Meanwhile, in Anaheim, the Angels continue their surge with a 7-2 win over the Houston Astros. It was the Angels’ fifth straight win and moved them four-and-a-half games behind in the race for the final wild-card spot in the AL.
As our Maria Torres wrote here,
“The Angels could have wilted without the presence of their most intimidating hitter in the lineup. But for the second consecutive night playing without Mike Trout as he recovers from a minor calf injury, the Angels rolled to a 7-2 victory over the rival Houston Astros.
“The Angels exacted the bulk of their damage in a first inning that, between the sides, took 37 minutes to complete. David Fletcher led off the Angels’ half poking a double to the warning track in right field; he came back to the plate 20 minutes later to end the inning with a flyball out.
“In between, Astros opener Hector Rondon allowed five Angels to reach without recording an out. Andrelton Simmons bopped a single to right. Shohei Ohtani, whose 2018 rookie of the year campaign was celebrated with a giveaway bobblehead of him swinging, tapped a ball to the left side of the infield that pulled shortstop Alex Bregman toward third base. By the time Bregman rid himself of the ball, Ohtani had crossed the first base bag safely for an infield single that drove in Fletcher.
Rondon hit Kole Calhoun with the bases loaded, then Astros nemesis Albert Pujols knocked a double down the first-base line to clear the bases. Rookie Luis Rengifo followed Pujols’ hit, which increased the veteran’s career RBI total against the Astros to 163, with a ball that skittered past a diving Jake Marisnick to the center-field warning track for an RBI triple and 6-0 lead.
More reading
Albert Pujols an asset on the bases despite lacking speed
Benches clear in Angels-Astros game after Jake Marisnick is hit by a pitch
BOXING
Keith Thurman and Manny Pacquiao are in Las Vegas for their fight on Saturday. Here’s an excerpt from our story:
“Keith Thurman was provocative, often bold. Manny Pacquiao was philosophical, sometimes political.
“Welcome to the beginning of fight week, the so-called Grand Arrival Tuesday for the Pacquiao-Thurman bout Saturday at the MGM Grand. For a lobby full of fans, that meant cheers and maybe an autograph. For the media, it meant body language before the punches. No winners here. Just some pre-fight interpretation
“First Thurman, then Pacquiao met the media after saying hello to the crowd.
“Thurman arrived wearing his heart on his sleeve, or least across his chest. “Game Over,” it said on his black T-shirt. It might be a video game. But Thurman wasn’t playing games Tuesday. For a few hours, it expressed his intent.
“Of course, this is meant for Manny Pacquiao,” Thurman said.
“The unbeaten Thurman wasn’t exactly clear how it would end for Pacquiao, the 40-year-old welterweight who hopes to take Thurman’s 147-pound title and place it alongside all of his other titles, including his current one as a Filipino Senator.
“Keith Thurman is a diverse, complete fighter,” said Thurman, the welterweight who often refers to himself in the third person.
“He is approaching his bout against Pacquiao with confidence and an abundance of energy. He’s anxious, perhaps, to prove he is finally back. He has fought only once since beating Danny Garcia in March 2017. He underwent surgery on his right elbow. He underwent rehab for a bad bruise on his left hand. Inactivity means rust, enough of it to look beatable in scoring a decision over Josesito Lopez on Jan. 26.
“Inactivity wasn’t a blessing,” he said. “It wasn’t a downfall either. But it kept me out of the limelight, too. Right now, I’m living one of the most positive moments of my career.
“All athletes get injured and battle to come back. Baseball, football. It’s part of it. Tiger Woods, look at what happened to him. He was out, he was gone and everybody wondered if he’d come back. He did. But this ain’t golf.”
“No, it’s what Mike Tyson once called “the hurt business.” There’s no clubhouse. Just an emergency room.
“But not to worry, Thurman said. He says this is the year he is back as the healthy, strong fighter fans remember.
“I’m healthy, healthy enough to whip some . . . ,” Thurman said.
“As Pacquiao took his turn, he was told about some of what Thurman said. He was asked about the T-shirt and about what Thurman said it meant. Pacquiao smiled.
