Here is the latest California sports news from The Associated Press
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Mike Trout thinks the Houston Astros should pay more dearly for their cheating ways. The Los Angeles Angels’ three-time AL MVP ripped the Astros and questioned the discipline handed out by Major League Baseball after he reported to spring training. Trout didn’t make a suggestion for what the Astros players’ punishment should have been, but the scandal obviously touched a nerve in the Halos’ brilliant center fielder, who has spent his entire career playing against Houston in the AL West. Anthony Rendon was more circumpect about his hometown team when he reported to the Angels for the first time, but the $245 million third baseman says he always thought the Astros’ success was suspicious.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno acknowledges he scrapped the proposed trade that would have landed Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling from the Dodgers. Moreno says the Angels have moved on from the scuttled trade that would have sent infielder Luis Rengifo and a prospect to the Dodgers for Pederson and Stripling earlier in the month. Both veterans likely would have played immediately for the Angels, but Moreno called off the talks around the deal while the Dodgers’ blockbuster deal with Boston was delayed for several days. Moreno also says the Angels can make an even bigger trade for an elite starting pitcher if they get a chance this season.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s reference to the World Series trophy as a “piece of metal” has angered players around the majors. Washington Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle says Manfred sounded “really out of touch.” Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers says that what is truly devaluing what is known as The Commissioner’s Trophy is that the word “commissioner” is on there. San Francisco’s Evan Longoria points out that the trophy itself symbolizes more than the actual hardware, saying that it is representative of the sacrifices players make to try to win a championship.
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Andrew Mangiapane had three goals and an assist, and the Calgary Flames rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist for Calgary, which trailed 3-1 early in the third period. Sam Bennett and Sean Monahan also scored. Adam Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg, Nicolas Deslauriers and Devin Shore scored for Anaheim. Ryan Miller made 37 saves.
CHICAGO (AP) — And now, they rest. Until Thursday, anyway. That’s when the NBA resumes for a frantic eight-week sprint to the finish of the regular season. Teams have from anywhere between 25 and 29 games left to play before the 16-team field for the playoffs is filled and set. The All-Star Game is over. Most players scurried onto private jets not long after the final buzzer for quick little getaways — places like Miami, Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas were among the destinations. Players should try to enjoy their last bit of relaxation as the playoff push is about to get real.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks have added a scoring forward to their lineup. Vancouver acquired Tyler Toffoli from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Tim Schaller, prospect Tyler Madden, a 2020 second-round pick and a conditional fourth-round selection in 2022 on Monday night. The 27-year-old Toffoli has spent his entire career with the Kings and produced 139 goals and 290 points in 515 games. He also has nine goals and 21 points in 47 playoff games, winning the 2014 Stanley Cup with LA.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charisma Osborne scored 22 points, including seven in overtime, and No. 8 UCLA rallied to beat 15th-ranked Oregon State 83-74. Japreece Dean added 22 points and 12 assists for the Bruins, who overcame a 14-point deficit in the third quarter. Mikayla Pivec had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Beavers, who lost their third in a row. Oregon State’s other star, Destiny Slocum, also had 19 points but was held to just three in overtime. The Bruins never trailed in the five-minute extra session. They improved to 3-1 in overtime games this season.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The San Francisco Giants are putting up zeroes spring. They believe they might be doing something rarely seen: using uniform numbers 0 and 00 in the same year. When San Francisco added speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton on a minor league deal earlier this month, equipment manager Brad Grems called the league to make sure both numbers could be used _ because new first base coach Antoan Richardson had already claimed 00.
