When responding to perceived crises, California’s politicians often take the scattergun approach, implementing multiple programs in multiple agencies hoping some will work, rather than carefully aiming a solution at a clearly defined problem.

One example of the syndrome is the many programs governors and legislators have implemented to bolster the state’s economy during downturns. Once created, the programs take on lives of their own, continue operating long after the economy has recovered and are rarely compelled to justify their existence.

Another is the state’s seemingly countless efforts – both legislation and administrative decrees, scattered among a plethora of agencies – to reach the holy grail of carbon emission neutralitywith little or no evaluation of their cost-effectiveness.

California’s current crisis d’jour is the ever-increasing number of men, women and children who lack homes, many of them living in squalid encampments on sidewalks and in urban greenbelts.

Polling has found that homelessness is consistently listed among Californians’ most pressing concerns. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature have repeatedly promised to deal with it and they have, as usual, enacted a stream of costly programs with catchy names they hope will have some positive impacts. Some provide housing and others purporting to treat the underlying issues, such as substance abuse and mental health, that force people into the streets.

The question, of course, is whether any of the efforts have made a difference.

In macro terms, the answer is no. The number of homeless Californians has increased by 50% in the last decade and 20% since Newsom became governor in 2019, despite the state’s spending about $20 billion on the various anti-homelessness programs during the last five years.

Those data come from a new and sharply critical report on homelessness programs by State Auditor Grant Parks, following up on a 2021 auditwhich found that a “lack of coordination among the state’s homelessness programs had hampered the effectiveness of the state’s efforts to end homelessness.”

The 2021 audit’s criticism rang true even though the state had created the California Interagency Council on Homelessness in 2017 to coordinate homelessness activities. After the 2021 audit and under pressure from the Legislature, the agency adopted an “action plan” with specific goals to achieve and orders to report on results.

However, the new audit, which was released Tuesday, said the homelessness council has been tardy in reporting on outcomes, “has not aligned its action plan for addressing homelessness with its statutory goals,” and has not collected accurate data on the many specific programs.

“Until Cal ICH takes these critical steps, the state will lack up‑to‑date information that it can use to make data‑driven policy decisions on how to effectively reduce homelessness,” the audit said.

The fact that his measure, Proposition 1, barely survived despite many millions of dollars being spent on the campaign for it, indicates anew that Californians are growing weary of politicians’ promises to end the crisis.

The new audit implies that the public’s skepticism is well-founded. If the agency created to coordinate homelessness responses is falling short of its mission, why should we think that any specific programs are having a lasting impact?

Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.

PHOENIX — Russell Westbrook had a triple-double, and the Clippers clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday night, officially avoiding the play-in tournament by withstanding the Phoenix Suns’ late rally for a 105-92 win that guaranteed them at least a top-five finish in the Western Conference standings.

Westbrook had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists for his first triple-double of the season and the 199th of his career, as the Clippers built a 31-point lead in the first quarter before holding on late.

It was an embarrassing early showing for the Suns, who are fighting to stay out of the play-in tournament. They eventually rallied to cut the margin to 91-84 with 6:45 left on Bradley Beal’s free throw, but couldn’t get closer.

The Clippers – who were playing without All-Stars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard – have won four straight and seven of eight. They host the Suns on Wednesday night in the second game of the home-and-home series.

“Our will to win was great,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We came out with a defensive mindset, we were really physical, offensively we were clicking. This is a hell of a win against a really good team.”

Paul George led the Clippers with 23 points while Ivica Zubac added 17 points and 13 rebounds. All five starters scored in double figures, with Terance Mann adding 17, Amir Coffey contributing 13 and Powell adding 10.

Westbrook had a standout game in his first start since November.

“No surprise on my end because I know I prepare very well,” Westbrook said. “I take a lot of time to prepare for games, no matter how much time on the floor. I’m grateful for my teammates, believing in me.”

Phoenix shot just 2 for 19 from the field in the opening quarter as boos became progressively louder from the home crowd. The Clippers built a 35-4 lead in less than 10 minutes, when Phoenix went nearly six minutes without scoring.

Fans sarcastically cheered when Devin Booker hit two free throws to stop the drought.

Kevin Durant led the Suns with 21 points while Beal had 19. Booker finished with 12, shooting just 1 for 11 from the field.

