From Jack Harris: Dave Roberts described it as an easy decision.

If only it hadn't come with such disastrous consequences.

In the middle of the fifth inning Tuesday night, Shohei Ohtani returned to the Dodgers' dugout in the midst of his best pitching performance all season.. Waiting for him at the top step was manager Dave Roberts, wanting to ask how he felt after completing five innings for only the second time this year.

With any other pitcher, what happened next would have been simple.

At that point, Ohtani had not given up a hit to the Philadelphia Phillies. He had thrown only 68 pitches. He was flashing the kind of dominance that would have made a no-hitter feel like a real possibility.

With any other pitcher, Roberts would have extended the leash.

Plaschke: Dodgers are blowing their bye, and hopes for deep playoff run, thanks to familiar issue

All-Star Freddy Peralta gave up two hits, struck out 10 and won his NL-leading 17th game, Christian Yelich hit his 29th homer and drove in three runs and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Angels 9-2 on Tuesday night.

The Angels' defeat ensured their 10th consecutive losing season, a franchise record. Their playoff drought is at 11 years.

Peralta (17-6) extended his career-high in wins and tied the New York Yankees Max Fried for tops in the majors in victories. Peralta also tied the franchise record set by Zach Davies in 2017.

From Ben Bolch: The Fresno State football players wanted to be heard after so much frustration, so much uncertainty.

A season that had started with their coach leaving the job because of health problems, only to deteriorate further with four losses in six games during a maddening midseason stretch, was now back firmly on the upswing.

Their temporary coach having steadied them through every challenge, including his own uncertain future, those players yearned to preserve what might have been the best part of a burdensome season.

"We want Skip!" the players chanted in the locker room last November after a victory over Colorado State that made them eligible for a bowl game. "We want Skip!"

It wasn't the first or last time he would be needed in that capacity. The Bulldogs had tapped him to serve as the acting coach for a bowl game the previous season after coach Jeff Tedford's first bout of health issues, and now UCLA is turning to Skipper to lead its team after the dismissal of coach DeShaun Foster on Sunday after the Bruins' 0-3 start.

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From Gary Klein: Rams coach Sean McVay is not expected to appear on the team's injury report this week as they prepare for Sunday's game against the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles.

But McVay sustained a foot injury during last week's victory over the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.

During the Rams' produced "Sean McVay Show," McVay said he suffered a torn plantar fascia.

"I was being dramatic limping around toward the end of the game," McVay said, adding, "The good news is I'm not playing, so I'm just on the sidelines watching. So if I have a little cool limp to add some swag, then you'll know why."

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Tom Brady didn't violate rules as broadcaster/team owner in Raiders coaching booth, NFL says

From Kevin Baxter: Maybe the national team turned a corner in last week's 2-0 win over Japan.

Maybe the change to a 3-4-2-1 formation unlocked the lively and innovative play that had been missing in the team's first year under coach Mauricio Pochettino. Maybe Pochettino and his players have finally found the chemistry and coordination that was so obviously missing.

And maybe, just maybe, the U.S. really can make a deep run in next summer's World Cup, the first to be played in the U.S. in 32 years.

1897 -- England's Joe Lloyd beats Scotland's Willie Anderson by one stroke to win the U.S. Open in Wheaton, Ill.

1920 -- The forerunner of the NFL, the American Professional Football Association, is founded in an automobile showroom in Canton, Ohio. Twelve teams pay a $100 fee to obtain a franchise.

1938 -- Don Budge completes the Grand Slam with a four-set victory over Gene Mako in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships.

1954 -- Rocky Marciano knocks out Ezzard Charles in the eighth round at Yankee Stadium in New York to retain his world heavyweight title.

1955 -- In the first color telecast of a football game by NBC, No. 10 Georgia Tech defeats No. 9 Miami 14-6 in Atlanta. The winning score comes in the final minute when linebacker Jimmy Morris returns an interception 25 yards for a touchdown.

