Utah Jazz over LA Lakers 123-115 (OT). With Kobe Bryant visibly affected by a strained back, the Lakers managed to tie the game at the end of regulation after being down by 12 with four minutes to go. But come overtime, the Lakers could not ride that momentum. The Jazz in a complete role reversal got to the line 45 times as opposed to 25 by the Lakers. The series is now tied 2-2......

Dodgers defeats Giants 5-0. A 5-0 win to usher in the 50th anniversary in Los Angeles. The Dodgers looked like World Series contenders against a Giant's team many expect to lose more than 100 games. Jeff Kent hit his 18th opening day RBI with a two-run homer in the first inning, the most among active players. Brad Penny pitched 6 2/3 innings of shut out ball in which he admits he was subpar while......

Former Senate Majority Leader (and current Boston Red Sox director) George Mitchell just announced the results of his 20-month, $20 million investigation into allegations of widespread steroid usage in baseball. The long-awaited, 409-page Mitchell Report (document here) identifies more than 80 current and former players as being linked to using performance-enhancing drugs. While the report casts blame on the lack of institutional control within baseball as much as the players themselves that cheated, what......

Kings 4, Wild 3 (SO) - The Kings took down previously undefeated Minnesota, which is a surprising sign of a pulse. It did take them an extra period and a shoot-out to get their first win since upsetting Anaheim six games ago in the season opener. Jean-Sebastien Aubin made 28 saves in his first start for Los Angeles. We're not convinced Southern California is big enough for two NHL goalies named Jean-Sebastien. Kobe Watch -......

We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We're not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness - we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week. After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Bostonist did a little research and found that Massachusetts......

Dodgers 10, Reds 5 - All nine Dodger starters had at least one hit or run scored, giving the team moms something to be proud of. Cincinnati's Ken Griffey, Jr. didn't disappoint, either, going deep on Mother's Day for the sixth time in his career. Ducks 4, Red Wings 3, OT - The Ducks evened the Western Conference Finals against Detroit at a game each and claimed home ice advantage heading into the next two......

Tigers 9, Angels 5 - Mike Maroth threw 105 pitches over just 4 and 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits, five walks, and three runs (two earned). He left the game with the bases loaded. Yet the only reason he didn't earn the win is that he didn't pitch the minimum five innings required of starters. Despite his ugly stats, Detroit still won thanks to a barrage of seven runs in the first two innings.......

Bid adieu to Éric Serge Gagné, the most dominant closer that the Dodgers ever saw. Who could ever forget the 2003 season where Gagne and those thick glasses and goofy goatee got a save every time he was put in a save situation? 55 saves in 55 attempts. His record-breaking run of 84 consecutive saves from 8/26/02 thru 7/5/04 is truly remarkable. Anyone is expected to have an off night from time to time.......

A year after ending up 20 games under .500, the Dodgers have clinched a playoff spot after their sixth straight win. The champagne couldn't have tasted any better because the decisive game was against their longtime rivals, the San Fran Giants up in Frisco, thanks to the 40 year old arm of Greg Maddux (pictured, left), who also stole a base in the 4-2 win. "If you're going to cinch it, you want to......

The NL MVP should be unanimous this season: Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Colletti. If you look back to when he was hired, there was a huge mess in L.A. that needed cleaning up. Within 58 days, Colletti hired a new coaching staff and manager, made three trades and acquired seven free agents. But more than anything, Colletti helped restore the confidence the Dodgers lacked in 2005. - Rick Sutcliff, ESPN - "The Dodgers......

The Dodgers weren't exactly limping going into Angel Stadium; after all, getting swept on the road isn't the most noteworthy stumble, and besides, they'd swept the lowly Pirates and salvaged the last game of the Seattle series just before that. Despite losing the division lead to San Diego, it wasn't like they were hopelessly out of first; even the division-trailing Diamondbacks were only four and a half games out, and nobody had really made......

It has been a very busy week and although the weather has been pretty crappy, the play of the local teams have not. First and foremost with the MLB season opening, the Dodgers were picked anywhere from first to third in the division by various sports writers. LAist has always maintained that if the team, how ever hodge-podged it may seem, remains healthy they will contend. Well, we know how that went dont we?......

The last thing the Dodgers needed was another catastrophic injury. With Eric Gagne's elbow, Milton Bradley's finger and knee, JD Drew's wrist, and Odalis Perez's back, what more could go wrong? That question was answered yesterday when it was reported that shortstop Cesar Izturis will undergo Tommy John surgery in his right elbow, and is likely out until July 2006. This is a rather stunning development because usually pitchers are the only ones to......

Don't look now, but the Dodgers are actually playing better these days. After a 7-4 win over the Braves, the Dodgers wound up taking two of three from the NL East leaders, and have won five of their last seven. The Azul are now just four games behind the Padres in the weak NL West. What's impressive is the way the Dodgers have won some of their games. In the past week it's been......

After a near no-hitter from Derek Lowe last night, the Dodgers suddenly find themselves just five games back of the Padres. Last week, we said the Dodgers should be sellers before the trade deadline. But we might have to take a mulligan. With five days before the trade deadline, giving up with just a five-game deficit would probably wreck the psyche of a franchise already walking a public relations tightrope. The public and the......

Every week, it seems like a new problem costs the Dodgers wins. First it was starting pitching, then the hitting, then the fielding, then the hitting again, injuries all the way through, and now it's relief pitcher Yhencey Brazoban who blew yet another game last night. As the trade deadline rapidly approaches, the Dodgers find themselves 8.5 games behind the Padres in the NL West with a pathetic 41-52 record. Paul DePodesta now has......

