The Sports Report: Patience pays off for Dodgers

Hello everyone. My name is Houston Mitchell and let’s get right to the news.

Dodgers

Jorge Castillo on the Dodgers’ 11-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday:

“The turning point in the Dodgers’ latest victory -- a dragged-out, 11-7 series finale over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday at PNC Park -- did not rouse the crowd from its muggy haze. It unfolded over a few minutes in the fifth inning, in the least thrilling of ways yet fitting for baseball in 2019: a 12-pitch battle between Max Muncy and Pirates right-hander Chris Archer that finally ended in a leadoff walk.

“By the time Muncy took his base, the Dodgers had another opposing starting pitcher operating on fumes with their merciless methodical approach. Archer’s pitch count was at 90. The meat of the Dodgers’ order was coming for him. The end was near.

“Archer secured three outs but not before the Dodgers (35-18) scored three runs to seize a lead they wouldn’t relinquish and effectively knock him out. He threw 33 pitches in the inning, leaving him with 105, which cut his day short and opened the door for the Dodgers to bludgeon the Pirates’ bullpen en route to a three-game series -- and season series -- sweep. Muncy started the push as the Dodgers overwhelmed the Pirates’ pitching staff again and produced their ninth win in 11 games.

“That at-bat there in the fifth inning changed the game,� Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

“The systematic three-game destruction of a Pittsburgh pitching staff in disarray -- the Pirates, for example, started an opener Friday out of necessity and will call up their top pitching prospect to start the second game of their doubleheader Monday -- concluded with a cumulative score of 28-11. And it sent the Dodgers home with a 6-2 record on their three-city, 11-day trip after applying the finishing touches over three hours and 44 minutes on a steamy afternoon.

“After Muncy worked his 12-pitch walk, Justin Turner delivered the third of his career-high five hits — he also walked to reach base a career-high six times -- and Cody Bellinger walked to load the bases. Matt Beaty, a 26-year-old rookie, smacked a single through the right side for two of his four runs batted in to catapult the Dodgers ahead for good. Corey Seager’s groundout drove in another run.

“I think when a guy grinds through ABs like that, and then ends up winning the outcome, with a walk or a hit or whatever it may be, it’s deflating,� said Turner, whose outburst came after he was given Saturday off to give his aching body a rest. “It opens up the possibility for more mistakes for the guys hitting behind him.�

The Dodgers tacked on six more runs in a 28-minute sixth inning against right-handers Montana DuRapau and Dovydas Neverauskas. Joc Pederson bookended the scoring with his two at-bats in the inning, belting a leadoff home run -- his 15th this season -- and poking a two-out RBI single.

Indianapolis 500

Jim Peltz on Sunday’s big race:

“Before the start of the Indianapolis 500, Simon Pagenaud said that he would “channel� the race’s massive crowd and “use that energy. I’m just focused on the moment.�

“That moment came in stark relief with only a dozen laps left Sunday, when Pagenaud waged a thrilling back-and-forth battle with Alexander Rossi, a Californian trying to win his second Indy 500.

“The two repeatedly swapped the lead at more than 200 mph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway until Pagenaud grabbed the lead for good with a pass in Turn 3 with just over a lap to go.

“It’s a dream come true, a lifetime of trying to achieve this,� Pagenaud said in Victory Lane. “It’s hard to believe right now. It was such an intense race.�

“Pagenaud nipped Rossi by about two car lengths. Takuma Sato, who won the race in 2017, finished right behind them in third, and two of Pagenaud’s teammates, Josef Newgarden and Will Power, were fourth and fifth, respectively.

“The victory capped a comeback of sorts for Pagenaud, a 35-year-old Frenchman who drives for team owner Roger Penske.

“Although he won the NTT IndyCar Series championship in 2016, Pagenaud went into this season after not having won a race in 2018 and there was speculation his job with Penske might be in jeopardy.

“Instead, Pagenaud won this month in an IndyCar race on the curvy road course at the Brickyard, won the pole position for Sunday’s race and then delivered Penske an 18th Indy 500 victory, by far the most of any team owner, on the 50th anniversary of Penske first entering a car at Indy.

“Pagenaud also was the first driver to win the Indy 500 from the pole since Helio Castroneves in 2009, and became the ninth different winner of the race in the last nine years.