1961 -- The Minnesota Vikings, the newest NFL franchise, beats the league's oldest franchise, the Chicago Bears, 37-13 win in the season opener. Minnesota's Fran Tarkenton, playing his first NFL game, comes off the bench to become the only quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in his first game.

1966 -- In his head coaching debut, coach Joe Paterno leads Penn State past Maryland 15-7.

1967 -- Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts passes for 401 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-31 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

1977 -- The U.S. wins the Ryder Cup 12½-7½ at Royal Lytham & St Annes England. It's the last time that a Britain and Ireland team competes for the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup expands the GB&I to include golfers from all of continental Europe in 1979.

1994 -- UNLV receiver Randy Gatewood catches 23 passes for 363 yards and a touchdown in a 48-38 loss to Idaho.

2000 -- Dan Marino's #13 jersey is retired by the Miami Dolphins.

2002 -- Suzy Whaley becomes the first woman to qualify for a PGA Tour event, earning an exemption to the 2003 Greater Hartford Open by winning a PGA Section Championship. Whaley is also is the first woman to win a Section Championship.

2016 -- Cam Pedersen kicks a 37-yard field as time expired and North Dakota State rallies to beat No. 13 Iowa 23-21 for its sixth straight win over an FBS opponent.

1912 -- Brooklyn's Casey Stengel makes his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates, finishing with four singles, two RBIs and two steals in a 7-3 win.

1920 -- Bobby Veach of the Detroit Tigers hit for the cycle in a 14-13 12-inning win over the Boston Red Sox at Navin Field. Veach had six hits, achieving the cycle with a double in the ninth.

1930 -- Cleveland's Earl Averill drove in eight runs with three consecutive home runs to lead the Indians to a 13-7 victory over the Washington Senators in a doubleheader opener. Averill added another homer in the nightcap, setting an American League record with 11 RBIs in a doubleheader.

1941 -- Stan Musial makes his major league debut.

1947 -- Jackie Robinson named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News.

1968 -- Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants pitched a no-hitter, a 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and Bob Gibson. Ron Hunt homered for the only run.

1984 -- Reggie Jackson became the 13th player to hit 500 home runs. The milestone shot came off Kansas City pitcher Bud Black. His homer came exactly 17 years after his first career hit.

1984 -- Rookie pitcher Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets struck out 16 Phillies in a 2-1 loss at Philadelphia. Five days earlier, Gooden fanned 16 Pittsburgh Pirates tying a major league record for 32 strikeouts in two consecutive games.

1988 -- Jeff Reardon became the first pitcher to save 40 games in both leagues as the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1. Reardon, who saved 42 games for the Montreal Expos in 1985, pitched the ninth inning for his 40th save in 47 opportunities.

1996 -- Hideo Nomo pitched a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, leading the Dodgers to a 9-0 victory. Nomo walked four batters and stuck out eight.

2004 -- San Francisco's Barry Bonds hit the 700th home run of his career, joining Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755) as the only players to reach the milestone. Bonds connected in the third inning at home, a 392-foot solo shot to left-center. San Francisco beat San Diego 4-1.

2004 -- Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki broke Lloyd Waner's season record for singles with his 199th in a 6-3 win over Oakland. Suzuki's two hits gave him 235 for the season, 22 shy of the major league record set by George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns in 1920.

2008 -- Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki matched Willie Keeler's major league record of eight straight 200-hit seasons, beating out an infield single in the eighth inning for his third hit against Kansas City.

2018 -- Christian Yelich became the first major leaguer to hit for the cycle twice in one season against the same team, driving in four runs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over the Cincinnati Reds 8-0.

2024 -- With a stolen base in the 1st inning, Bobby Witt Jr. becomes the first shortstop to have more than one 30-30 season, as he now has 30 steals and 32 homers; he also just the 8th player to accomplish the feat in consecutive seasons.

Compiled by the Associated Press

That concludes today's newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you'd like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

The Sports Report: Another no-hit bid ended, another epic loss by the Dodgers