There was one bit of silver lining this week for the Dodgers, in the wake of their disappointing play. After we freaked out last week, and thought Eric Gagne's career might be over, there was good news on the Dr. Frank Jobe surgery front. It turns out Gagne didn't need Tommy John surgery after all, and his elbow pain was due to an irritated nerve. Gagne will still miss the rest of the season,......

It has been an absolutely disastrous week for the Dodgers. While every team gets injuries, the DePodesta haters have plenty of ammunition to fire now that the Azul have lost eight straight games. Just a few weeks ago, were saying that Dodgers main problem rest in a rotation wrecked by injuries, and some ineffectiveness. But suddenly, the pitching has come around, and the Dodger bats have just died. The Dodgers have seen seven quality......

Just when things were getting good, the Dodgers have had a devastating week. Aside from being swept by the lowly Kansas City Royals, Eric Gagne has been placed on the DL and might have a career threatening injury. Depending on the extent of the tear in Gagne's elbow, which won't be known for at least another week, Gagne might need to have Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. We're hoping......

We've kind of danced around it in the past couple of weeks, but now we're outright concerned about the recent performance of the Dodgers. After losing 5-2 to the Braves yesterday, the Dodgers have lost first place in the NL West and now sit behind both the Diamondbacks and Padres. It's disconcerting that the Dodgers were outclassed this week by both the Cardinals and Braves, arguably the NL's two best teams. "The competition has......

Brady Penny made his first start of the season yesterday, and while he wasn't exactly Christy Matthewson, he wasn't bad either. Pitching on a cold day in Pitcher's Hell Park, Colorado, Penny showed first inning rust by surrendering up a 2-run home run. But he settled down and wound up allowing four runs in five innings. Penny's fastball was down just a little, but what can you expect from a guy make his first......

LAist felt the Dodgers would be good this season. But now we're really impressed. With an 8-6 come-from-behind win over Milwaukee, the Dodgers now are a Major League-best 11-2! Now, LAist knows not to make too much of a great early season start. But consider that the Dodgers have managed to play fantastic baseball without Eric Gagne, Brad Penny, or Wilson Alvarez yet. To all of those Dodger doubters, who think using new innovations......

The Dodgers made what might have been their best move of the offseason, by avoiding salary arbitration with Eric Gagne. In an otherwise hectic offseason, it's reassuring to know that Gagne and his ugly goatee will grace the Chavez Ravine mound for at least two more seasons. Paul DePodesta hates salary arbitration, and even though the Dodgers have an arbitration-dynamo in Kim Ng, some things are better left avoided. The last thing LA needed......

Since the Dodgers controversial trades three weeks ago, their only problem has been what was arguably the best bullpen in baseball. We've discussed the Dreifort/setup role extensively, but after last last night's 6-5 loss to the Braves we are suddenly worried about the "invincible" Eric Gagne. It is absolutely inconceivable that Eric Gagne could lose two straight games, and three games in the span of a week. And the Dodgers division lead has dwindled......

LAist has been in a bit of a quandary of late. Should we write about the Dodgers as if they are postseason bound or as if they are in a pennant race? Well, we're getting closer to the former each day, as the Dodgers looked like a playoff team in rallying from behind and beating the Cubs 8-5 yesterday. Without Brad Penny, and with all the other adversity LA has faced this season, the......

The hounds will be out for blood in tomorrow's paper after Darren Dreifort blew a second game in the eighth inning since the Dodgers gave up Guillermo Mota. Dreifort had a 5-3 lead going into the eighth, before the Reds came back to win 6-5. At LAist, we acknowledged that the riskiest part of Paul DePodesta's deadline deals was giving up Mota. But let's hope Jim Tracy and the Dodgers realize one thing: Darren......

Oh, so that's why. Those questioning Paul DePodesta's extreme makeover of the Dodgers should realize they failed to account for the "good pitcher" element in their chemistry sets. Brad Penny was phenomenal in his Dodger debut, pitching eight shutout innings, and giving up just two singles in the Azul's 3-2 victory over the Pirates. Ironically, Eric Gagne gave up two runs, but he got the save anyways. Penny proved that no matter what the......

The media whines as Paul DePodesta makes his first bold moves as GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers traded away fan favorite Paul Lo Duca, superlative set-up man Guillermo Mota, and, in an addition-by-subtraction, the contract of OF Juan Encarnacion. Let's have an LAist moment of silence for Lo Duca. ... In return, L.A. gets First Baseman Hee Seop Choi and Pitcher Brad Penny, two young and promising impact players. DePo also picked......

We don't like to write about New York often, but this caught our attention. Earlier this month on LAist, some of our New York readers got into a pretty heated debate about which closer was better, Mariano Rivera or Eric Gagne. Well, on Saturday, Rivera proved he was human, ending his 23-game save streak (23 -- not quite 84) after giving up a walk-off 2-run homer to Boston's Bill Mueller. The blown save was......

All good things must come to an end, and last night Eric Gagne's save streak was among them. Fortunately, the Dodgers still won 6-5 in 10 innings. So now, we are pressed to measure the greatness of Gagne's 84-save streak. LAist believes that it's not quite as great as Joe DiMaggio's hit streak, but it's up there. Not only did Gagne avoid a blown save for nearly two full seasons - he was completely......