The Sports Report: After cuts, Rams have two quarterbacks and no kicker

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

From Sam Farmer: The Rams made their 53-man roster cuts Tuesday and cut bait with guard Logan Bruss, their top selection from last year’s draft.

Bruss, a third-round pick from Wisconsin, missed his entire rookie season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and wasn’t convincing enough this summer for the Rams to keep him on their roster. Coaches moved him from guard to tackle to see if he was better suited on the outside.

“We had an open mind with competition at every single spot, and we felt like the 10 guys that we kept did a good job of earning those spots,� coach Sean McVay said in a Tuesday video call with reporters.

Noting the team fortified its line by trading for Pittsburgh guard Kevin Dotson, McVay said the Rams are hoping to re-sign Bruss to the practice squad, if the player clears waivers by Wednesday afternoon.

The Rams released quarterback Brett Rypien, leaving them with starter Matthew Stafford backed up by rookie Stetson Bennett, a fourth-round pick from Georgia who was inconsistent in preseason games.

The Rams also released Tanner Brown, a rookie kicker from Saugus High in Santa Clarita and Oklahoma State. That left them with no kickers, although that will be rectified before their season opener.

“We will carry a kicker going into Seattle on [Sept. 10],� McVay said wryly.

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DODGERS

From Mike DiGiovanna: The Arizona Diamondbacks had won 12 of 15 games when they arrived in Los Angeles this week, rebounding from a brutal six-week stretch in which they lost 25 of 32 games to gain grip on wild-card spot, and they had their two best pitchers–Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly–lined up for the first two games of a three-game set against the Dodgers.

“They’re gritty, they’re tough, and we’re seeing two of their best guys,� Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the start of the series, “so it should be two close games here, and we’ll see who plays the cleanest baseball to win.�

Sixteen runs and 27 hits–six of them homers–later, it’s clear Roberts may have underestimated baseball’s hottest club.

One night after pounding Gallen, the Dodgers shredded Kelly for seven runs and 12 hits in five innings of a 9-1 victory before a crowd of 42,323 in Chavez Ravine, with David Peralta, Jason Heyward and Chris Taylor leading a 16-hit attack with three hits each and Mookie Betts and Will Smith hitting solo homers.

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El Segundo Little League team gets VIP treatment at Dodger Stadium

Dodgers box score

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NL WEST STANDINGS

Dodgers, 82-49
San Francisco, 69-63, 13.5 GB
Arizona, 69-64, 14 GB
San Diego, 62-71, 21 GB
Colorado, 49-83, 33.5 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

Philadelphia, 74-58
Chicago, 70-62
San Francisco, 69-63

Arizona, 69-64, 0.5 GB
Cincinnati, 68-66, 2 GB
Miami, 66-66, 3 GB

For full standings, go here

ANGELS

From Sarah Valenzuela: The Angels put six players on waivers, signaling that they have shifted their sights to the future rather than trying to continue pushing for a playoff spot.

Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, their biggest trade deadline acquisition, and outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who’s tied for second on the team in home runs, are the biggest names who could catch on with other teams for the final month, along with relievers Reynaldo López, Dominic Leone and Matt Moore and outfielder Randal Grichuk.

Players placed on waivers after the Aug. 1 trade deadline can be claimed by any team, which then would be responsible for their salary for the remainder of the season.

If the Angels get rid of some of these contracts, they would be in a better position to avoid paying a luxury tax. The tax threshold is $233 million. The Angels’ 40-man payroll is about $241 million, per COTs Baseball Contracts. If all six players were claimed, the Angels could save an estimated $7.5 million.

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Luis Rengifo homers twice, but Angels’ skid continues in loss to Phillies

Angels box score

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AL WEST STANDINGS

Seattle, 75-57
Texas, 75-57
Houston, 76-58
Angels, 63-70, 12.5 GB
Oakland, 39-94, 36.5 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

Tampa Bay, 81-52
Seattle, 75-57
Texas, 75-57
Houston, 76-58

Toronto, 72-61, 3.5 GB
Boston, 69-64, 6.5 GB
New York, 64-68, 11 GB
Angels, 63-70, 12.5 GB
Cleveland, 63-70, 12.5 GB

For full standings, go here

CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: The Chargers waived 35 players Tuesday to reach the NFL-mandated 53-man roster limit.

They will begin assembling their practice squad, which can include up to 17 players including international pathway participant CJ Okoye, on Wednesday.

A breakdown of the opening roster after general manager Tom Telesco met with the media late Tuesday afternoon:

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USC FOOTBALL

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Everyone focuses on the speed. Brent Browner watches Zachariah Branch for the opposite.

“When he starts slowing down,� Branch’s head coach at Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman said, “something’s going to happen.�

Combining patience, vision and yes, breakneck speed, Branch opened USC’s season with an electric, two-touchdown performance that had the freshman receiver turning heads and taking ankles.

Branch racked up 232 all-purpose yards, tied for the team lead with four receptions for 58 yards and one touchdown and scored off a 96-yard kickoff return. The Las Vegas native began the special teams highlight by slowing to a near stop while surveying the coverage, then accelerating into a cardinal and gold blur straight up the field. An aggressive cut toward the sideline left one opponent falling to the ground while grasping helplessly at Branch’s ankles. USC rush end Jamil Muhammad, who was blocking on the play, excitedly turned his head around to watch when his opponent realized there was no one who could catch Branch.

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UCLA FOOTBALL

From Ben Bolch: The slippery beast didn’t come with an instruction manual, only trial and terror. Its kid owner quickly developed a routine for getting a hold of the thing.

Carson Steele would start by grabbing the tail and tucking it under his arm. Next, he’d put a hand on the belly to get a firm grip and prevent it from snapping one way or the other.

The worst thing that could happen is to have any piece of flesh you wanted to preserve on either side of its head. That’s just inviting it to spin around and chomp you in an awful instant.

Filtration systems, portable heaters and cellphones have all met that fate. Holding out his hands to reveal some redness around the knuckles, Steele tells a reptilian war story that long preceded his arrival at UCLA as a transfer from Ball State. As a boy, he lost one early battle with the pet alligator that’s now grown to about 5½ feet long back at his Indiana home.

“I don’t even know if my mom and dad know this one,� Steele said with a laugh, “but when I was younger, I was trying to show him to my friends and something happened, one of my friends moved or something and I turned and looked the other way and he got me a little bit. That was the one time.�

Did the alligator draw blood?

“Just a little bit,� Steele said.

What’s a little blood to the ripped running back who might be, pound for pound, UCLA’s strongest player?

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College football roundtable: Will USC or UCLA win the Pac-12 title?

UCLA SOCCER

From Kevin Baxter: The fall quarter at UCLA doesn’t begin until mid-September but that doesn’t mean there’s no studying going on. For weeks, players on the women’s soccer team have been walking around campus toting huge white binders with the letters UCLA in blue-and-gold script on the front.

What’s inside is required reading.

And though the idea for the book came from Margueritte Aozasa, the second-year coach has done more to change the culture at UCLA than just issuing homework assignments.

“Our new coaching staff, they have really transformed this program,� senior forward Reilyn Turner said. “They implemented a lot of team-bonding things that we didn’t do previously. They really value personal relationships. That has brought us to where we are now.�

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SPARKS

Nneka Ogwumike scored 18 points with 11 rebounds and two assists to move into 15th all-time in WNBA scoring but the Sparks fell to the Chicago Sky 76-75 at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.

The Sparks, who trailed by 10 points early in the fourth quarter and nine with 4:25 left, still hold the final playoff spot, half a game ahead of the ninth-place Sky.

The Sparks raced out to an early 28-21 lead with back-to-back three-pointers from Karlie Samuelson and Jordin Canada in the first quarter. Canada logged had 16 points and nine assists in the game, and four steals in the first half, setting a new Sparks franchise record for most steals in one season at 74.

Six points from Elizabeth Williams and Marina Mabrey apiece tied the score 43-43 in the second quarter despite Azurá Stevens sinking five of her nine points and Jasmine Thomas adding a three-pointer.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1887 — Seven U.S. men’s national tennis championships and Richard Sears captures his seventh title. Sears beats Henry Slocum, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 at the Newport Casino in Newport, R.I. Sears retires with an 18-match unbeaten streak over the 1881-1887 championships.

1905 — Ty Cobb makes his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers doubling off Jack Chesbro in a Tigers 5-3 win over the NY Highlanders.

1927 — Helen Wills wins her fourth U.S. women’s tennis singles title, defeating 16-year-old Betty Nuthall of Britain, 6-1, 6-4.

1937 — Joe Louis wins a 15-round unanimous decision over Tommy Farr at Yankee Stadium in the first defense of his heavyweight title.

1979 — Kathy Horvath, five days past her 14th birthday, loses a first round match to Diane Fromholtz, 7-6, 6-2, to become the youngest person to play a match at the U.S. Open. Later in the day, John McEnroe defeats Ilie Nastase, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, in a match that features Nastase being defaulted by chair umpire Frank Hammond. An 18-minute free-for-all ensues in which fans become uncontrollable and Nastase is reinstated by tournament referee Mike Blanchard. Blanchard replaces Hammond in the chair for the remainder of the match.

1981 — Bill Shoemaker becomes the first jockey to win a $1 million race when he rode John Henry to a nose victory over The Bart in the inaugural Arlington Million at Arlington Park.

1987 — Ben Johnson of Canada sets the world record in the 100 meters bettering Calvin Smith’s 4-year-old mark of 9.93 by 0.10 seconds in the World Track and Field Championships in Rome. Johnson later lost the record because of steroid use.

1991 — Mike Powell smashes Bob Beamon’s world long jump record with a leap of 29 feet, 4½ inches, two inches beyond the record, in the World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo. The leap also ends Carl Lewis’ 10-year, 65-meet winning streak.

2001 — Ashley Martin becomes the first woman to play in a Division I football game, kicking three extra points without a miss to help I-AA Jacksonville State hand Cumberland its 18th straight loss, 71-10.

2005 — Andy Roddick has a shocking first-round exit from the U.S. Open against Gilles Muller, a player making his debut in the tournament. Roddick, the champion two years earlier and the No. 4 seed this year, falls 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (1) on his 23rd birthday to the first man from Luxembourg to compete in the Open.

2006 — Curt Schilling becomes the 14th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,000 strikeouts when he fans Oakland’s Nick Swisher in the first inning of the Red Sox’s 7-2 loss to Oakland.

2015 — Scott Dixon captures a fourth IndyCar championship by winning the season finale to snatch away the title from Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya led the points from the season-opening race right until the final lap. But he finishes the race in sixth, which allows Dixon to tie him in the standings. Dixon is awarded the title based on wins (3-2).

—Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally...

Mike Powell sets the long jump record. Watch and listen here.