“What a job Simon’s done this month,� Penske said. “He won that thing. I just cannot believe it.�

Horse racing

John Cherwa on another sad day at Santa Anita:

“A third horse died in nine days at Santa Anita when Kochees could not be saved by surgery Sunday morning after sustaining an injury Saturday during the sixth race.

“He was vanned off the course, and a splint was applied. He stayed overnight in his stall with the hope his condition could be stabilized. Because the injury to his left front leg was not a compound fracture, surgery was an option. It would have ended his career but saved his life. However, when surgeons discovered the horse had lost blood flow to the leg, the decision was made to euthanize.

Kochees, a 9-year-old gelding, was running in his 49th race, a $10,000 claiming race over 5 1/2 furlongs. He was pulled up by jockey Mario Gutierrez while leaving the far turn and entering the top of the stretch. His career started Jan. 4, 2013, at Santa Anita, and he had won 11 races.

It was the 26th death at Santa Anita in either racing or training since the meeting opened Dec. 26. It was the third horse death for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

NBA playoffs

NBA Finals

All times Pacific

Thursday, Golden State at Toronto, 6 p.m., ABC

Sunday, Golden State at Toronto, 5 p.m., ABC

Wed., June 5, Toronto at Golden State, 6 p.m., ABC

Fri., June 7, Toronto at Golden State, 6 p.m., ABC

*Mon., June 10, Golden State at Toronto, 6 p.m., ABC

*Thur., June 13, Toronto at Golden State, 6 p.m., ABC

*Sun, June 16, Golden State at Toronto, 5 p.m., ABC

*-if necessary

NHL playoffs

Stanley Cup Finals

All times Pacific

Tonight, 5 p.m., St. Louis at Boston, NBC

Wednesday, 5 p.m., St. Louis at Boston, NBC

Sat., June 1, 5 p.m., Boston at St. Louis, NBCSN

Mon., June 3, 5 p.m., Boston at St. Louis, NBC

*Thur., June 6, 5 p.m., St. Louis at Boston, NBC

*Sun., June 9, 5 p.m., Boston at St. Louis, NBC

*Wed. June 12, 5 p.m., St. Louis at Boston, NBC

*-if necessary

Other newsletters

We also have five other newsletters you can subscribe to for free. They are emailed to you and we don’t sell your name to other companies, so no spam from us. They are:

Our Dodgers newsletter, written by me. Subscribe here.

Lakers newsletter, written by Tania Ganguli. Subscribe here.

Horse racing newsletter, written by John Cherwa. Subscribe here.

Boxing/MMA newsletter, written by Lance Pugmire. Subscribe here.

Soccer newsletter, written by Kevin Baxter. Subscribe here.

Odds and ends

Angels’ big seventh inning backs Andrew Heaney’s strong season debut…. Bart Starr, Packers legend who led team to first Super Bowl titles, dies at 85…. Bruins vs. Blues: How Boston and St. Louis match up in the Stanley Cup Final…. Corruption case against USC’s Tony Bland shows what government had — and didn’t…. Roger Federer wins in French Open return; Venus Williams loses…. Twins Will and Sofie Kupiec‘s formula for success = MIT education…. Giannis Antetokounmpo still has much to learn on the path to greatness…. UCLA defeats James Madison to advance to the women’s college world series

Today’s local major sports schedule

(All times Pacific)

New York Mets at Dodgers, 5 p.m., KTLA Ch. 5, SportsNet LA, AM 570

Angels at Oakland, 1 p.m., FSW, KLAA 830

Born on this date

1912: Golfer Sam Snead

1954: NFL player Jackie Slater

1957: Swimmer Bruce Furniss

1965: Tennis player Pat Cash

1968: Baseball player Frank Thomas

1968: Baseball player Jeff Bagwell

1969: Baseball player Todd Hundley

1974: NFL player Danny Wuerffel

Died on this date

1975: Boxer Ezzard Charles, 53

2000: NHL player Maurice “Rocket� Richard, 78

2006: NFL player Craig “Ironhead� Heyward, 39

2011: Basketball player Margo Dydek, 37

And finally

Sam Snead vs. Dean Martin in a celebrity golf challenge. Watch it here.

That concludes the newsletter for today. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, please email us here. If you want to subscribe, click here.