Month: May 2016

A’s Homer Away 5 Game Skid Against Rays

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

AP photo: Oakland A’s Yonder Alonso slides ahead of Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria’s tag in the sixth inning at Tropicana Field on Friday

One thing was missing from the Oakland Athletics makeshift lineup after falling victim to a three-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox. With Danny Valencia, among others, out of the lineup the Green and Gold lacked a bopper at the heart of their order. With Valencia returning to action after missing two straight games, the A’s received a dose of much needed pop as they opened a weekend series with the Rays (15-18) in Tampa Bay.

Oakland rode a pair of homers from Valencia to best the Rays 6-3, snapping a 5 game losing streak. Khris Davis and Marcus Semien also homered for the A’s (15-21), while Rich Hill pitched 6 innings, striking out 7 Rays. Ryan Madson shut the door for his 9th save of the year.

Davis was the first Athletic to exit the yard, taking eventual losing pitcher Jake Odorizzi (0-2, 3.83 ERA) deep on a full count offering with two runners on for his 8th homer of the season. Like Davis, Valencia worked the count full, then lifted a ball to deep left field for a solo homer, his first dinger of the year, and a 4-0 lead before Hill could even take the mound.

The Steve’s, Pierce and De Souza, would each single in a run in the bottom half of the frame to cut Oakland’s lead in half, but it’d be the last bit of damage Tampa would do off Hill until Evan Longoria hit a 5th inning RBI double. By then, the game was already locked up 5-3, with Semien hitting a solo shot in the top of the 4th. Semien’s 9th homer of the season is an A’s record out of the 9th place in the batting order.

Hill (5-3, 2.68) only allowed one other hit besides the 3 run-scoring knocks over his 6 innings of work. His finesse attempt yielding 4 walks, but his 7 punchouts were enough to keep the Rays off the board. Fernando Rodriguez and Sean Doolittle picked up holds for their scoreless innings, bridging the gap to Madson.

Valencia hit his second round-tripper of the game in the top of the 6th off reliever Dana Eveland, crushing a 0-1 pitch to right field. It’s the third baseman’s 1st multi-homer game since September 18th of last season.

Valencia will look to stay hot against rookie Matt Andriese Saturday. The Rays starter comes into his 2nd start with a 1.29 ERA. Oakland counters with Kendall Graveman.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: It’s going to be a rough and tumble physical series between Sharks-Blues

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photo by New England Sports Network: The San Jose Sharks congratulate each other after game 7 victory last Thursday at SAP Center in San Jose

On the San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa discusses game seven Thursday night at SAP Center between the Sharks and the Nashville Predators and it was kind of stunner you would not expect that kind of a game with a 5-0 result and just the way the Sharks completely dominated the Predators and the thing that came to mind was “gosh what took you so long?” You get to the seventh game and you could beat them like that. Obviously everybody has their off days and it was an off day for the Preds the Sharks were just all over them.

The St.Louis Blues are up next for the Sharks and most of the statistics have the Blues and the Sharks facing each other and in the regular season the Sharks did quite well against the Blues. The Sharks went 2-1 of the three meetings between the two teams. Everything the power play, the penalty kill, everything the Sharks are doing they’re way at the top in these playoffs.

Listen to Mary Lisa she has more on the Sharks playoff podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: For W’s round three there’s Thunder in the house

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photo by pixgood.com: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor the San Antonio Spurs (eliminated) and the Oklahoma City Thunder were always considered the two most viable teams to face the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Now the Thunder and the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals the two best teams will have to face each other. In the second round the Warriors had to play the Portland Trailblazers and won in five games.

With the Thunder and Spurs those two teams took it to the limit going seven games the Thunder in that series kind of exposed the Spurs weaknesses on that Spurs roster. Part of it is that the Thunder have Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant who are two of the best six players in the NBA.

David takes you through the latest with the updates in previewing the third round Western Conference Finals Series between Golden State and OKC listen below at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Finish Off Preds With 5 Goal Shutout

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: San Jose Sharks Joe Pavelski scores first goal of the game in the first period against the Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber at SAP Center Thursday night

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks came up with a resounding Game Seven win against the Nashville Predators on Thursday. The 5-0 victory means that the Sharks will advance to face the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Finals. It is somewhat surprising that both of the NHL’s 2016 Western Conference finalists won their second round series in Game Sevens by a margin of five goals. After the Blues defeated Dallas on Wednesday 6-1, the odds had to be long against the Sharks accomplishing a similar feat a day later. But they did.