The Clippers continued to build their lead in the second. Bones Hyland hit a 3-pointer that made it 51-14 – which was the largest lead of the night – and they took a 66-33 lead into the halftime break.

Booker, Durant and Beal combined to shoot 4 for 25 from the field before the break. The Suns have dropped two straight.

“We got some good looks early, we missed them,” Booker said. “They were hot and that’s a bad combination for us.”

Phoenix showed some life in the third quarter, cutting the margin to 84-68 heading into the fourth. Coach Frank Vogel elected for a five-guard lineup for most of the second half, hoping the Suns could shoot their way back into the game.

It actually worked for a while, but they couldn’t overcome 8-for-35 shooting (23%) from 3-point range.

Both teams were short-handed, though the Clippers, who turned the ball over 18 times, were in worse shape. Leading scorer Leonard sat out his fifth straight game because of inflammation in his right knee, and Harden (8.6 assists per game) was dealing with inflammation in his right foot.

Phoenix was playing without starting center Jusuf Nurkic, who has a sprained right ankle.

It was the final home game of the season for the Suns, who close the regular season with three road games against the Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Win and they’d control their fate to secure at least the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, with the possibility of moving up the standings with a strong close to the season. Lose and they’d be dependent on external help to avoid finishing the regular season in 10th place.

The latter are the circumstances the Lakers (45-35) now face after their 134-120 loss to the Warriors (44-35), their final home game of the regular season.

“We don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves,” Coach Darvin Ham said. “We gotta get our bootstraps together and get back on the drawing board, look at the film and try to make the best of these last two games.”

The Warriors, who made 26 of their 41 3-point shots – including an astonishing 16 of 23 from Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green – moved within one-half game of the Lakers in the standings. Golden State now holds the head-to-head tiebreaker despite the regular-season series ending tied at 2-all because the Warriors have a better in-division win-loss record. That gives them the inside track to home-court advantage if the teams meet in a potential 9-10 play-in game next week.

LeBron James, who has been dealing with flu-like symptoms for the last few days and missed Sunday’s home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, tried to will the Lakers to a victory despite being under the weather, recording 33 points (14-for-22 shooting), 11 assists and seven rebounds in 35 minutes.

“Bron was phenomenal going through what he’s been through the last 48 hours,” Ham said. “He came out and gave his all. We had some good looks that didn’t go down. Shots we normally make, it’s a make-or-miss league. He did everything in his power to try to will the team back to a win. And it just didn’t work out, we fell short.”

Austin Reaves had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Rui Hachimura added 20 points (7-for-21 shooting), 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. D’Angelo Russell struggled to 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting.

James arrived at the arena a little an hour before tipoff and didn’t go through an on-court warmup on the team’s home court.

“Just tried to get as much rest as I could,” James said. “Stay hydrated as much as I could. I came in Sunday for my normal prep day for the Minnesota game and it started to get worse as the minutes went down. So I just went home. And pretty much [Tuesday] was like one of the first days I was able to get out of the room, get out of the bed and feel a little bit of energy. And I guess well enough to be able to come here and try to help the team.”

But the challenge of beating the Warriors, who have won eight of their last nine games, without Anthony Davis was too difficult for the Lakers to overcome. Davis sat out due to the aftereffects (headache, nausea) of being hit in the head by Minnesota’s Kyle Anderson in the Lakers’ loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday.

“We know we’re as good as any team in the league when we’re whole – and when we’re not, we’re not,” James said. “It’s hard for us to make up, especially having a guy like A.D. not playing. It’s almost pretty much impossible to make up for what he provides for our ballclub, both offensively and defensively.”

The Lakers missed a chance to move into eighth place past struggling Sacramento (45-34), which blew a big second-half lead and lost to Oklahoma City. And now the Lakers need outside help to ensure they don’t fall further down the standings.

If the Warriors win their final three regular-season games, then they’ll jump ahead of the Lakers in the standings even if the Lakers win their final two games on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday and the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

The Warriors, led by Thompson’s 27 points (10-for-16 shooting) and Curry’s 23 points (7-for-9 shooting), eight assists and seven rebounds, controlled the game from the outset.

