k and bad swings, he said.KERSHAW AT THE PLATEKnown as a good hitter, Kershaw helped himself with a two-out RBI single in the fifth, extended the Dodgers lead to 7-0.OOP

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Jantel Lavender scored a career-high 25 points and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Connecticut Sun 98-92 in overtime Friday night to tie the 1998 Houston Comets for the best start in WNBA history.Lavender added a season-high 10 rebounds, and Kristi Tolliver scored eight of her 24 points in overtime for the Sparks (20-1). Theyve won nine in a row and are 9-0 on the road.Tolliver made the last of her four 3s to give the Sparks a 93-92 lead with 1:31 left in overtime and ignite an 8-0 run to close the game.Connecticut (6-15) missed its final three field-goal attempts and committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions after Tollivers clinching 3-pointer.The Suns Alyssa Thomas made 1 of 2 free throws with 10 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Tolliver missed a 3-pointer as time expired.Connecticut led 62-46 with 8 minutes left in the third quarter, but Nneka Ogwumike scored nine points during a 16-2 run that pulled the Sparks within two. Los Angeles took its first lead, 81-80, on a 3-pointer by Ogwumike with 1:37 remaining in regulation.Ogwumike finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.Thomas had 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for the Sun. Chiney Ogwumike, Nnekas sister, added 16 points and a season-high 13 rebounds.Bruno Fernando Jersey .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Kevin Huerter Hawks Jersey . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/Pete-Maravich-City-Edition-Jersey/ .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Damian Jones Hawks Jersey . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Spud Webb Hawks Jersey .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open.LOS ANGELES -- Keep the champagne on ice and the ski goggles on the shelf. The Dodgers were left waiting to clinch their fourth consecutive NL West title.They certainly did their part.Clayton Kershaw scattered three hits over seven scoreless innings, Josh Reddick slugged a grand slam in the seventh and Los Angeles beat the Colorado Rockies 14-1 on Saturday night to reduce its magic number to one with its fourth straight win.The Dodgers just didnt get any help from the Padres.San Diego rallied from 6-0 down but then lost at home to San Francisco 9-6 in 10 innings. The final outs were shown on the video board at Dodger Stadium, with fans booing when the Giants won.They gave us a lot of hope there, Kershaw said of the Padres comeback. But well wait until tomorrow.Los Angeles is on the brink of becoming the first team to win four straight NL West titles. The last NL club to claim four division titles in a row was the Philadelphia Phillies, who won the NL East from 2007-11.The Dodgers can wrap up the title Sunday with a victory in Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scullys final home game before he retires next weekend.Its always sweeter to clinch at home, rookie manager Dave Roberts said, adding it would be only fitting with Scully watching from his fifth-floor booth.Kershaw (12-3) struck out six and walked none to improve to 8-1 at home. The left-hander has been solid since coming off the disabled list after a herniated disk last month.Physically, I feel really good, he said. Just a little bit inconsistent with some things, sliders that didnt quite get where I wanted to go.Chad Bettis (13-8) gave up seven runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, struck out three and walked four. The right-hander has been having one of his best seasons, with career highs in wins, starts (31) and innings (179 1/3), but he struggled from the second inning on and fell to 6-6 on the road.It was pretty embarrassing, Bettis said. I tried to set the tone early but my pitches were coming back over the plate.The Dodgers led 4-0 in the second on Joc Pedersons two-run single, a fielders choice groundout by Corey Seager and Justin Turners RBI single. Turner reached base five times, going 3 for 3, with two runs and two walks.Los Angeles tacked on two runs in the fourth to make it 6-0. Pederson scored on left fielder Ryan Raburns error and Turner singled to drive in his second run.Reddick, who went 3 for 4, added an RBI single in the sixth and Adrian Goonzalez had a two-run single in the seventh, extending the lead to 10-0.dddddddddddd Reddicks grand slam came with two outs in the seventh, making it 14-0.Rookie Pat Valaika, from nearby Valencia, hit his first major league homer in the eighth off Jesse Chavez for Colorados run.There is thunder in that bat, Colorado manager Walt Weiss said.TRAINERS ROOMDodgers: LHP Rich Hill was scratched from his Sunday start out of concern for a blister that forced him to miss a month earlier in the season and caused him to leave a perfect game after seven innings on Sept. 11. Hell be replaced by RHP Brandon McCarthy. Hill will start either next Saturday or Sunday at San Francisco. ... LHP Scott Kazmir is receiving treatment for rib and chest spasms that forced him out of Saturday nights game after one inning. The team doesnt know if or when he will make another start. ... Kershaw will start either Friday or Saturday at San Francisco.CATCHING FIREReddick is red-hot this month, batting .397 with five doubles, two homers and eight RBI in eight games after struggling last month.August was a mixture of bad luck and bad swings, he said.KERSHAW AT THE PLATEKnown as a good hitter, Kershaw helped himself with a two-out RBI single in the fifth, extended the Dodgers lead to 7-0.OOPSRockies catcher Tony Wolters lost track of how many outs there were in the sixth. With Adrian Gonzalez at bat, Justin Turner took off for second base. Gonzalez struck out swinging, Wolters stood up and started walking off the field only to have Turner steal second with two outs. The Dodgers went on to score a run before the inning ended.TRANSISTOR TIMESome Dodgers fans brought radios to the game in a throwback salute to Scully, who credits the transistor as the single greatest break of his 67-year career. In 1958, when the Dodgers moved west and played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, fans toted radios to hear Scully describe the players and action that was too far away to see well in the vast stadium.UP NEXTRockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (5-6, 3.58 ERA) makes his seventh start on the road, where he is 0-4 with a 5.10 ERA. The rookie has beaten the Dodgers twice this season, but hasnt won that second victory over them on Aug. 31.Dodgers: McCarthy (2-2, 3.63) comes off a month-long stint on the disabled list with right hip stiffness. ' ' '