It has been a while since the Sharks went to the Conference Final. The Sharks’ Logan Couture offered an insight into how he is approaching the next step:

My first two years we made it to Conference Finals, you think it’s easy. You think it’s going to come every year and it doesn’t. So I think it makes you realize that you’ve really got to take advantage of the chances that you do. When you get there you have a very good team, you’ve got to take advantage of it.

A 5-0 victory was not what anyone expected between San Jose and Nashville in Game 7. The teams were pretty well matched through six games, and had fought their way to a third overtime period once. Martin Jones played well, but only faced 20 shots, 12 of those coming in the third period. Nashville’s Pekka Rinne was relieved half way through the third period. The Sharks’ best players were their best players, while Nashville’s were not. Sharks goals came from five different players and the power play to boot. Logan Couture set a new franchise record for points in a playoff series with his eleventh on Thursday.

After the game, Joe Thornton pointed to the Sharks’ depth as key to the win and the series success:

We roll four lines, we roll 16. I think we have so much trust with each other that whoever goes over that board we just have confidence will do the job. You saw it tonight.

A quick look at the game stats reveals a comparatively flat ice time distribution for the Sharks forwards. Thornton saw the most ice time at 17:04, while Dainius Zubrus had the least at 12:58. The confidence and trust that Thornton describes seems to be well placed. None of the lines looked particularly vulnerable against the Predators on Thursday.

It was hard to reconcile the Sharks team we saw Thursday with the one seen in Nashville on Monday, when the Predators came away with the overtime win in Game 6. Logan Couture explained:

I think guys just wanted to get out there and put that game six behind us and move on and we were saying just establish the forecheck, get it in on their D. Make this building tough to play in like it’s been in the past and that’s what we did.

Tommy Wingels was back in the lineup after sitting out two games. He had a nice breakaway early in the first. His shot bounced out of Rinne’s glove for an enticing rebound, but no one was there to take advantage of it for the Sharks. That was slightly anomalous for the first five minutes of the game, as the Sharks outshot the Predators 6-1. The teams spent the majority of that time in the Nashville zone.

The Sharks got their first power play at 8:22 of the period, at which time the Predators still only had one shot on goal. It was a cruel but bloodless penalty for the Predators: Viktor Arvidsson went to the box for sending the puck over the glass. The Sharks had a hard time getting their power play rolling. In the first 12 seconds, they struggled to keep the puck in, then the Predators sent it onto the bench and they just could not get things going.

25 or so seconds later, Thornton made a pass from the half wall to Marlowe on the goal line. Marlowe made a quick pass back up to Pavelski in front of the net and Pavelski put it home on the far top corner. It was Pavelski’s ninth goal of the playoffs. Assists went to Marlowe and Thornton.

The Predators took their second shot some time in the tenth minute of the period. They still had not taken a third when Marc-Edouard Vlasic knocked the puck off a Nashville stick. Melker Karlsson picked it up and sent Joel Ward in on a breakaway. Ward skated around defender Roman Jossi, then delayed long enough to draw Rinne out of the crease, and put the puck behind the goalie to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead. There were just over three minutes remaining in the first. Assists went to Melker Karlsson. It was Ward’s second goal of the playoffs.

With 1:38 remining in the first, Nashville’s Shea Weber went to the box for interference against Dainius Zubrus, giving the Sharks a second power play. The Sharks did not score, leaving just 22 seconds on the power play to start the second period.

At the end of the first, the shots were 17-3 San Jose. In the faceoff circle, the Sharks imnproved significantly over previous games in this series, winning 67% of the draws.

The Sharks did not score during those last 22 seconds of power play time, but 14 seconds later Logan Couture picked up a misplayed puck and skated in to score his seventh of the playoffs.

The Sharks followed that up with a tremendous couple of minutes, capped by an attack from San Jose’s fourth line that had Pekka Rinne all out of sorts. A couple of chances found Rinne out of his net but the puck bounced over the cross bar each time.

Five minutes into the second period, the Sharks were leading by three goals and 13 shots. Twelve minutes in and the Predators were looking completely overmatched. The Sharks did not exactly ressemble the Globetrotters but they were moving the puck around the Nashville zone without much resistance at all. Nashville blocked their shots and kept them away from rebounds, but that seemed to be all they could do.