Their 63.4% shooting from behind the arc is an NBA record for any team with at least 40 attempts, and the Warriors’ 26 3-point baskets are the most any Lakers team has ever allowed in a single game.

“They had guys step up and make shots,” Ham said. “It’s a make-or-miss league, and it is what it is. It’s a tough loss for sure. They put a lot of pressure on your defense, not having A.D. back there as just our conductor, just communicating and moving around, obviously very tough.”

The Warriors made 12 of their first 17 3-point attempts, and they shot 20 for 32 from behind the arc in the first three quarters overall.

Green (15 points, 10 assists, six rebounds) made five first-half 3-pointers to help the Warriors lead by double-digits for most of the first half. Andrew Wiggins had 17 points.

“Tip your cap to them,” James said. “You go out with a game plan and they exploit the gameplan, you tip your cap. And [Green] definitely messed with our game plan with him shooting the ball the way he did in the first half. But a team makes 26 3s, it’s gonna be hard to beat them.”

The Warriors scored 10 consecutive points in the final 1:23 of the third quarter to open a 17-point lead. The Lakers cut the deficit to single digits multiple times during the game, but 106-98 was the closest they got in the fourth.

Even after a decade as the coach of a scoring machine, Warriors coach Steve Kerr can still be impressed by his Big Three.

“I didn’t feel like we played that well, but we made a million 3s,” Kerr said. “The ball was going in, but I didn’t think we were sharp. A lot of possessions where we weren’t just quite locked in and we were a little bit disjointed, but the ball kept going in. … To shoot 63% from 3, that’s crazy.”

Davis isn’t in the concussion protocol, Ham said, but the All-Star big man missed a key game after largely avoiding serious injuries all season for the first time in a half-decade.

The Lakers fell to 2-4 without Davis this season, not counting two losses in which he played only the first quarter due to head blows.

LeBron James speaks about the impact of Anthony Davis' absence, tonight's loss, and provides an update on his illness. pic.twitter.com/zvDcWYxYZW

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 10, 2024

Darvin Ham on the Warriors: "They had guys step up and hit shots… the guys you wanted shooting the ball made their shots." pic.twitter.com/zpW6dkno1x

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 10, 2024

Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves on the Lakers’ loss against the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/a2dkdaW11e

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 10, 2024

The Kings, who had taken their previous eight meetings with the Ducks, including two this season, saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. The Ducks got the ball rolling on a modest two-game points streak.

The Nashville Predators clinched a playoff berth with an overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets, leaving the Kings and Vegas Golden Knights still in search of a firm position in the postseason. The Kings’ chance to avenge two straight first-round playoff losses to second-place Edmonton is at risk, since Vegas is one point behind them for third place in the Pacific Division with a game in hand.

Frank Vatrano, Alex Killorn and Trevor Zegras each broke out goal-scoring celebrations for the Ducks. Ryan Strome contributed two assists, with he and Vatrano being on the ice for all three Ducks goals. Lukáš Dostál made his fifth consecutive start, moving to 2-2-1 in those games on the strength of 36 saves.

Akil Thomas scored the Kings’ lone goal and Cam Talbot made 24 saves.

For the most part, the Ducks said they were unaware of their role as spoiler, though rookie Leo Carlsson continued to show awareness beyond that of even his more seasoned peers.

“I heard about it, yeah. It’s nice to destroy their hopes a little bit,” Carlsson said.

The Kings earned the game’s first lead and played their style early on, but halfway through the first period their game flattened a bit, with costly turnovers and untimely penalties fettering their efforts.

“We wanted an easy game, that was clear, and we got an easy game, except the other team beat us,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said.

The Ducks pulled away with 14:10 to play when Zegras stripped Jordan Spence at the red line and strode ahead for an unassisted goal, his fifth of an injury-plagued season. Zegras nearly scored again with 7:23 remaining when his spectacular skyward deflection dinged the crossbar, with the Kings drawing no nearer.

After going scoreless in his first three games back after recovering from ankle surgery, Zegras has accumulated five points in his past five games, including his first goal in that stretch Tuesday.

“It’s tough to jump back in and play the game that you know that you can play. For him, the more games he gets, the better he’s getting,” Killorn said. “Tonight, he had that huge goal and he made a ton of good plays out there.”

