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sports Diamars 14 Juni 2022

After lengthy skid, Angels will try to defy history

By NOAH TRISTER them withstand an 11-game more. Of those teams, 30 did
AP Baseball Writer skid in August and win the it after the start of divisional
The Los Angeles Angels fi- NL West anyway. In 2017, play, 22 during the wild-card
nally ended their 14-game the Los Angeles Dodgers era, and seven in the last de-
losing streak. won 104 games. They might cade after a second wild card
If Mike Trout, Shohei have challenged the all-time was added to each league.
Ohtani and Co. can re- record for victories if not for As the standard for making
bound from that and make an 11-game losing streak that the postseason has become
the playoffs, it would be September. more forgiving, it’s become
unprecedented. The longest losing streak easier for teams to overcome
by an eventual World Series an awful week or two.
No team has reached the champion was nine games by TRIVIA TIME
postseason after a losing the 1953 New York Yankees. Who is the most recent team
streak of more than 11 games, The Angels certainly hope to make the postseason de-
according to Sportradar. The the worst is behind them. spite an eight-game losing
Angels played well enough Ohtani pitched seven innings streak?
before their skid that they’re and hit a two-run homer LINE OF THE WEEK
still in the thick of the play- Thursday night, when they Matt Carpenter homered
off race now. Los Angeles snapped their skid with a win twice and drove in seven runs
fired manager Joe Maddon over Boston. Trout hit two Sunday to lead the Yankees to
last week, but with Trout and homers Saturday night in a an 18-4 rout of the Chicago
Ohtani in the fold, a 3 1/2- victory over the New York Cubs. New York signed Car-
game deficit in the wild-card Mets. penter on May 26, and he be-
race is certainly surmount- ALSO SLUMPING came the first Yankees player
able. Milwaukee lost eight in a to hit six homers in his first
Three teams lost 11 games row before a victory over 10 games.
in a row and made the post- Washington on Sunday. The COMEBACK OF THE
season anyway. It happened Brewers now trail St. Louis WEEK
first during one of the most by a half-game atop the NL Tommy Edman’s two-run
famous pennant races in Central. homer with two outs in the
baseball history. The New It’s not all that unusual for a ninth inning gave St. Louis
York Giants lost 11 straight in team to make the postseason a 5-4 win over Cincinnati
April of 1951, but they even- despite an eight-game losing on Saturday. The Cardinals
tually ran down the Brook- streak, however. In fact, the trailed 4-1 in the eighth be-
lyn Dodgers and advanced to 2006 St. Louis Cardinals had fore Tyler O’Neill’s two-run
the World Series on Bobby two separate eight-game los- double. In the ninth, Dylan TRIVIA ANSWER that skid comprised 13% of
Thomson’s famous home ing streaks on their way to a Carlson led off with a walk Cleveland lost eight straight the schedule. But Cleveland
run. World Series title. for St. Louis, but Yadier Mo- in 2020, yet made the play- went 35-25 and easily quali-
In 1982, the Atlanta Braves A total of 34 teams have made lina hit into a double play. offs. That was the season that fied for that year’s expanded
started the season with 13 the postseason despite los- Juan Yepez’s single gave Ed- was shortened to 60 games postseason.q
straight wins. That helped ing streaks of eight games or man his chance. because of the pandemic, so

None of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic in ATP top 2; 1st since ‘03

Last year’s French Open was from four tournaments left
delayed a week from its origi- on his record and is ranked
nally scheduled spot on the 68th this week.
calendar because of concerns Federer was at No. 3, behind
about COVID-19, so points No. 1 Andy Roddick and No.
earned from that event are 2 Juan Carlos Ferrero, the
falling off only now, while week of Nov. 10, 2003, with
this year’s French Open Nadal outside the top 40 and
points were added last week, Djokovic — who wouldn’t
because the final was June 5. make his Grand Slam debut
At Roland Garros this year, until 2005 — outside the top
Djokovic’s title defense end- 500. A week later, Federer
ed with a quarterfinal loss to would rise to No. 2.
Nadal, who wound up earn- Medvedev first reached
ing his 14th championship at No. 1 in February, replac-
Roland Garros — and 22nd ing Djokovic there for three
career Grand Slam trophy. weeks, and now returns fol-
Nadal remained at No. 4 lowing a runner-up finish at a
this week; even though he tournament in Holland.
has won the season’s first Neither he nor Zverev will
By HOWARD FEN- Daniil Medvedev rose one top 18 tournament results two major tournaments, he be at Wimbledon, however.
DRICH place to return to No. 1, over the preceding 52 weeks missed most of the last half Medvedev is Russian, and the
AP Tennis Writer where he briefly spent time (19 if he participated in the of 2021 and part of this year, All England Club banned all
None of the so-called earlier this season, and Alex- ATP Tour Finals). too, so he only has 10 tourna- players from there and Belar-
Big Three of men’s ten- ander Zverev moved up to a There was not nearly as much ments on his 52-week record. us because of the invasion of
nis — Roger Federer, Ra- career-best No. 2. shifting in the WTA rankings French Open runner-up Ukraine. Zverev will sit out
fael Nadal and Novak Djokovic slid from No. 1 to on Monday, with Iga Swiatek Casper Ruud went up one the grass-court Grand Slam
Djokovic — was in the No. No. 3, because his points for remaining at No. 1. The only spot to a career-high No. 5. tournament after having sur-
1 or No. 2 spots in the ATP winning the French Open in change in the women’s top 20 Federer had a series of knee gery for torn ligaments in his
rankings on Monday, the 2021 dropped off his record was Aryna Sabalenka’s move operations and hasn’t played right ankle; he was injured
first time that’s been the on Monday. The ATP rank- from No. 6 to No. 5, switch- anywhere since Wimbledon during his French Open
case in nearly 20 years. ings are based on a player’s ing with Maria Sakkari. last July. He only has points semifinal against Nadal.q