At the end of the second period, Mattias Ekholm was called for cross-checking Tommy Wingels, so the Sharks started the third on another power play.

32 seconds into that power play, the Sharks entered the zone four on one. Logan Couture had a chance to carry the puck into the slot and take a shot. The puck hit Rinne’s pads and stalled just outside the goal line, and Joe Thornton was right there to touch it in the rest of the way. It was Thornton’s third of the post season, and Couture received the only assist.

If a three goal lead is dangerous, then you could say that Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture put the game back into the safe zone fifth goal at 3:54 of the third. A quick pass up ice from Joonas Donskoi sent Marleau and Couture away on a two on one. The Sharks skaters played the puck back and forth and got Rinne sliding across. Marleau put the puck over him for his fourth of the playoffs.

Carter Hutton came in to replace Rinne after that.

With 5:26 to go in the game, Sharks defenseman Justin Braun was called for interference, giving the Predators their first power play, but it did not change the outcome.

The Sharks will start their series against the Blues on Sunday in St. Louis at 5:00 PT.

Cueto sharp in Giants win over Snakes

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By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, May 12, 2016

AP photo: San Francisco Giants winning pitcher Johnny Cueto bunts a pop up in the third inning left Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Wellington Castillo Thursday night

PHOENIX, Arizona – About that now-routine 100-pitch count limit. Johnny Cueto wasn’t paying much attention to it on Thursday night at Chase Field.

The veteran righthander allowed a well-spaced pair of runs on eight hits and 115 pitches through seven innings, as San Francisco fought off a late Arizona rally to win 4-2. Cueto (5-1) lowered his earned run average to 2.97 in the process.

“This was as good as I’ve felt all season,” Cueto said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I don’t worry about my pitching. It’s just the way I pitch, sometimes I need to get upset at myself to pitch effectively.

Asked when he got upset with himself, Cueto said, “it was in the first inning!”

Cueto added, “I want to thank the Lord for the opportunity to pitch. I think it’s also a credit to my teammates who play really well behind me. I just try to do the best I can.”

D-Backs leadoff hitter Jean Segura was 3-for-5, but Cueto stymied the rest of the lineup. Arizona stranded 11 baserunners – eight against Cueto.

“Johnny did a great job,” Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. “He threw a lot of pitches early, then he settled down and pitched a terrific game. He did a good job against a tough lineup. It was a good win for him, and for us.

“Johnny’s been so consistent for us. He’s giving us quality innings and he’s fun to watch.”

By winning, the Giants (19-18) remain tied with Los Angeles for first place in the National League West, and the Diamondbacks (17-20) are two games behind in what has been the weakest division in Major League Baseball so far this season.

The Giants’ victory didn’t come without some late drama. With one out in the Arizona ninth, pinch-hitter Phil Gosselin doubled off Giants closer Santiago Casilla, followed by a single by Segura. After Brandon Drury struck out and Paul Goldschmidt walked to load the bases, Casilla was pulled in favor of left-hander Javier Lopez.

With the lefty-lefty matchup Bochy wanted, Jake Lamb grounded out to second to end the game, and Lopez had his first save of the season.

“It was a little scary there at the end,” Bochy said. “It was a well-played game with timely hits. The guys did a good job.”

Casilla was visibly upset about being taken out of the game, but Bochy stood by his decision.

“That was an easy move to make,” Bochy explained. “Casilla gets emotional and he wants to be the guy out there. We have a veteran lefty out there, (Arizona) was out of hitters, it was easy to do that.

“You don’t mind guys being competitive and not wanting to come out. He’s not used to coming out. He just got a little emotional out there because he didn’t want to come out. We’ll talk about it.”

Meanwhile, Zach Greinke’s struggles continue for Arizona. The high-priced right-hander gave up all four San Francisco runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four as his record evened at 3-3 and his ERA increased to 5.26.

“(Grienke’s) velocity looked the same,” Bochy said. “We finally broke through one inning with some big hits. Grienke had good stuff, so it was good to see us break through and get on the board against these guys.

“He’s one of the best in the game. He shut us down the last time we saw him (D-Backs 2-1 win on April 20 at AT&T Park). It was a great matchup between (Grienke and Cueto). There both cerebral-type pitchers. Today, our guy just pitched better.”

