The Sports Report: How the Dodgers failed to land a big name at the trade deadline

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

From Jack Harris: At the start of trade deadline week, Andrew Friedman offered up a promise.

Though the Dodgers were in first place, and held the second-best World Series odds in the majors, according to FanGraphs’ computer models, the club’s president of baseball operations knew a big splash could be in order.

His team needed more right-handed bats. More reliable bullpen pieces. And a more power-packed rotation most of all.

So, eight days before the deadline, Friedman indicated the Dodgers were thinking big.

“To the extent that we can continue to reinforce or add to this nucleus,” he said on July 24, “we’re gonna look to do that and be aggressive as we can.”

That much, the Dodgers were.

They made a push for several players at the top of the trade market, from Lucas Giolito and Nolan Arenado last week, to Justin Verlander and Eduardo Rodriguez in the deadline’s final days.

Even after addressing some of their lesser needs early in the deadline frenzy, they felt a star addition could be within reach.

“[We were able] to really focus on more of the high-end, top end of the market,” Friedman said of the Dodgers’ efforts in the final days before Tuesday’s cutoff. “Having those [early trades] in the bank … we were able to spend our efforts and energy that way.”

In the end, however, each and every one of the Dodgers’ top targets slipped through their fingers.

With the deadline now gone, here is a look back at the Dodgers’ numerous deadline pursuits, and why they ultimately failed to land any of the impact players they targeted over the last week.

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From Mike DiGiovanna: The ball seemed to explode off the bat of Mookie Betts in the second inning Wednesday night, the Dodgers leadoff man crushing his 29th home run of the season so high and far that Oakland left fielder Tony Kemp didn’t even bother to move or turn around as fans scrambled for the souvenir.

It was that kind of the night for the Dodgers, who steamrolled their way to a 10-1 victory before a crowd of 47,711 in Chavez Ravine to maintain their 2 ½-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the National League West, and the Athletics, who seemed helpless in the face of an onslaught that dropped them to a major league-worst 30-79.

Betts’ 436-foot blast was one of four homers hit by the Dodgers, who racked up 13 hits and went five for nine with runners in scoring position.

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Hernández: The Dodgers’ trade deadline whiff is no surprise. They aren’t chasing a championship

Dodgers box score

All MLB box scores

NL WEST STANDINGS

Dodgers, 61-45
San Francisco, 50-49, 2.5 GB
Arizona, 57-52, 5.5 GB
San Diego, 54-55, 8.5 GB
Colorado, 42-66, 20 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

San Francisco, 60-49
Philadelphia, 58-50
Milwaukee, 58-51
Miami, 58-51

Arizona, 57-52, 1 GB
Chicago, 55-53, 2.5 GB
San Diego, 54-55, 4 GB
New York, 50-57, 7 GB

For full standings, go here

ANGELS

Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Matt Olson homered for the MLB-leading Atlanta Braves, who kept up their power barrage with a 12-5 rout of the Angels on Wednesday.

Acuña launched a three-run shot over the center-field wall off Lucas Giolito (6-8) in the third inning, then Riley and Olson went back to back in the fourth to cap a six-run outburst that finished off the Angels’ starter.

Giolito had a far worse outing in his second start for the Angels, who acquired him from the Chicago White Sox in one of several trades designed to boost the team’s playoff hopes. He matched his career high by giving up nine earned runs in 3-2/3 innings.

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Angels box score

All MLB box scores

AL WEST STANDINGS

Texas, 62-46
Houston, 62-47, 0.5 GB
Seattle, 56-52, 6 GB
Angels, 56-53, 6.5 GB
Oakland, 30-79, 32.5 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

Tampa Bay, 66-45
Houston, 62-47
Toronto, 60-49

Boston, 57-51, 2.5 GB
New York, 56-52, 3.5 GB
Seattle, 56-52, 3.5 GB

Angels, 56-53, 4 GB

Cleveland, 53-56, 7 GB

For full standings, go here

RAMS

From Gary Klein: How serious is Cooper Kupp’s hamstring injury?

That’s the big question for the Rams as they try to navigate through their star receiver’s latest setback. Kupp had an MRI exam to determine the extent of the injury, a team official said Wednesday.

Kupp might return soon and be no worse for the wear. But considering he’s one of the Rams’ biggest financial investments, they might be wise to limit his activity — as they are doing with star quarterback Matthew Stafford and star defensive lineman Aaron Donald — before the Sept. 10 opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

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CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: Their latest first-round pick was a receiver, their quarterback just signed an extension worth up to a quarter of a billion dollars, and their most trumpeted offseason addition was their offensive coordinator.

When they possess the ball this season, the Chargers are expected to be something beyond special.

But football is a street that runs in both directions. And during training camp Wednesday, the team’s touted offense hit a dead end — three consecutive times.

“Everyone knows we’re star-studded on that side of the ball,” cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor said. “When they talk about the Chargers, that’s all we ever hear about. As a defense, we gotta make a name for ourselves, as well.”

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UCLA-USC MOVE TO BIG TEN

From Ben Bolch: As their old conference ticks its way toward a shriveled, uncertain future — schools skedaddling seemingly by the day — UCLA and USC have formally commenced the countdown toward a more assured fate.

