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SPORTS Friday 16 august 2024
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Torrid NL West is baseball’s hottest division race with Dodgers,

Padres and Diamondbacks

By DAVID BRANDT day prepared to do their
AP Baseball Writer thing to help the team win.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Ari- It’s a powerful thing when
zona Diamondbacks are in you’ve got all the guys pull-
the midst of a stretch that ing on the same string.”
most big-league clubs can The Dodgers are still load-
only dream about, winners ed with talent. Betts has re-
of six straight games, 20 of turned from his injury with a
25 since the All-Star break flourish, injecting the lineup
and 30 of 40 since late with his power-speed com-
June. bo. Los Angeles added
Certainly, that should be right-hander Jack Flaherty
enough to take control of in a trade and three-time
the NL West. Right? Cy Young Award winner
Not even close. Clayton Kershaw is back,
The NL West is home to joining Glasnow and Gavin
three of the hottest teams Stone in the rotation.
in baseball, including the “I think the biggest thing
Diamondbacks, San Diego for us is we’re getting some
Padres and Los Angeles guys back,” Kershaw said.
Dodgers. As pennant rac- “We’re getting our lineup
es around baseball heat the way we want it. We’re
up with approximately 40 Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte acknowledges fans as he celebrates after his solo-home run getting some guys starter-
games remaining, the one against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug 10, 2024, wise, reliever-wise, every-
out west looks like the best in Phoenix. thing we’re having our
with sluggers like Shohei Associated Press team look like what we
Ohtani, Manny Machado baseball.” The Dodgers weren’t quite the same they’re struggling to hold want our team to look like.

and Ketel Marte duking it who have won the division in his absence. That gave their division lead. “I think you’ll see us kind
out on a nightly basis. in 10 of the past 11 years the D-backs and Padres The Padres (69-53) and D- of start to take off here

“We’re very aware of it,” looked well on their way to the opening they need to backs (69-53) were just 2 1/2 pretty soon.” They better,
Dodgers manager Dave another division title by mid- make a move. games behind the Dodgers because the Padres and D-
Roberts said of his team’s June. They have arguably And move they did. The Pa- (71-50) as of Wednesday backs are in hot pursuit.
shrinking lead last week. the best lineup in baseball dres and the D-backs have night. The Padres have been
“I’d be lying if I said no with Ohtani, Mookie Betts been on fire since the All- Buckle up. one of the most frustrat-
one’s watching the score- and Freddie Freeman, and Star break San Diego has “It’s fun to be a part of, a ing teams in baseball the
board and appreciating Tyler Glasnow leads a rota- a 19-4 record and Arizona lot of hard work goes into past few seasons, loaded
how good the rest of the tion that is solid. is 20-5. it,” D-backs slugger Joc with high-priced talent of-
teams in our division are But Betts missed 1 1/2 The Dodgers aren’t play- Pederson said of his team’s ten without the matching
playing. “That just puts the months with a broken left ing poorly with a 15-9 re- success. “Everybody results. But this version has
onus on us to play good hand and the Dodgers cord during that span, but comes to the field every been formidable.q

Jordan Chiles says panel’s call for her to return Olympic bronze

is ‘unjust’ and ‘significant blow’

By The Associated Press and comes as a significant blow, not just
American gymnast Jordan Chiles called to me, but to everyone who has cham-
an arbitration panel’s decision that she pioned my journey. To add to the heart-
must return the bronze medal she was break, the unprompted racially driven
awarded in the floor exercise at the Par- attacks on social media are wrong and
is Olympics “unjust” and a “significant extremely hurtful. I’ve poured my heart
blow” in a message posted on social me- and soul into this sport and I am so proud
dia Thursday. to represent my culture and my country.”
The International Olympic Committee, in USA Gymnastics has said it will continue
light of the decision by the Court of Ar- efforts to let Chiles keep the medal. The
bitration for Sport, announced it would sport’s governing body in the United
reallocate the bronze to Ana Barbosu of States disputes Romania’s claim that
Romania. Landi’s appeal came 4 seconds too late,
It was thought Chiles had won the bronze saying Sunday it submitted video evi-
after judges changed her score following dence to CAS that showed Landi first ap-
an appeal by Team USA coach Cecile pealed 13 seconds before the deadline.
Landi. Romania successfully protested “I am now confronted with one of the
to the CAS that Landi’s appeal was not most challenging moments of my ca-
made within one minute of Chiles’ score reer,” Chiles posted. “Believe me when
being posted, and the panel ruled Satur- I say I have had many. I will approach Jordan Chiles, of the United States, and Simone Biles, of the
day the bronze should go to Barbosu. the challenge as I have others and will United States, celebrate after the women’s artistic gymnastics
“I have no words,” Chiles wrote in an In- make every effort to ensure that justice is individual floor finals in Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer
stagram post. “This decision feels unjust done.q Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France.
Associated Press