After trailing 1-0 early, San Francisco surged ahead with two runs in the fourth. After Matt Duffy and Buster Posey hit back-to-back singles, Brandon Belt followed with a single to center, scoring Duffy. Hunter Pence hit into a fielder’s choice, erasing Belt at second, but driving in Posey.

The Giants added two more runs in the top of the fifth on Joe Panik’s fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right. Also scoring was Denard Span, who led off the inning with a base hit to center.

“We finally broke through,” Bochy said. “Grienke has been tough on us, but we had some good at-bats there. Panik’s homer was huge, that gave us a little cushion.

“We’ve been in a rut offensively, and it was good to see Joe do what he did. Span had good at-bats, Buster, Belt, they all did a good job against a tough pitcher.”

The Diamondbacks cut their deficit to 4-2 in the sixth when Chris Owings tripled to right-center, driving in Yasmany Tomãs, who reached on a fielder’s choice.

Arizona opened the scoring when Jake Lamb drove in Jean Segura with a two-out RBI single to right in the bottom of the first. Segura led off the Diamondbacks’ first with single, moved to second on Brandon Drury’s base hit and on to third when Paul Goldschmidt grounded into a double play.

After that, Cueto settled down and gave the Giants yet another quality start. He held Goldschmidt to an 0-for-4, striking out the Arizona slugger three times after getting him to hit into a rally-ending double play in the first inning.

“You have to be able to concentrate, especially on a very good hitter like Goldschmidt,” Cueto said. “You just try to get the double play.”

On Friday, Jeff Smardzjia (4-2, 3.17) starts for San Francisco, facing Shelby Miller (1-3, 7.36) in a battle of right-handers.

GIANT JOTTINGS: Prior to Thursday’s game, the Giants recalled RHP Clayton Blackburn from Triple-A Sacramento. The corresponding roster move has yet to be announced. … Springtime in the desert: Game time temperature was 98 degrees. Announced attendance was 19,461. … 1B Brandon Belt is third in the Majors with a .445 on-base percentage. Only Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt has reached more, according to Stats LLC. … The Giants are 9-3 in their last 12 games at Chase Field, and the Diamondbacks are 12-2 in their last 14 games at AT&T Park; the last 21 of 26 games between the two clubs have been won by the visiting team. … Going into the weekend series in the Valley, the Giants are hitting .259 overall with runners in scoring position this season, with a team RISP batting average of .057 (2-for-35). … San Francisco has stranded 271 baserunners this season, tied with the Chicago Cubs for second most in that department. Pittsburgh leads MLB with 276 stranded runners.

TAGS: San Francisco Giants,Arizona Diamondbacks,Sports Radio Service,Daniel Dullum,Johnny Cueto,Joe Panik

Preview of the A’s -Rays Series in Tampa Bay

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by Jerry Feitelberg

photo credit sbnation.com: Oakland A’s pitcher Sonny Gray is having his struggles of late

The A’s are off Thursdays as they are traveling to the Tampa St.Petersburg area to play the final three games of the nine-game road trip. The A’s are 1-5 on the trip, and things are not going well for the Oaktown boys. The starting rotation is a trainwreck right now. The A’s ace, Sonny Gray, is not pitching well and needs to get back on track soon.Gray’s record is 3-4, and his ERA is 6.00 Kendall Graveman has been rocked in his last three starts and may be in jeopardy of being sent to the bullpen as the long relief guy or, perhaps, sent  to Nashville, to get his game back on track. His record is 1-4, and his ERA is 5.74 Righty Jesse Hahn started the season in Nashville, called back to Oakland and pitched well in one game and not-so-well in another is back in Nashville trying to find the recipe for success. Lefty Sean Manaea, the prospect the A’s received when they traded Ben Zobrist to Kansas City, has made three starts, and his performance indicates that he may not be ready to pitch at the Major League level. His record is 0-1, but his ERA is an astounding 11.37. Lefty Eric Surkamp does not appear to be the answer in the starting rotation either. Surkamp is 0-3, and his ERA is 6.55.  The only consistent performer the A’s have is the veteran Rich Hill. Hill has made seven starts and owns a record of 4-3 and a very respectable ERA of 2.39. Hill is scheduled to pitch against the Rays’Jake Odorizzi Friday night. Jarred Parker, Felix Doubront, Chris Bassit, and Liam Hendricks are all on the DL. Position players Mark Canha and Jed Lowrie are also on the 15-day DL. A’s manager Bob Melvin has had to get imaginative in his lineups. Danny Valencia is also hurt. Melvin has Yonder Alonso playing third and Billy Butler playing first.

