayton Kershaw took the Angel Stadium mound Tuesday night with the Dodgers reeling from a lopsided three-game weekend sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants, and the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner did what he has done so often, twirling a gem when his team needed it most.

Kershaw threw seven shutout innings, giving up five hits, striking out five and walking two, and escaped a harrowing second-and-third, no-outs jam in the seventh to lead the Dodgers to a 2-0 victory before a sellout crowd of 44,703 in the opener a two-game Freeway Series.

“It’s hard for me to gain any more respect for Clayton, but given the state of our roster, certainly the starting pitching … right now, he’s the only one standing from opening day,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So for him to not only realize that but accept the responsibility, but not add pressure to himself, it’s a skill. The way he goes about things … he’s just so consistent, and I can’t imagine where we’d be without him right now.”

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COLISEUM MEMORIES

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the L.A. Coliseum, which has hosted two Olympics and countless college and pro football games, along with the Dodgers and a host of other events. In the coming weeks, we will present stories looking at the anniversary, and we want you to take part. Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com and send your favorite Coliseum memory. It can be anything, sporting event, concert, etc. Try to keep it to two-to-three paragraphs and tell why the event was memorable to you. Include your full name and your current city. Selected ones may run in print and online in the coming weeks.

ANGELS

From Sarah Valenzuela: It wasn’t a yes or a no, but more of a matter-of-fact answer.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian was asked Tuesday whether he felt strongly about declaring that two-way star Shohei Ohtani would not be traded this season.

“I think it’s pretty self-explanatory with where we’re at [in the standings],” Minasian said twice.

The Angels entered their game Tuesday against the Dodgers with a 41-33 record, good for second place in the American League West and in position for a wild-card spot.

Ohtani, who began his major league career in 2018, can become a free agent after the season. The Angels have not made the playoffs since 2014. The trade deadline for this season is Aug. 1.

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GOLF

From Sam Farmer: Riviera Country Club has been selected to host the 2031 U.S. Open.

Members of the club were apprised of the decision in an email Tuesday night from Riviera chief executive Megan Watanabe.

“It has been one of my biggest goals to bring back major championships to Riviera since I started working for Riviera, and it truly represents the culmination of a dream that my family has had since acquiring the club in 1989,” wrote Watanabe, who is planning a news release for Wednesday morning.

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LAKERS

From Broderick Turner: When the NBA holds its annual draft on Thursday, the Lakers will perhaps take a peek into what the future has in store for them.

They hold the 17th pick in the draft, a selection they can use to add more young talent or as a trade chip to bring in a quality veteran to assist LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the win-now path this team is on. The Lakers also have a second-round pick at No. 47.

Teams like the Lakers that are drafting in the mid-teens seem to be looking for some version of the same player, according to NBA scouts not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

“I can see the Lakers and teams in the same spot as them looking for the best available player and for players with shooting range,” a Western Conference scout said. “You’re looking for length. You are looking for 3-and-D. That’s the going rate for everybody now, looking for somebody that can guard and somebody that can shoot.”

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From Bill Plaschke: With the 17th pick in the 2023 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select …

That’s right! The Lakers finally have a first-round draft pick they can actually keep!

It’s their first such pick in five years, since the hiccup that was Mo Wagner.

It’s their highest pick in six years, since the scream that was Lonzo Ball.

It’s the pick for the future, the pick for the rebuild, the pick that Lakers fans have been anticipating forever, a pick that would be the centerpiece of the Lakers offseason except for one little thing.

They should trade it.

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CLIPPERS

From Andrew Greif: The Clippers are on the clock.

They have upcoming deadlines to decide whether to guarantee next season’s contracts for guard Eric Gordon, which becomes guaranteed June 28, and two of their picks from the 2021 draft in wing Brandon Boston Jr. (June 30) and guard Jason Preston (July 2).

They have holes at backup center and starting point guard and are interested in filling the latter by re-signing unrestricted free agent Russell Westbrook or making a play for Chris Paul, whether by trade with Washington or as a free agent if his contract is bought out by the Wizards.

In broader terms, with the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, and its onerous restrictions on top-spending teams like the Clippers, taking effect July 1, they have to thread the needle of positioning themselves for a championship run next season without compromising their ability to remain a compelling ticket with title aspirations once the team moves into its new Inglewood arena, Intuit Dome, in 16 months.

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RAMS

From Gary Klein: After purging the roster of numerous veterans who helped win a Super Bowl two years ago, the Rams reached into the past and brought one back Tuesday.