A mere 82 seconds into the final frame, the Ducks appeared to take their first lead on their first power play of the night, but Killorn’s redirection goal was disallowed after a coach’s challenge determined that he had entered the zone offside.

In something of a “puck don’t lie” moment, Killorn scored 29 seconds later. He gave the puck up for Cam Fowler at the left point, received it back and curled into the high slot for a wrist shot under the bar and his 18th goal of the campaign.

“I think I’m the one who put myself offside, so it’s frustrating. It’s hard to score goals in this league, so whenever they get taken away it’s pretty tough,” Killorn said. “I was happy that I was able to get it back quickly.”

The second period yielded no goals and only one high-danger chance. Perhaps the strongest late-period play was Matt Roy’s blast on net followed by his screen and tip of Adrian Kempe’s subsequent shot attempt.

Through 40 minutes, the two sides were knotted at one, just as they had been after 20.

The Ducks found an equalizer with 2:14 left in the opening stanza. Viktor Arvidsson’s clearing attempt got gobbled at the blue line by Strome, leaving Arvidsson, among others, out of position as the puck moved to Radko Gudas and then a wide-open Vatrano at the net front. Vatrano smacked the puck into Talbot’s pad and then into the gaping left side of the net for his team-topping 33rd goal of the season.

That came on the heels off a pair of near misses after Olen Zellweger hit the post and a golden opportunity off a two-on-one was thwarted by Drew Doughty. Troy Terry waited out Talbot near the right post before sliding the puck across to Killorn for a one-timer with Talbot scrambling to recover as Doughty slid to the ice to block the shot and foil a near-certain score.

“Our first 10, 12 minutes were great, playing Kings hockey, and we kind of drifted away from that,” Kings center Blake Lizotte said. “A few guys were on their own page more than we’d like. And you have to give them credit too. They have some skilled players and took advantage of our mistakes.”

There was no doubt about the second career goal for Thomas, who has played sparingly but impressively since joining the Kings four games ago. Just 5:50 into the contest, Trevor Lewis chipped the puck into the Ducks’ zone and crashed the net, leaving a stuff-in attempt inside the blue paint for Thomas to push home amid four defenders.

“He’s been a great addition to our line and a really easy player to play with,” Lewis said of Thomas.

Lewis, a veteran of many Freeway Faceoffs in his 16 NHL seasons, said a loss to a less competitive club in which his team allowed two goals off turnovers and a de facto power-play marker to Killorn just as Trevor Moore’s penalty expired served as a reminder to stay sharp.

“These are tough games. They’re not in the playoffs but they have a lot of skill and they’re playing freely,” Lewis said. “So, you’ve got to make sure you’re on top of your game and not taking them lightly.”

They didn’t.

Sandoval, the Angels’ Opening Day starter, has lost two of his three starts this season, including allowing four runs in the Angels’ 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.

“It was a big struggle,” Manager Ron Washington said of Sandoval’s performance. “A lot of 3-2 counts. Just couldn’t command the fastball. Didn’t have any consistency with the offspeed, but he stayed in there.”

It was a disappointing night for the Angels after an encouraging start, with Mike Trout putting them on top with a two-run homer in the first inning.

The three-time American League MVP is the first player in Angels history to hit six homers in the first 11 games of the season. Trout’s homer was a two-run shot, the first of his homers that wasn’t a solo homer.

Otherwise, though, the Angels didn’t do much at the plate. They scored on an error in the fourth, and then didn’t even get another runner into scoring position until they were down to their last out and down by three in the ninth.

The Angels (6-5) couldn’t take Sandoval off the hook for the loss, even though it was a one-run game when he threw his final pitch. Sandoval didn’t make it out of the second inning in his Opening Day loss, but then he pitched well in a victory. This time he gave up four runs in five innings, lifting his ERA to 6.57.

“It’s still early,” Washington said. “He’s healthy. There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s just got to start commanding the baseball, especially the fastball, more frequently. I think once he starts commanding the fastball the rest of his stuff will play.”

Sandoval issued three walks, but one of them was questionable.

Sandoval appeared to get squeezed at times by plate umpire Bill Miller, including on a pitch that could have been the third strike on Curtis Mead to lead off the second. Mead ended up walking, sparking a two-run inning. The first of those runs came on a play that was initially ruled an out at the plate, but overturned on review.