Josh Reddick leads the A’s offense.  Reddick has been very reliable so far this season. Reddick, however, will be a free agent at the end of the year, and he may find himself a new home for the 2017 season. The A’s could continue their pattern of trading him before the trade deadline to get more prospects, or they could give him a qualifying offer of over 16 million dollars for one year. The A’s probably think that Josh will reject the QO and then the A’s would receive a draft pick if some other club signed him. The A’s have another trade chip. However, the A’s have been adamant saying that Sonny Gray will not be traded. Sonny doesn’t cost the A’s a lot of money yet but he will in a couple of years.

The Tampa Bay Rays are almost a mirror image of the A’s. They play in a ballpark that is a nightmare. They are the only team in baseball that plays in an indoor stadium. Balls are lost in the lights, or they land on catwalks. Attendance is also the pits in St. Petersburg. The Rays would like to move but have a lease with the stadium that expires in 2027.

The Rays made the 2008 World Series with pitchers such as James Shields and David Price. Shields is now in San Diego, and Price is in Boston. Their lineup is made up of players that are either prospects or journeymen. The team is led by the veteran third baseman Evan Longoria. Longoria is hitting just .233 but has six home runs and seventeen RBIs. Right fielder Steve Souza, Jr has a batting average of .252, and he has eight dingers and fifteen RBIs. Left fielder Desmond Jennings is hitting a buck sixty-three and center fielder Kirk Kiermaier is just above the Mendoza line at .208. Brad Miller is the shortstop. Logan Forsythe plays second for the Rays, and the other Logan(Morrison) is at first. Forsythe is leading the club in hitting with an average of .308 but is listed as day-to-day due to a shoulder bruise. Curt Casali and the ex-Angel Hank Conger handle the catching chores.

The Rays, like the A’s, have prided themselves on good pitching.  However, the rotation of Chris Arche, Matt Andriese, Matt Moore, Jake Odorizzi, and Drew Smyly have a won-lost record of 5-12 so far this season. Starter Alex Cobb is on the DL and may return later this year. The bullpen is manned by former Athletic Dana Eveland, Erasmo Ramirez, Ryan Webb, Enny Romero, Steve Geltz, Xavier Cedeno and closer Alex Colome. Ramirez has a record of 6-1 and Colome has recorded nine saves. Last year’s closer, Brad Boxberger is on the DL and may return in mid-May as he recovers from core muscle surgery.Boxberger recorded forty-four saves for the Rays in 2015. The Rays record for 2016 is 15-17 and are returning from a swing to the West Coast. The last three games of the trip were in Seattle and the Mariners swept them.

The A’s will send Rich Hill to pitch Friday night. He will be opposed by Jake Odorizzi. Kendall Graveman will pitch on Saturday and Matt Andriese will go for Tampa Bay. The A’s need to get well in Tampa as the return to face the potent Texas Rangers for three in Oakland. The New York Yankees arrive to play four, and they will be seeking to avenge the three-game sweep by the A’s earlier this year. The Yankees are playing better ball as their veteran players are starting to come around.  The A’s then go to Seattle for three and then return home to face the Detroit Tigers. They have their work cut out for them.

 

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: D-Backs Greinke always a tough customer on Giants as SF counters with Cueto

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AP photo: The Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke gives up a two run homer to San Francisco Giants hitter Joe Panik circling the bases in the fifth inning Thursday night at Chase Field

On the SF Giants podcast with Michael Duca the Arizona Diamondbacks Zack Greinke will start in Thursday’s series opener against the Giants. Greinke has had much success against the Giants he’s 8-0 in his last 11 starts against the Giants and has an 2.12 ERA against them. He’ll be countered with Giants starter Johnny Cueto, Cueto has had success this year and has some 26 varieties of throwing the ball. Thursday night’s game should be a premier pitching performance.

Giants starter Matt Cain may have broken out of his long slump after a couple of surgeries and lots of adjustments Cain looks like he’s back on track and the best nemesis to try that out on is the Toronto Blue Jays where he pitched eight innings, six hits, two runs, and struck out seven on the last homestand.

