LA Angels (17-11) over Oakland A's (17-11) 2-0. While a lot has been said about Brandon Webb, Jake Peavy and Chien-Ming Wang, Joe Saunders (5-0) has been lights out with little fanfare. Saunders pitched an eight-inning shutout giving up four hits and five strikeouts. Francisco Rodriguez notched a league-high 11th save despite walking the lead-off man Mark Ellis and the Big Hurt. Meanwhile for the A's Greg Smith (2-1) pitched a strong complete game......

Dodgers 5, Phillies 4 - Los Angeles recovered from a shellacking to take the series from Philadelphia 2-1. Andre Ethier and Luis Gonzalez both hit jacks and the team got strong support from the bullpen. Russell Martin stole his 17th base, one shy of the team's all time record for a catcher. Could he be a five tool player? Devil Rays 7, Angels 2 - The Angels have lost 11 of their last 17 (including......

According to reports, the Lakers have made contact with Flip Saunders about their coaching vacancy. Assuming Phil Jackson doesn't want to reenact his Kobe Soap Opera, and assuming that Larry Brown is too tied up to leave Detroit, Flip Saunders is about the best the Lakers could do. Saunders is a fine coach, who did an excellent job in Minnesota turning an NBA joke into an NBA title contender. Saunders developed Kevin Garnett, and......

Lamar Odom may not be panicking, but LAist is. After a disastrous three-game road swing that resulted in losses to horrible teams like the Raptors, Knicks, and Celtics, the Lakers now find themselves tied with the Nuggets for the last playoff spot in the West. The fact of the matter is that the Shaq trade has been a total disaster. While we never pretended that it was possible to get equal value for Shaq,......

Rumors are swirling that after this season, the Lakers could hire Larry Brown as their new head coach. Brown's act has already worn thin in Detroit (wow, that was quick), as he still recovers from the emotional shock of his fans' brawl with Indiana and refuses to give Darko Mlicic playing time. LAist would be absolutely thrilled to see Brown coach the Lakers. As Los Angeles basketball fans, we've see what Brown can do.......

How's this for stunning news. ESPN.com's Ric Bucher is reporting that Rudy Tomjanovich will step down as Lakers coach after tonight's game against Portland. According to Bucher, his health and "dissatisfaction with the way the Lakers are playing," contributed to the decision. LAist can be sympathetic to Tomjanovich if his decision is health-related. We can't imagine it's easy to jump back into the rigors of NBA coaching after suffering through bladder cancer. And in......