Quick Hitters
Ohtani hits pinch-hit homer to lift Angels over Dodgers
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani’s pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning sent Andrew Heaney and the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
Heaney allowed only three hits and tied a career high with 10 strikeouts in seven innings to help the Angels take two of three at home in the Freeway Series. He gave up a three-run homer to Yasiel Puig, who later left with an oblique injury.
Ohtani drove his first career pinch-hit homer a projected 443 feet to center field, breaking a 3-all tie. It also was the Angels’ first pinch-hit home run of the season.
The two-way rookie star from Japan, unavailable to pitch because of an elbow injury, fouled a ball off his knee one day earlier and experienced soreness. He was not in the starting lineup and it was unclear if he would be able to come off the bench. But he did, and Ohtani hit a 2-2 pitch from reliever JT Chargois (2-2) for his seventh home run of the season.
Albert Pujols also went deep for the Angels, tying the score at 3 in the sixth. Justin Upton had a two-run single.
Puig homered in the second after Heaney (5-6) walked two batters in the inning. The left-hander was dominant after that.
Justin Anderson allowed a single in the ninth but got Cody Bellinger to ground into a game-ending double play for his fourth save.
Puig exited during an at-bat in the fifth with a strained right oblique. He grimaced in pain and hunched over after taking a swing.
In the third inning, the Dodgers elected to intentionally walk Mike Trout to load the bases with two outs. Upton, who had struggled with runners in scoring position, hit a two-run single to center to pull the Angels to 3-2.
Pujols tied the game with a solo home run, his 13th of the season, in the sixth.
Trout has been walked intentionally 16 times this season, which is the ninth-most before the All-Star break in American League history. John Olerud had the most in the AL with 22 in 1993.
Former NFL cornerback arrested in California
LOS ANGELES — A former NFL cornerback has been arrested after police say he broke into the Southern California house of an ex-girlfriend who has a restraining order against him.
Police say Brandon Browner broke into the house, threatened to kill the woman and stole a Rolex watch valued at about $20,000.
The 33-year-old was arrested Sunday in La Verne, which is about 30 miles east of Los Angeles.
Browner is from nearby Pomona and played football for Oregon State before signing with the Seattle Seahawks in 2011. He later played for the New England Patriots when they won the Super Bowl.
Browner was previously arrested for domestic violence.
Frank Ramsey, former NBA champion, dies at 86
MADISONVILLE, Ky. — Frank Ramsey, an All-American at Kentucky and member of seven NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday. He was 86.
Ramsey’s death was announced by Kentucky, where he was a part of the Wildcats’ 1951 national championship team and a threetime All-American. The school said he died of natural causes.
The 6-foot-3 guard was selected by the Celtics in the first round of the 1953 NBA draft and began his professional career one year later. He averaged double figures in eight of his nine seasons and 13.4 points per game for his career. His No. 23 jersey is retired by Boston.
PHOENIX — Batting for the eighth time in the game — and facing a catcher he later called the best position player he’s ever seen pitch — Wil Myers got something he liked and hammered it.
Myers homered for the fourth time in two days, connecting in the 16th inning off Arizona Diamondbacks backstop Jeff Mathis to send the San Diego Padres to a 4-3 victory Sunday.
Myers, who hit three home runs Saturday, clubbed a 3-2 pitch from Mathis (0-1) over the rightfield fence with two outs. Mathis was making his first pitching appearance since 2012 and the third of his career. He moved to the mound after catching 15 innings.
“After the first couple of pitches I was like, I have to lock it in right here because this guy is actually pitching,” Myers said. “What is funny about baseball is my first five at-bats I was 0 for 5 and felt as good as I did (Saturday).”
Mathis threw fastballs and changeups. When the Diamondbacks ran out of relievers and available starters, he was chosen because of his familiarity with the distance between the pitching rubber and home plate.
“I’d have liked to get the third out right there,” Mathis said. “Just didn’t get the ball down. Honestly, I was just worried about trying to get it over the plate.”
The game was the longest of the season for Arizona in terms of innings, and tied for the second-longest in club history.
The Diamondbacks used two starting pitchers out of necessity. Zack Greinke began the game and Zack Godley entered in extra innings.
Manuel Margot had a career-high five hits for the Padres and added a stolen base. All-Star closer Brad Hand (2-4) worked two innings for the win in a game that lasted 5 hours, 31 minutes.
Hand overcame a leadoff double in the 16th. The Padres won despite striking out 20 times and leaving 15 runners on base.
“It is a war of attrition out there, and we had a little bit more arm out there than they did,” manager Andy Green said.
In his 400th career start — only three other active pitchers have reached that milestone — Greinke lasted just 4 1/3 innings, the shortest outing of the season for the Diamondbacks ace.
Greinke allowed two runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts. But he did contribute on offense.
After failing to execute a third-inning sacrifice that turned into a fielder’s choice, he went to second on a hit-by-pitch and stole third base, taking over the major league lead for steals by a pitcher with his third of the season.
Greinke’s three stolen bases is a season record for a Diamondbacks pitcher.
Austin Hedges singled in the fourth to tie the game at 2 after Greinke got the first two outs.
The Diamondbacks regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Mathis doubled in Ketel Marte with one out.
Padres starter Clayton Richard struggled through five innings, allowing three runs and five hits. He walked four, twice hit Jon Jay with a pitch, and also threw a wild pitch.
Richard escaped jams in