The Rams announced that running back Sony Michel, who played for the Rams in 2021, agreed to terms with the team for which he provided a huge contribution during the Rams’ run to the Super Bowl LVI title.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed but, given the Rams’ financial restraint this offseason, it is almost certainly a one-year, incentive-laden deal.

Michel, 28, joins a running back group that includes Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, rookie Zach Evans and Ronnie Rivers.

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SOCCER

From Kevin Baxter: Apparently it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Because with the conclusion of the CONCACAF Nations League on Sunday in Las Vegas and the kickoff of the Gold Cup coming up Saturday in Chicago, we’re entering a summer of soccer in the U.S. that is far too crowded.

The three-week-long Gold Cup will feature 16 countries playing 31 games in 15 venues. That will end the same week the Leagues Cup, a month-long, 77-match tournament involving the 47 MLS and Liga MX teams, begins. In addition, two dozen European and South American teams will play a series of 34 friendlies across the U.S. in July and early August while in Australia and New Zealand, the Women’s World Cup — with 32 teams and 64 games, the largest ever — will be held. The U.S. is the two-time defending champion.

And that schedule doesn’t include the more than 200 NWSL and MLS regular-season matches that will be played between Saturday and the end of September.

Former U.S. international star Clint Dempsey said he believes less can mean more when it comes to the schedule.

“I would rather see quality over quantity,” said Dempsey, a studio analyst with CBS Sports. “Especially being in the U.S. with the travel schedule, the distance that we have to cover, the time changes and the things you have to deal with. Then you add in all these other competitions, playing on turf and playing in the heat of summer. It’s a lot to ask of players.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1919 — Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wins the women’s U.S. Lawn Tennis Assn. title with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Marion Zinderstein.

1932 — Jack Sharkey scores a 15-round split decision over Max Schmeling to win the world heavyweight title in New York.

1960 — Armin Hary of West Germany becomes the first man to run 100 meters in 10.0 seconds at a meet in Zurich, Switzerland.

1964 — Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches a perfect game against the New York Mets. The no-hitter gives Bunning one in each league and the Phillies’ Gus Triandos becomes the first catcher to handle no-hitters in both leagues.

1965 — Gary Player becomes the third man to win golf’s top four pro titles when he captures the U.S. Open. Player beats Kel Nagle by three strokes in a playoff round. Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan had won the U.S. and British Opens, the Masters and the PGA.

1970 — Britain’s Tony Jacklin becomes the first English golfer in 50 years to win the U.S. Open, beating Dave Hill by five strokes.

1970 — FIFA World Cup Final, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City: Brazil and Pelé become first team and player to win World Cup 3 times, beating Italy, 4-1 in front of 107,412.

1971 — Lee Trevino beats Jack Nicklaus by two strokes in a playoff to win the U.S. Open.

1975 — S. Kaye Bell becomes the first woman to train the winner of a $100,000 stakes race when she sends Mr. Lucky Phoenix to win the Michigan Mile and One-Eighth Handicap at Detroit Racecourse.

1986 — 1985 Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson, signs 3-year contract to play baseball with the Kansas City Royals.

1988 — 42nd NBA Championship: Lakers beat Detroit Pistons, 4 games to 3.

1994 — Lori McNeil upsets five-time champion Steffi Graf 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) in the first round of Wimbledon. Graf becomes the first reigning women’s champion to lose in the first round.

1997 — The New York Liberty beat the Sparks 67-57 in the WNBA’s inaugural game. A crowd of 14,284 attends the game at the Great Western Forum.

2003 — Lennox Lewis retains his heavyweight title when a cut stops Vitali Klitschko after six brawling rounds. All three ringside judges had Klitschko winning 58-56, but ring doctor Paul Wallace orders referee Lou Moret to stop the fight.

2005 — French Open winner Justine Henin-Hardenne loses in the first round at Wimbledon. The Belgian becomes the first Roland Garros women’s champion since 1962 to lose her opening match at Wimbledon when she’s beaten by Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, 7-6 (8), 2-6, 7-5.

2012 — Miami’s LeBron James caps his title bid with 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, Chris Bosh adds 23 points, Dwyane Wade scores 20 points and the Heat finish off the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, winning 121-106.

2015 — Jordan Spieth becomes the sixth player to win the Masters and the U.S. Open after Dustin Johnson three-putts from 12 feet on the final hole at Chambers Bay with a chance to win the championship himself. The 21-year-old Spieth becomes the youngest player to win two majors since Gene Sarazen in 1922 and was the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923.

2018 — Arizona center Deandre Ayton is the first pick of the NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns.

2022 — Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani has career high 8 RBI in 11-inning 12-11 loss to Kansas City Royals.

—Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally...

The Lakers win the 1987-88 NBA title. Watch and listen here.