Sandoval was also called for a balk when he had José Siri picked off in the fourth. And he was a victim of a misplay when right fielder Mickey Moniak failed to catch a fly ball after a long run just inside the foul line, leading to another run.

Despite all of that going against him, Sandoval still managed to get through five innings with the Angels in the game. They trailed 4-3 when he threw his 101st and final pitch in the fifth inning.

The hitters, though, couldn’t do anything else, and the bullpen allowed the lead to grow.

José Cisnero gave up a homer to Isaac Paredes in the seventh. His fly ball was barely inside the left field pole. Cisnero has allowed seven runs in 4⅓ innings so far this season.

In the eighth, Hunter Strickland gave up a run when José Caballero singled, stole second and scored on a two-out blooper into right.

Luis Rengifo drove in a run in the bottom of the ninth, and the Angels had the potential winning run at the plate. Pinch hitter Miguel Sanó took the final two pitches, both sliders that were called strikes.

“From my vantage, point (closer Pete Fairbanks) left two balls up,” Washington said. “I wish (Sanó) would have went for them. Take his chances. Go for them. I think those two balls up, if he took his chances, as strong as he is, something big may have happened. But I’m not in that batters’ box.”

STANFORD — Tara VanDerveer, the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history, announced her retirement Tuesday night after 38 seasons leading the Stanford women’s team and 45 years overall.

The 70-year-old VanDerveer surpassed Duke icon Mike Krzyzewski for the wins record in January. The Hall of Famer departs with 1,216 victories at Idaho, Ohio State and Stanford.

“Basketball is the greatest group project there is and I am so incredibly thankful for every person who has supported me and our teams throughout my coaching career,” VanDerveer said in a statement. “I’ve been spoiled to coach the best and brightest at one of the world’s foremost institutions for nearly four decades.”

And as has been the plan for years, top Cardinal assistant Kate Paye is set to take over the program, and Stanford said in a statement that negotiations with Paye are underway. Paye played for VanDerveer from 1991-95 and has coached on her staff for 17 years.

Former Stanford player and retired Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne reached out to VanDerveer immediately Tuesday.

“She has done it all so just really happy for her to enjoy life after coaching!” Turner Thorne said in a text message to The Associated Press. “When you know you know.”

VanDerveer’s legacy will be long lasting. She always took time to mentor other coaches, swapping game film with some or going to the visiting locker room to offer encouraging words and insight.

“Tara’s influence is both deep and wide. I went to her very first camp at Stanford as a camper,” UCLA coach Cori Close said in a text to the AP. “I competed against her and worked her camps as a player. And I have now been competing against her and learning from her for many years as a coach. My coaching has been affected on so many levels by Tara’s example and direct mentorship at many crossroads. Congrats on an amazing career Tara. Our game, the Pac-12 Conference, and my coaching is better because of you. Enjoy retirement. You sure have earned it.”

VanDerveer’s last day is scheduled for May 8 – the 39th anniversary of her hiring. And she plans to continue working for the school and athletic department in an advisory role.

Her Stanford teams won NCAA titles in 1990, ’92 and 2021 and reached the Final Four 14 times.

VanDerveer took a year away from Stanford to guide the undefeated U.S. women’s Olympic team to a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

“Coupled with my time at Ohio State and Idaho, and as head coach of the United States National Team, it has been an unforgettable ride,” she said. “The joy for me was in the journey of each season, seeing a group of young women work hard for each other and form an unbreakable bond. Winning was a byproduct. I’ve loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl, and it has given me so much throughout my life. I hope I’ve been able to give at least a little bit back.”

For many in women’s basketball, the answer is a resounding yes.

“She’s a legend,” Cal coach and former Stanford player and assistant Charmin Smith texted the AP. “The game will miss her.”

In a match with Olympic overtones, the U.S. women’s water polo team took on Australia on Tuesday evening, April 9, in an exhibition game at Long Beach City College.

The match was the second meeting in three days between the Aussies and the Americans, 14-8 winners on Tuesday. The U.S. aims to capture its fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal this summer in Paris. The U.S. will begin Olympic play July 27 against Greece.

The Olympic Games return to Los Angeles in four years and Long Beach will be among the sites hosting events —  tentatively including water polo, rowing, handball, BMX, canoeing and open-water swimming.

