Los Angeles Times - 06.08.2019

SPORTS

D TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2019:: LATIMES.COM/SPORTS

D

The cheers amplified as Tony

Gonsolin, the other pitching

prospect the crowd had waited to

watch for months, walked off the

mound for the final time in the

Dodgers’ 8-0 win Monday night. It

was applause Gonsolin curried

from the fans after offering a

glimpse into his vast potential dur-

ing his Dodger Stadium debut. He

arrived hyped and fulfilled their ex-

pectations.

The shaggy-haired right-

hander held the St. Louis Cardi-

nals, a playoff contender with po-

tent bats, to two hits and one walk

across six innings with Sandy Ko-

ufax in attendance. He struck out

seven and threw a season-high 90

pitches. He demonstrated the abil-

ities — centered on a mid-90s fast-

ball and a cruel splitter — that have

made him a candidate to pitch for

the Dodgers when the games mat-

ter most.

“Just in complete control

tonight,” manager Dave Roberts

said. “It was really, really fun to

watch.”

Gonsolin and Dustin May, the

Dodgers’ top pitching prospects,

are under consideration to pitch

out of the bullpen in the playoffs.

The Dodgers will spend the next

two months assessing their

choices.

May, 21, made his major league

debut Friday and will start again

Wednesday. The 25-year-old Gon-

solin had made two appearances —

one as a starter and another as a re-

liever last week — before starting

Monday in Hyun-Jin Ryu’s spot.

Whether he will make another

start for the Dodgers is to be deter-

mined.

“That’s the goal,” Gonsolin said,

“just to get that conversation going

and get my name in the mix.”

Pitching outside of a hitter-

friendly ballpark for the first time

in his nascent big league career —

his first two outings were at Chase

Field and Coors Field — Gonsolin

TONY GONSOLIN, making his Dodger Stadium debut, held the Cardinals to two hits and a walk in six innings.

Myung J. ChunLos Angeles Times

Making his pitch to play

Rookie reminds Dodgers why they didn’t deal; the help’s already here

DODGERS 8, ST. LOUIS 0

By Jorge Castillo

[SeeDodgers,D5]

CINCINNATI — A white sock

holding two baseballs hung off a

hook in the visitors clubhouse at

Great American Ball Park, the

black ink scrawled across the cloth

indicating two significant mile-

stones: a first major league pitch

and first major league strikeout.

Angels left-hander Patrick San-

doval, once a star at Mission Viejo

High, pitched well enough Monday

in his first big league appearance to

merit more than just those souven-

irs. He struck out eight and limited

a hot-hitting Cincinnati Reds team

to two runs and three hits. He over-

came a shaky debut inning, during

which he seemed so overcome with

adrenaline that his usual 92-to-94-

mph fastball touched 96, to make it

through five-plus innings without

faltering.

“It was an excellent first [out-

Angels’ loss spoils

Sandoval’s debut

PATRICK SANDOVAL,a former Mission Viejo High standout,

gave up two runs and struck out eight in his major league debut.

Gary LandersAssociated Press

Orange County native goes

a strong five-plus innings

after opener Cole struggles.

CINCINNATI 7

ANGELS 4

By Maria Torres

[SeeAngels,D5]

The buzz started Friday
when Del Mar racing secre-
tary David Jerkens posted
the Wednesday overnight
list, a look at what horses are
entered in races for that day.
The No. 2 horse in the sev-
enth and final race was
named Fravel, a 3-year-old
colt for trainer Richard
Mandella and ridden by
Flavien Prat. The owner-
ship: “M. Auerbach LLC,
Timothy Ritvo or Stacie L.
Clark.”
The fact that state regu-
lator Madeline Auerbach
and Ritvo, who runs Santa
Anita, were business part-
ners in the ownership of a
horse is seemingly the most
basic of conflicts of interest.
Auerbach is vice chair of
the California Horse Racing
Board (CHRB), the agency
that regulates racetracks in
the state, and this year likely
will be chairman.
Ritvo is the chief op-
erating officer of The
Stronach Group (TSG),
which owns Santa Anita,
which is regulated by the
CHRB.
And the apparent con-
flicts of interest didn’t end
there.
Clark is the wife of Mike
Rogers, the president of
TSG’s racing division and a
member of the Breeders’
Cup board. Oh, and the
horse is named after Craig
Fravel, a former executive at
Del Mar and chief executive
of the Breeders’ Cup, which
often deals with the CHRB
to smooth state regulatory
issues as it pertains to the
event that will be held at
Santa Anita on Nov. 1-2.
“Obviously, it’s an appar-
ent conflict of interest, and
anyone hearing that would
be concerned,” said Shawn
Klein, who teaches sports
ethics at Arizona State.
Attorneys for the CHRB
don’t seem concerned about
a conflict of interest or be-
lieve that Auerbach should
recuse herself.
“Commissioner Au-
erbach would not have to re-
cuse herself from matters in-
volving Santa Anita because
she does not have an interest
in the racetrack,” CHRB
spokesman Mike Marten
said. “Ownership of a horse
and any purses winnings do
not create a financial con-

BUSINESS

DEAL ON

HORSE

RAISES

EYEBROWS

State regulator and

track executive were

co-owners in apparent

conflict of interest.

By John Cherwa

[SeeRacing,D2]

When Shareef O’Neal
looks in the mirror nowa-
days, he sees more than a
player who led Santa Monica
Crossroads High to a state
title in 2018 and was one of
the top-rated basketball
recruits in the nation.
He sees a giant scar that
runs down his chest and bi-
sects his “Family First” tat-
too. The scar serves as a re-
minder of the difficulties he
faced last year.
Despite the pain and an-
guish the scar initially
caused him, he’s starting to
embrace it.
Instead of the Superman
2.0 moniker that pays
homage to his father,
Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef

Blessed to be back on hardwood

SHAREEF O’NEAL,going against Nick Young in the Drew League, underwent

surgery last year to correct a congenital heart defect.

Courtesy of the Drew League

O’Neal is playing in

the Drew League as

he prepares for return

to UCLA after

open-heart surgery.

By Mia Berry

[SeeO’Neal,D3]

He is expected to play a

bigger role this season for

the Chargers.

Justin Jones prepared for

the opportunity by getting

smaller.

Through a changed diet

and an altered workout rou-

tine, the second-year defen-

sive tackle has dropped

nearly 20 pounds from when

he first reported as a rookie.

Version 2.0 marks such a

profound difference that

Mike Pouncey said he

thought Jones actually was

larger.

“He looks like he put on a

lot of weight, a lot of muscle,”

the veteran center said.

“He’s moving around faster.

He understands the speed of

the game now and that it’s

different than college.”

Pouncey then offered

this: “He’s a guy that is prob-

ably our most improved

football player from Year 1 to

Year 2. He’s out here making

Jones gets smaller

for his bigger role

Chargers impressed

by defensive tackle

who slimmed down

after rookie year.

By Jeff Miller

[SeeChargers,D6]

USC nabs No. 1

hoops prospect

Evan Mobley, a 7-footer

from Rancho Christian

in Temecula, to join

father and brother in

Trojans family. D3

Warriors star

envies Lakers

Recuperating Klay

Thompson thinks L.A.

got a steal in DeMarcus

Cousins, Arash

Markazi writes. D2