Join Michael for the Giants podcast below and every week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Warriors Advance to Conference Finals, Oust Blazers with 125-121 Win

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Reuters photo: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry holding the ball leading club to victory over the Portland Trailblazers

The Golden State Warriors kept their end of the bargain in setting up the primetime Western Conference Finals, moving past the Portland Trailblazers in a 4-1 series win. Golden State rallied from a halftime deficit to oust the Blazers from the playoffs with a 125-121 win at Oracle Arena Wednesday night. They now await the winner of the Oklahoma City-San Antonio series, with most pundits expecting a heavyweight clash between the reigning champions and Gregg Popovich’s Spurs.

The Splash Brothers led the Warriors charge highlighted by Klay Thompson’s team-best 33 points. In his second game back from injury, the unanimous Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry chipped in 29. Oakland’s own Damian Lillard did his best to stave off elimination, scoring 28 points for Portland. His frontcourt partner C.J. McCollum added 27.

The Warriors trailed by double-digits late into the 2nd quarter, but managed to keep the Portland lead to 5 points down 63-58 at the half. Golden State outscored Portland 67-58 in the second half for the victory and another dominant series win.

All is not rosey for the Warriors though. Andrew Bogut came out of the game with an adductor injury. The Aussie center’s injury history looms as a concern as the Warriors head to the next round. Draymond Green also briefly exited the game with an injury, but returned to finish out the contest. He had 11 rebounds and 13 points for the Warriors.

For now, the Warriors will play the waiting game as they see who prevails in the other conference semifinal. The Spurs trail the Thunder 3-2, with game 6 set for Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

Stephen Curry wins MVP with unanimous vote

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By: Eric He

photo credit billsinsider.com: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry hold 2016 MVP Award on Wednesday

OAKLAND–In news that came as rather unsurprising, the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry claimed the MVP award for the second consecutive year.

What was surprising this time around was that it was a unanimous choice — the first time it’s happened — with all 131 votes going toward Curry.

The 28-year-old averaged 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, outperforming his 2014-2015 MVP campaign. He also led the NBA in steals with 2.1 per game.

Curry’s star has risen precipitously in recent seasons, captivating the league with a blistering shooting arsenal and adding on to his game to become an all-around force. He helped lead the Warriors to a record-breaking 73-9 regular season and his return from injury bolstered the team to a series win over the Trail Blazers to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Curry is just the third point guard to win the MVP award multiple times, joining Steve Nash and Magic Johnson. He is the first player in Warriors’ franchise history to win the award more than once.

Quakes Remain Undefeated at Home, Beat Dynamo 3-1

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By: Joe Lami

USA Today photo: San Jose Earthquakes celebrate with three goals and a win against the Houston Dynamo at Avaya Stadium in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif.–The San Jose Earthquakes remain undefeated at home after another impressive mid-week victory at Avaya. This time, the victim was the Houston Dynamo, also known as the Ex-Quakes.

San Jose got on the board with their earliest goal of the campaign, just three minutes into the contest in the 3-1 victory. Alberto Quintero got his first of the night after Chris Wondolowski hit a low cross down low in the box. Quintero just got enough of it with his right boot to poke it past Dynamo keeper Tyler Deric.

“No matter what the circumstances, getting an early goal is always great,” said Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear.

However, the lead wouldn’t last forever as the Dynamo tied things going into halftime, thanks to a Ricardo Clark strike in the 43rd minute. He one timed the ball from 24 yards out, after an initial save from David Bingham. The ball found the top right corner of the net to draw the game.

San Jose came out of the half the better team, as whatever Kinnear said at the half seemed to work. Quintero continued his great night, as he picked up an assist on the game-winning goal as Anibal Godoy scored his first of the season off the give and go with his fellow countryman. Godoy snuck it to the left of Deric for the lead in the 50th minute.

Quintero kept things going with his second goal of the night in the 70th minute. Wondolowski earned another helper, as he beat a double team passing to his left to a wide-open Quintero. Quintero had no problem burying it from six yards out.

Fans also were treated to a rare moment in the 80th minute, as Deric earned a red card after fouling Simon Dawkins outside of the box. Unfortunately for Houston, they were out of substitutions, as they used all three in the 59th minute. Being forced to put a defenseman in goal, Jalil Anibaba volunteered himself to be the makeshift keeper. Anibaba was challenged with a few good chances, but came up with the saves to keep the score 3-1.

The Quakes have this weekend off before they travel to Los Angeles next weekend, as they hope to try and end their winless streak on the road in a crucial game with a team that is higher on the table.