SportsHubLA

Y E S T E R D A Y…

Dodgers 7, Brewers 2: It looked like more of the same for the Blue, as Milwaukee starter Ben Sheets shut them down through seven. Then the offense came alive courtesy of some unlikely sources: Homers by (cue applause) Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent and the seldom seen Gary Bennett. In back-to-back wins, they have 21 hits and 13 runs. Looks like Joe Torre deserves praise for making the right calls.

White Sox 4, Angels 3: The Angels quickly built a 2-0 lead, but then shelved the offense until late. Not that the pitching stole the show, either. Jon Garland struggled over the course of his six innings, and Francisco Rodriguez, throwing in the rare non-save situation, gave up the go ahead run in the ninth. Manager Mike Scioscia blames injuries and a lack of continuity for the back-to-back losses. At least everyone got to wear some cool, “little a” throwback jerseys from the 70s. That should count for something.

T O D A Y…

Lakers at Jazz (7:30 p.m. PST, ESPN): The games have been tough and physical, but with a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference Semi-Final series, the Lakers can close out the Jazz tonight in Salt Lake City. Not that it’ll be easy, since (as they saw in Games 3 and 4) EnergySolutions Arena isn’t exactly a welcoming place for visitors. One thing LA will need to do is control the free throw disparity that has strongly favored the home team in each game. That, and shore up Kobe’s back as best as possible.

Dodgers at Angels (7:00 p.m., PST, FSNW): Ahhh, the Freeway Series, where past attempts at secession and the culture clash of who lives in the “real LA” are aired out on the baseball diamond. Forget that the Angels are in first place and the Dodgers are streaky. For a weekend at least, it’s about hometown supremacy (or at least the perception of it). Plus, it’s a chance to judge which team got the better Torii/Torre during the offseason.

N E W S W O R T H Y…

• The NCAA is getting a move on with O.J. Mayo
• Trevor Ariza may soon be shedding his street clothes and rejoining the Lakers bench.
• For Angels righty Jose Arredando, who made his Major League debut on Wednesday, it has been a long and sometimes painful learning process. Call ‘em growing pains.
• He doesn’t play often, but it’s nice for Bennett to have his PT pay off.
• Blake DeWitt was out of the Dodger lineup Thursday with back pain, but it doesn’t seem too serious. Of course, Rafael Furcal said it wasn’t that serious, too…
• Utah hasn’t been a particularly friendly place to the Lakers over the years.
• A great breakdown of this weekend’s Angels/Dodgers series courtesy of Rob at 6-4-2.

C O L U M N S…

• The Lakers, Jazz series has turned the basketball court into a violent intersection, says the OC Register’s Marcia C. Smith. With bodies flailing in the front court and hard charges in the back court, Smith paints the picture of a Western Conference matchup that has become less about basketball and more about painful collisions.
• Pitching hasn’t been the strength it was supposed to be for the Dodgers, notes Mark Whicker of the OC Register, and it isn’t sitting well with GM Ned Colletti. With LA “boasting” the second fewest quality starts in all of baseball, who can blame him?
• The transformation of Lamar Odom took another step in Wednesday night’s Game 5 win for the Lakers, as he came up with a huge game on both ends, aggressively working the boards and taking the ball to the rim on a night where Kobe Bryant was hobbled, writes Ramona Shelbourne of the Daily News.
• Bill Dwyre of the Times writes that if the sport is to avoid more controversy in the future and make industry wide and needed changes, horse racing has to become a more centralized entity with a true authority figure at the top.
• SportsHubLA Column of the day: Two guys at the top of their game, whats there for them to not like about each other? Jonathan Abrams talks about how Kobe Bryant and Deron Williams have nothing but the highest regards for each other. What a great article to write, Williams and Bryant were teammates in this summers FIBA tournament, but now the young gun on the block is trying to test his mettle against the grizzled veteran. The Lakers and Jazz are in the heat of a fierce battle that may very well go 7 games, but for these two, its all about the love.

Discuss: