Month: April 2017

Extra Dribbles: Short-handed Warriors put 3-0 stranglehold on Trail Blazers

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

PORTLAND — Stephen Curry scored a game-high 34 points to go along with eight assists and Klay Thompson finished with 24 points and the Warriors erased a 16-point third quarter deficit to put the Trail Blazers on the brink of elimination with a hard-fought 119-113 victory Saturday night in Portland.

Both Curry (10-of-25) and Thompson (8-of-21) struggled in the first half before finding their respective strokes in the second half.

Andre Iguodala scored 16 points and Patrick McCaw (starting his second career postseason game), added 11 points.

Draymond Green had another stat-sheet filling night with nine points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and six blocks.

With the win, Golden State snaps a five-game postseason losing streak in Game 3s. Through the first three games, Golden State’s +47 combined win margin is the largest for any playoff series in franchise history.

Golden State can send the Trail Blazers fishing for the summer with a win in Game 4 on Monday night in Portland.

Without head coach Steve Kerr (illness), Kevin Durant (calf), Shaun Livingston (hand), and Matt Barnes (ankle),  the Golden State Warriors resembled more of the walking wounded rather than the NBA’s best team entering Game 3 of their best-of-7 series; but played smart and calm down the stretch that resulted in the victory.

Check out my takeaways below that led to Golden State’s win:

Golden State owned the third quarter: Trailing 82-66 after a Damian Lillard finger roll with 6:20 left in the third quarter, the Warriors stormed back with a 19-1 run, taking an 85-83 lead when JaVale McGee slammed through a lob with 2:01 left in the quarter.

Golden State overcame a 16-point hole and 52-42 rebounding edge by the Blazers to neutralize Portland to 30.4-percent shooting for the quarter. During their hot run, Golden State held Portland to 0-of-8 shooting, with three turnovers.

Per ESPN Stats and Information, Thompson made more 3s in the third (4) than total field goals made (3) in the first half.

The Warriors ended the third quarter on a 21-6 run.

Take another bow, McGee: There’s no question that Curry and Thompson were huge in Golden State’s second half comeback, but the play of McGee in Game 3 was just as vital.

McGee, who has been referenced as a “vertical spacer” by the Warriors’ coaching staff, has been just that against the Trail Blazers this series with his penchant for catching the lob pass for hammering dunks.

In 16 minutes on the floor tonight, McGee scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, to go along with four rebounds. The reserve center was +24 whenever he was on the court.

When you combine his performances from Game 1 (6 points on 3-of-4 FG) and Game 2 (15 points on 7-of-7 shooting) with his line from Game 3 (14 points on 6-of-8 shooting), McGee has scored 35 points on 16-of-19 shooting.

Portland’s backcourt is fun to watch and aren’t the problem: Through the first three games, Lillard and C.J. McCollum have made life difficult for the NBA’s second-ranked defense during the regular season with their ability to score nearly at will. Outside of Game 2, Portland’s electrifying backcourt has torched Golden State:

In Game 1: 75 of Portland’s 109 points on 38-of-54 shooting (7-of-15 3FG).

In Game 2: 23 of Portland’s 80 points on 9-of-34 shooting (1-of-7 3FG).

In Game 3: 63 of Portland’s 119 points on 20-of-46 shooting (10-of-22 3FG).

McCollum led all Trail Blazers with 32 points and Lillard finished with 31 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in Game 3, where Portland was feeding off of its raucous crowd.

Portland did get center Jusuf Nurkic back in the starting lineup for Game 3 after missing the first two games of the series with a non-displaced fracture in his left leg he suffered late in the season that caused him to miss the final seven games.

Nurkic finished with two points and 11 rebounds in 17 minutes of action and was a non-factor.

Al-Farouq Aminu had 14 points and nine rebounds to lead Portland’s bench, while Noah Vonleh added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Allen Crabbe, whose struggled in the series shooting just 33-percent from the floor, scored eight.

Golden State held the edge in points in the paint (46-38) and fastbreak points (22-6).

San Jose Sharks Stanley Cup Playoffs: Oilers Knock Sharks Out In Game 6 with 3-1 beating

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Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) celebrates after scoring an empty net goal with teammate Leon Draisaitl (29) during the third period in Game 6 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Saturday, April 22, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. The Oilers won 3-1. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)o97/

By Barbara Mason

SAN JOSE–Saturday night the San Jose Sharks took on the Edmonton Oilers at SAP in game 6 of their playoff series only to drop the final deciding game 3-1. The Sharks have to shake off the bitter disappointment that came with their loss in game 5 in Edmonton. The bottom line is that San Jose could have won that game. It came down to a delay of game penalty in the waning minutes of the second period. Edmonton scored a power play goal to make the score 3-2 in favor of the Sharks as both teams went into their locker rooms. While it is the playoffs where anything can happen, many believe that San Jose would have taken a 3-1 lead into the third period had it not been for that penalty. I would say the odds were highly in favor of that thought process.