On Sunday’s opening match of the water polo series, the U.S. defeated Australia, 10-4, at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta. The Americans are undefeated this year, including winning all six of its games, and the gold medal, at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar.

The U.S. also defeated Australia, 10-9, in a quarterfinal Feb. 12 at the FINA world tournament. Australia finished sixth in the 16-team field.

The 17-player U.S. roster includes all but one player from the 15-member U.S. team that won the gold medal at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in February and six members of the team that won that gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics — Rachel Fattal, Kaleigh Gilchrist, Ashleigh Johnson, Amanda Longan, Maddie Musselman and Maggie Steffens.

The U.S.-Australia series will conclude Saturday at noon at the William Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.

The U.S. won the shootout 5-4 after the rivals played to a 2-2 draw in regulation. Emily Fox scored the decisive goal in the seventh round of the shootout after Naeher stopped Evelyne Viens.

Sophia Smith scored both U.S. goals. Her first tied the score at 1-all in the 50th minute. Her second put the Americans ahead 2-1 in the 68th off a cross from Trinity Rodman, who was subbed in only minutes before.

Adriana Leon scored twice for Canada. She made it 1-0 in the 40th minute, and tied the score at 2-all when she converted a penalty in the 86th.

It was the 66th meeting between between the teams, with the U.S. leading the series 54-4-8. The last meeting was last month in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with the Americans advancing to the final on penalty shots after a rain-soaked 2-2 draw. Naeher also made three saves and converted a penalty in that match.

“It’s just incredible to watch and be here live, and know how prepared she is,” interim U.S. coach Twila Kilgore said. “I mean, she is prepared for every PK she could possibly face.”

The SheBelieves Cup matches were the last for the team under Kilgore. Emma Hayes, currently ending her coaching duties with England’s Chelsea, is set to take over for the next two games on the schedule, exhibitions against South Korea in June. Kilgore, who had an 11-1-2 record during her time in charge, will remain on Hayes’ staff.

Kilgore led the team to a 10-1-3 record after taking over for Vlatko Andonovski, who departed after the U.S. was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup last summer.

“I just think this team needed to regroup a little bit and focus on the things we felt would get us ready (for the Olympics) and get back to who we really are, get back to our DNA and also make sure that we’re evolving,” Kilgore said. “This team really wanted to evolve. Everything you see on the pitch is all credit to the players.”

Canada’s opening SheBelieves Cup match against Brazil also ended with a penalty shootout.

“In penalties we have a thorough process,” Canada coach Bev Priestman said. “At the end of the day, when you’ve got a full stadium cheering for the goalkeeper you’re going up against, nerves can be affected no matter what the staff say and what they do in training.”

Mallory Swanson, who started in the Americans’ 2-1 victory over Japan in the SheBelieves opener on Saturday, came on as a substitute to start the second half. Swanson was sidelined for a year after injuring her patellar tendon during an exhibition against Ireland last year. The injury kept her out of last summer’s Women’s World Cup.

Naomi Girma did not play after she was subbed off in the first half of the opener with an apparent thigh injury.

Korbin Albert made her second straight appearance as a substitute following a controversy over past social media posts. The 20-year-old, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, had reposted anti-LGBTQ+ content on her TikTok account.

Albert apologized, saying “liking and sharing posts that are offensive, insensitive and hurtful was immature and disrespectful which was never my intent.”

Alex Morgan addressed the issue last week, noting the team was handling it internally. The U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association issued a statement earlier Tuesday.

“The women’s soccer community is one of joy, excitement, kindness and love. We have worked to ensure our community is safe, inclusive and welcoming to everyone. As allies and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, those efforts will not stop,” the statement said.

Brazil took third place, beating Japan, 3-0, in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in the earlier match at Lower.com Field. Goalkeeper Lorena saved all three penalty attempts by Japan.

All four teams that played in the SheBelieves Cup have qualified for the Paris Olympics this summer.

An EPIC Final in Columbus

SheBelieves Cup, presented by @Visa pic.twitter.com/HBRWkHBwb7

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 10, 2024

SOPH EQUALIZES!!!! #USWNT x @vw pic.twitter.com/m7CfgN2JtS

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 10, 2024

“He’s obviously a really talented pitcher, really competing well,” Roberts said in the visitors’ dugout at Target Field. “I think that what we haven’t seen is, from start to finish, that he’s been synced up with his delivery.

“He’s a big guy (6-foot-8). There’s a lot of things going everywhere. So to kind of keep that under control is not easy, certainly. So I’m looking forward to, from pitch one to pitch 101, to have it synced up and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The Minnesota Twins had that syncing feeling Tuesday.

Glasnow overwhelmed a young Twins lineup, allowing just three hits while striking out 14 in seven scoreless innings as the Dodgers won, 6-3.

“That’s exactly what we were looking for,” Roberts said after the dominant performance. “We’ve seen Tyler over the years from the other side, and this is one of those things from pitch one to pitch 90 or 87, whatever it was tonight, he had complete control of the game.

“You look at the big leagues, he’s an ace for any team. He demonstrated that tonight, I thought.”

Glasnow struck out 10 of the first 15 batters he faced including six in a row at one point. The only hitter in the Twins’ lineup Glasnow did not strike out Tuesday was their No. 9 hitter, rookie outfielder Austin Martin. Martin doubled off the glove of a diving James Outman in right-center field in the third inning for his first major-league hit – and the Twins’ only hit in the first five innings – then pulled a hard ground ball down the third-base line for another double in the sixth.

“I felt just a lot more balanced today,” Glasnow said of syncing up his mechanics. “I think just everything like my direction going towards home was more consistent than normal and I think everything was able to tunnel off of it. I think even the couple misfires were misfires in the zone, so (I was) just being able to throw more strikes and get ahead of guys.”

The 14 strikeouts tied Glasnow’s career-high – and he knew it.

“I always do. I’d lie if I said I didn’t. I had them tallied up, for sure,” he said of keeping a mental count of his Ks, something he has done since he was a kid.

“Yeah, it’s like subconscious at this point. I think you’re unaware of it. Sometimes I’ll be off a bit but for the most part I kinda know, yeah.”

Glasnow became the first Dodgers starter of the season to pitch into the seventh inning and he did it with ease, completing seven innings on just 88 pitches (65 for strikes). According to OptaStats, Glasnow is the first pitcher to strike out 14 or more batters while throwing fewer than 90 pitches since pitch counts started to be officially kept in 1988.

The Twins couldn’t touch Glasnow’s four-seam fastball. He threw 45 of them (averaging 96.2 mph). The Twins swung at 25 of them, missed 12, fouled off seven and put just six in play. They took another 12 for called strikes.

They didn’t fare much better against his slider, missing six of the 12 they swung at, or the curveball, missing three times for a whopping 21 swings-and-misses in all.

“I thought he was really good,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. “He was attacking the zone, getting ahead and putting guys away.

“You’re just making sure you’re mixing speeds, mixing locations, making sure you don’t let guys keyhole and get on him. So, yeah, I thought he did a really good job tonight. It was fun to catch.”

The Dodgers backed Glasnow with three-run home runs in back-to-back innings.

James Outman was 2 for 25 with 14 strikeouts in that stretch before hitting the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of Monday’s win. He joked about doing the same cricket bat hitting drills as Shohei Ohtani, hoping to get the same results as the hot-hitting Ohtani.

It might be working. Outman singled in his first at-bat Tuesday then launched a three-run home run 422 feet to straightaway center field in the fourth inning for the Dodgers’ first runs of the game.

Mookie Betts’ hot start has given way to Ohtani’s current 12-for-27 tear over his past six games, both obscuring the fact that Smith is hitting as well as either of them.

Smith has hits in 10 of his first 12 games, multiple hits in five of those. His 2-for-5 night against the Twins left his batting average at an even .400.

His second hit of the night Tuesday was the Dodgers’ second three-run home run, an opposite-field drive that doubled their lead in the fifth inning.

“I think he likes it that way, as far as being under the radar,” Roberts said. “He’s hitting fourth in a pretty dang good lineup so he’s not going unnoticed here. I think he’s an All-Star. A star player. He’s very consistent.

“I think the ‘Big 3’ certainly gets a lot of media attention. But that four hitter is pretty dang good too. He’s very consistent. He’s exactly what we need behind those three guys.”