“That’s good,” he said. “I like that.”
As our Maria Torres wrote here,
“The Angels could have wilted without the presence of their most intimidating hitter in the lineup. But for the second consecutive night playing without Mike Trout as he recovers from a minor calf injury, the Angels rolled to a 7-2 victory over the rival Houston Astros.
“The Angels exacted the bulk of their damage in a first inning that, between the sides, took 37 minutes to complete. David Fletcher led off the Angels’ half poking a double to the warning track in right field; he came back to the plate 20 minutes later to end the inning with a flyball out.
“In between, Astros opener Hector Rondon allowed five Angels to reach without recording an out. Andrelton Simmons bopped a single to right. Shohei Ohtani, whose 2018 rookie of the year campaign was celebrated with a giveaway bobblehead of him swinging, tapped a ball to the left side of the infield that pulled shortstop Alex Bregman toward third base. By the time Bregman rid himself of the ball, Ohtani had crossed the first base bag safely for an infield single that drove in Fletcher.
Rondon hit Kole Calhoun with the bases loaded, then Astros nemesis Albert Pujols knocked a double down the first-base line to clear the bases. Rookie Luis Rengifo followed Pujols’ hit, which increased the veteran’s career RBI total against the Astros to 163, with a ball that skittered past a diving Jake Marisnick to the center-field warning track for an RBI triple and 6-0 lead.
More reading
Albert Pujols an asset on the bases despite lacking speed
Benches clear in Angels-Astros game after Jake Marisnick is hit by a pitch
BOXING
Keith Thurman and Manny Pacquiao are in Las Vegas for their fight on Saturday. Here’s an excerpt from our story:
“Keith Thurman was provocative, often bold. Manny Pacquiao was philosophical, sometimes political.
“Welcome to the beginning of fight week, the so-called Grand Arrival Tuesday for the Pacquiao-Thurman bout Saturday at the MGM Grand. For a lobby full of fans, that meant cheers and maybe an autograph. For the media, it meant body language before the punches. No winners here. Just some pre-fight interpretation
“First Thurman, then Pacquiao met the media after saying hello to the crowd.
“Thurman arrived wearing his heart on his sleeve, or least across his chest. “Game Over,” it said on his black T-shirt. It might be a video game. But Thurman wasn’t playing games Tuesday. For a few hours, it expressed his intent.
“Of course, this is meant for Manny Pacquiao,” Thurman said.
“The unbeaten Thurman wasn’t exactly clear how it would end for Pacquiao, the 40-year-old welterweight who hopes to take Thurman’s 147-pound title and place it alongside all of his other titles, including his current one as a Filipino Senator.
“Keith Thurman is a diverse, complete fighter,” said Thurman, the welterweight who often refers to himself in the third person.
“He is approaching his bout against Pacquiao with confidence and an abundance of energy. He’s anxious, perhaps, to prove he is finally back. He has fought only once since beating Danny Garcia in March 2017. He underwent surgery on his right elbow. He underwent rehab for a bad bruise on his left hand. Inactivity means rust, enough of it to look beatable in scoring a decision over Josesito Lopez on Jan. 26.
“Inactivity wasn’t a blessing,” he said. “It wasn’t a downfall either. But it kept me out of the limelight, too. Right now, I’m living one of the most positive moments of my career.
“All athletes get injured and battle to come back. Baseball, football. It’s part of it. Tiger Woods, look at what happened to him. He was out, he was gone and everybody wondered if he’d come back. He did. But this ain’t golf.”
“No, it’s what Mike Tyson once called “the hurt business.” There’s no clubhouse. Just an emergency room.
“But not to worry, Thurman said. He says this is the year he is back as the healthy, strong fighter fans remember.
“I’m healthy, healthy enough to whip some . . . ,” Thurman said.
“As Pacquiao took his turn, he was told about some of what Thurman said. He was asked about the T-shirt and about what Thurman said it meant. Pacquiao smiled.
“That’s good,” he said. “I like that.”
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