A clock that was unveiled by UCLA on Wednesday morning as part of a transition website counts the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the school and its cross-town rival officially become members of the Big Ten Conference on Aug. 2, 2024.

“That date is burned in our minds,” said Sandy Barbour, the former Penn State athletic director who is part of USC’s transition team.

The clock represents an opening salvo in the schools’ final year of Pac-12 membership as they try to delicately walk the line between respecting the past and embracing the future. They have already spent more than a year adopting one mantra of John Wooden, the crossover basketball star who played for Purdue in the Big Ten before coaching at UCLA in the conference that would become the Pac-12.

If failing to prepare is preparing to fail, as Wooden liked to say, then UCLA and USC have one less worry. They’ve spent countless hours planning for the unprecedented change that awaits as part of life on one end of the first coast-to-coast conference.

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From J. Brady McCollough: During the last year, USC and UCLA expected they would be the only Pac-12 schools invited to join the Big Ten — that they were the lone West Coast powers selected to elevate the brand of the country’s oldest major college sports conference.

USC and UCLA administrators were led to believe by their peers in the Big Ten that they were special.

And that’s just how USC, in particular, needed this to feel. The Trojans were adamant with the Big Ten that they did not want to be followed to this exciting opportunity by their Pac-12 brethren. They singled out a specific school they found to be most distasteful.

If the Big Ten thought it had to add Stanford or Cal or Washington, USC could probably live with it. But not Oregon. No, no, no. Anybody but the Ducks. That preference, shared by UCLA, was certainly understood, and the L.A. schools assumed it would be honored.

But Wednesday, a year out from what will be the crosstown rivals’ first official day as Big Ten members, a report from Dan Wetzel at Yahoo Sports threw all of that into question. With the Pac-12 possibly taking its dying breaths, the Big Ten is now considering expanding to 18 with Oregon and Washington or to 20 by adding Stanford and Cal, too.

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UCLA FOOTBALL

From Ben Bolch: The first quarterback on the practice field Wednesday morning also happened to be one heavily bidding to take the season’s opening snap.

Wearing black shorts, a blue undershirt and a black harness over his chest that tracked biorhythms, Dante Moore moved his arms rhythmically while standing alone on one corner of the field about 15 minutes before the start of UCLA’s training camp. He pantomimed his throwing motion, taking several purposeful steps forward before flapping a towel with his right hand.

As the intense sun cast shadows into a nearby end zone, Moore sat to stretch his legs. He was soon joined by Ethan Garbers and others who will try to keep Moore from becoming the Bruins’ first true freshman quarterback to start a season opener since Josh Rosen in 2015.

It’s widely considered a two-man race between Moore and Garbers, the redshirt junior who spent the last two seasons as Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s backup. Other candidates include Collin Schlee, a transfer from Kent State, redshirt freshman Justyn Martin and fifth-year senior Chase Griffin.

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WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

From Kevin Baxter in Auckland, New Zealand: Playing under a first-time World Cup coach and starting a lineup featuring a number of first-time World Cup players, the U.S. won its opener in unimpressive fashion, then settled for a draw in a game it could have won to escape group play for an uncertain trip through the knockout stages.

Sound familiar? That first happened in 2015, when the springy legs of defender Meghan Klingenberg may have been the only thing that saved the U.S. from a first-round exit. But once the team hit the round of 16, it caught fire, running the table behind six goals from Carli Lloyd to win the first of two consecutive championships.

And Jill Ellis, who coached the U.S. to those World Cup titles, said it could happen again this summer.

“The reality is, yeah, things haven’t fallen into place at this point,” said Ellis, the only coach to win two women’s World Cup titles. “But there’s still the whole tournament to play for. This is certainly a talented roster. And, you know, it’s never a smooth road to the top of the podium.

“If they can weather the storm, there’s always the opportunity to advance to the final.”

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Wednesday’s Results

Group F
France 6, Panama 3
Jamaica 0, Brazil 0

Group G
Sweden 2, Argentina 0
South Africa 3, Italy 2

Standings

Top two in each group qualify for Round of 16
x-qualified for Round of 16
All times Pacific

Group A
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts
x-Switzerland, 1-2-0, +2, 5
x-Norway, 1-1-1, +5, 4
New Zealand, 1-1-1, 0, 4
Philippines, 1-0-2, -7, 3

July 20
New Zealand 1, Norway 0
Switzerland 2, Philippines 0

July 24
Philippines 1, New Zealand 0

July 25
Switzerland 0, Norway 0

July 30
Norway 6, Philippines 0
Switzerland 0, New Zealand 0

Group B
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts
x-Australia, 2-0-1, +4, 6
x-Nigeria, 1-2-0, +1, 5
Canada, 1-1-1, -3, 4
Ireland, 0-1-2, -2, 1

July 20
Australia 1 Ireland 0
Nigeria 0, Canada 0

July 26
Canada 2, Ireland 1

July 27
Nigeria 3, Australia 2

July 31
Australia 4, Canada 0
Nigeria 0, Ireland 0

Group C
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts
x-Japan, 3-0-0, +11, 9
x-Spain, 2-0-1, +4, 6
Zambia, 1-0-2, -8, 3
Costa Rica, 0-0-3, -7, 0

July 21
Spain 3, Costa Rica 0

July 22
Japan 5, Zambia 0

July 25
Japan 2, Costa Rica 0

July 26
Spain 5, Zambia 0

July 31
Japan 4, Spain 0
Zambia 3, Costa Rica 1

Group D
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts
x-England, 3-0-0, +7, 9
x-Denmark, 2-0-1, +2, 6
China, 1-0-2, -5, 3
Haiti, 0-0-3, -4, 0

July 22
England 1, Haiti 0
Denmark 1, China 0

July 28
England 1, Denmark 0
China 1, Haiti 0

August 1
England 6, China 1
Denmark 2, Haiti 0

Group E
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts
x-Netherlands, 2-1-0, +8, 7
x-USA, 1-2-0, +3, 5
Portugal, 1-1-1, +1, 4
Vietnam, 0-0-3, -12, 0

July 21
U.S. 3, Vietnam 0

July 23
Netherlands 1, Portugal 0

July 26
U.S. 1, Netherlands 1

July 27
Portugal 2, Vietnam 0

August 1
U.S. 0, Portugal 0
Netherlands 6, Vietnam 0

Group F
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts
x-France, 2-1-0, +4, 7
x-Jamaica, 1-2-0, +1, 5
Brazil, 1-1-1, +3, 4
Panama, 0-0-3, -8, 0

July 23
France 0, Jamaica 0

July 24
Brazil 4, Panama 0

July 29
France 2, Brazil 1
Jamaica 1, Panama 0

Aug. 2
France 6, Panama 3
Jamaica 0, Brazil 0

Group G
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts
x-Sweden, 3-0-0, +8, 9
x-South Africa, 1-1-1, 0, 4
Italy, 1-0-2, -5, 3
Argentina, 0-1-2, -3, 1

July 22
Sweden 2, South Africa 1

July 23
Italy 1, Argentina 0

July 27
Argentina 2, South Africa 2

July 29
Sweden 5, Italy 0

Aug. 2
Sweden 2, Argentina 0

South Africa 3, Italy 2

Group H
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts
Colombia, 2-0-0, +3, 6
Germany, 1-0-1, +5, 3
Morocco, 1-0-1, -5, 3
South Korea, 0-0-2, -3, 0

July 24
Germany 6, Morocco 0
Colombia 2, South Korea 0

July 29
Morocco 1, South Korea 0

July 30
Colombia 2, Germany 1

Thursday
Morocco vs. Colombia 3 a.m. FS1, Telemundo
South Korea vs. Germany 3 a.m. Fox, Universo

ROUND OF 16
Friday
Switzerland vs. Spain, 10 p.m., FS1

Saturday
Japan vs. Norway, 1 a.m., FS1
Netherlands vs. South Africa, 7 p.m., Fox

Sunday
Sweden vs. United States, 1 a.m., Fox

Monday
England vs. Nigeria, 12:30 a.m., FS1
Australia vs. Denmark, 3:30 a.m., FS1

Tuesday
1H vs. Jamaica, 1 a.m., FS1
France vs. 2H, 4 a.m., FS1

SPORTS ON TV

Local teams on TV today:
All times Pacific

6:30 p.m. Seattle at Angels, Bally Sports West

7:10 p.m. Oakland at Dodgers, SportsNet LA

The rest of today’s sports on TV listings can be found here.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1936 — American sprinter Jesse Owens wins the 100m (10.3 seconds) in front of Adolf Hitler in a famous race at the Berlin Olympics, first of 4 gold medals at the Games.

1949 — The NBA formed by the merger of the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America.

1990 — The PGA Tour announces it will not hold tournaments at golf clubs that have all-white memberships or show any other signs of discrimination.

1996 — Andre Agassi, the Dream Team and the U.S. women’s 400-meter relay team win Olympic gold medals, while the American men’s 400 relay settles for silver. With Carl Lewis idled by a coach’s decision and Leroy Burrell injured, the men’s 400 team is shocked by Canada — the first time the U.S. lost the event at the Olympics.

2003 — Annika Sorenstam completes a career Grand Slam at the Women’s British Open, beating Se Ri Pak by a stroke in a thrilling head-to-head showdown.

2012 — Michael Phelps rallies to win the 100-meter butterfly for his third gold of the London Games and No. 17 of his career. It’s Phelps’ third consecutive win in the event at the Olympics, and his 21st career medal. Missy Franklin sets a world record in the 200 backstroke for the 17-year-old’s third gold in London.

2013 — Sixteen-year-old Katie Ledecky wraps up a brilliant performance at the world swimming championships with her fourth gold medal and second world record. The youngster turns it on over the final four laps of the 800 freestyle to win in 8 minutes, 13.86 seconds and take down the mark of 8:14.10 set by Britain’s Rebecca Adlington at the 2008 Olympics.

2017 — Brazilian soccer forward Neymar transfers from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record transfer fee of $222M on a 5-year deal.

—Compiled by the Associated Press