The Twins were so relieved to see Glasnow leave the game after seven innings that they hit three home runs in the last two – one off of Alex Vesia in the eighth and back-to-back shots off Connor Brogdon in his Dodgers debut in the ninth.

A crew of six men — five from the Phoenix area and another from Mexico, who prosecutors said was tied to the Sinaloa Cartel — all have been accused of participating in the sprawling murder plot that ultimately left brothers Edgar Berrelleza-Soto, 26, and Joel Mauricio Berrelleza, 35, both of Orange, and two other men dead.

Raul Gastellum Flores, 33, of Phoenix, is the only suspect so far to face a jury. He appeared inside a Santa Ana courtroom on Tuesday, the first day of his trial on four counts of murder for what Orange County prosecutors said was his part in the plot.

Wearing a blue suit and black glasses, his long hair pulled back in a bun, Flores sat quietly next to his attorney, listening as Deputy District Attorney Harris Siddiq sketched out what he believed to be Flores’ involvement in the killings.

Siddiq accused Flores of agreeing to help Rosario Roman-Lopez, a former partner of the Berrelleza brothers in a cross-border drug smuggling operation, in a plot to kidnap and kill the brothers over what Roman-Lopez said was their failure to pay him back for hiring a coyote.

Siddiq said Roman-Lopez promised to pay Flores just $2,000 to take part in the plan.

“He knew this was dangerous,” Siddiq said of Flores. “But he signed right up.”

Flores is on trial after his 2018 arrest in Oklahoma by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents investigating a separate drug trafficking operation. While he was in custody, a detective with the Orange Police Department traveled to Oklahoma to interview him.

Siddiq said that in a series of interviews, Flores admitted to being part of the crew that ambushed the Berrelleza brothers and two other victims, Antonio Medina, 19, of Glendale, Arizona and Fernando Meza, 20 of Phoenix.

Berrelleza-Soto was in the drivers seat of his GMC SUV, parked in his driveway on East Oakmont Avenue on Nov. 9, 2015, with Media and Meza in the back. Siddiq said Flores and two other men suddenly drove up in a vehicle that blocked the GMC.

Flores and another man, both armed with guns, and a third armed with a knife, threatened the trio in the GMC, and attempted to bind their hands with duct tape. Within minutes, all three victims would be dead: Berrelleza-Soto and Medina died after being shot in their heads, while Meza, injured both from gunshots and stabs from the knife, ultimately died from smoke inhalation, Siddiq said.

In the interview with the detectives, Flores admitted to dousing the bodies with gasoline, then lighting them on fire with a cigarette lighter. A video from a nearby porch camera captured Flores jumping out of the GMC as it caught fire, then running to a car waiting just behind.

Later, Roman-Lopez and other members of the crew kidnapped Joel Berrelleza, holding him in another vehicle they were driving toward Fontana.

Siddiq said when Joel Berrelleza asked Roman-Lopez for a cigarette, Roman-Lopez told him “no” then shot him three times point blank inside the car. Roman-Lopez then filmed with his cell phone as the crew taunted Berrelleza as he died from the gunshots, video that was played for the jury in court Tuesday.

Attorneys said Roman-Lopez was killed in Mexico months after the Southern California murders.

Flores has not been accused of firing a weapon during the Oakmont Avenue killings. Prosecutors instead leaned on his participating in what they said was a conspiracy to kidnap and kill the victims.

Cameron Talley, an attorney for Flores, disputed whether Flores knew Roman-Lopez intended to kill the Berrelleza brothers.

Talley did not give an opening statement Tuesday. He said Flores intended to testify in his own defense during the trial.

Flores was one of three men arrested who were accused of being part of the crew. The others were Alejandro Guerrero Ruiz of Orange and Angel De Jesus Barreras of Ontario.

Ruiz took a deal in 2020, agreeing to plead guilty to robbery if prosecutors dropped the murder charges against him. Siddiq said Ruiz was a street-level dealer for the Berrelleza brothers at the time and acted as a scout for the rest of the crew, telling them how much money the brothers had on them at the time and discussing their locations.

Barreras continues to face murder charges in the case, but he has not faced a jury yet. His case was sealed, according to court records.

The two final suspects in the case, Alex Corral and Juan Castro, have not yet been arrested.