As captain Joe Pavelski had said, this is the way things go sometimes and the team just needs to go home and get it done. Well the team is home and it’s crunch time and they do need to get it done. The major key for this game is aggressiveness and it has to happen from start to finish for the Black and Teal.

The first period was a sparring match with neither team able to find the net resulting in the 0-0 score. The shots on goal had the Oilers with 9 and San Jose with 6. The Oilers controlled the puck for much of the period and the sell-out crowd had quieted down at the mid-way mark. It seemed the excitement had completely worn off and there was only one thing that would bring the crowd back to life. The first period was frankly a very boring affair.

At 54 seconds it would be the Oilers up on the board for the first score of the game courtesy of a San Jose turnover. Leon Draisaitl would score assisted by Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson. At 1:50 Edmonton would strike again off the stick of Anton Slepyshev for an unassisted goal off yet another turnover for a 2-0 lead. The Sharks were headed on a disastrous course. Watching this game made one scratch their head. Where was the team that scored 7 goals last Tuesday night? The major issue with the San Jose Sharks right now is that you never know from one game to the next what team you are going to see. The inconsistency is mind-boggling.

San Jose would go on the power play once in the second period but Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot fought off some great shots to keep his team ahead 2-0 after two. San Jose had taken more shots on goal with 18 while the Oilers had taken 15, two of which struck gold. Through two periods Cam Talbot was without doubt the number one star and as the third period got underway he showed no signs of letting down. He is an amazing goalie.

This game became a little more interesting when number 12 scored at 12:12. This was Patrick Marleau’s 3rd goal of the post-season. He was assisted by Logan Couture and Joonas Donskoi. The crowd came alive as the Sharks went on the power play with a little under five minutes left in the game. The Sharks were unable to take advantage of the power play and the Oilers would go on to win the game 3-1 when Edmonton scored an empty net goal. Edmonton will now take on the Anaheim Ducks in the next round of the playoffs.

Without a doubt the San Jose Sharks had another great season reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They consistently make appearances in the post-season and they just met a road block at season’s end this year. They were never able to truly get back on track. No one can even imagine the depths of disappointment these players are feeling right now, not the coaches and not the fans. There is a light at the end of the tunnel however. This talented team will be back in contention next season and we will have months and months of exciting Sharks hockey to look forward to. And so it is adios to San Jose hockey for just a little while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Athletics win fifth game in a row downing the Mariners 4-3

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics
A’s starter Jharel Cotton labored but picked up the win on Saturday Photo Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics now have the longest winning streak in the American League with five consecutive wins. They have also taken the first three games of the four-game series with the Seattle Mariners by recording 4-3 win on Saturday in Oakland.

The A’s fell behind quickly in the game when Robinson Cano hit his third home run of the season off of A’s starter Jharel Cotton with two outs and the bases empty in the top of the first inning. It looked like Seattle was ready to put up a fight in game three of the series.

The Athletics did not allow the M’s to hold the lead for long as Adam Rosales did his best Ricky Henderson imitation by hitting a leadoff home run over the center field wall to tie the game at 1-1 off Seattle starter Ariel Miranda.

The A’s were not done scoring in the bottom of the first. After Jed Lowrie singled, Ryan Healy took Miranda deep for two-run homer (3) over the left field wall. Oakland staked their starter Cotton to a 3-1 lead after the first inning.

Both teams scored again in the third inning of the contest. The Mariners added a run when Nelson Cruz hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Mitch Haniger to score. The A’s posted a run when Ryan Healy doubled to left driving Jed Lowrie home from third base. After four innings, Oakland held a 4-2 lead.

The Mariners gave the A’s a scare in the top of the eighth inning. Cano led off with a single. After a pitching change, Nelson Cruz drew a walk off of Oakland reliever Liam Hendriks. Taylor Motter grounded into a double play but Cano moved up to third on the play. Kyle Seager was brought in as a pinch-hitter and hit a towering fly ball to center field that grazed the wall and fell in for a triple. Cano came home from third to score the third and final run for the M’s.

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics
Ryan Madson picked up the save for the A’s on Saturday Photo Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

The Athletics tapped Ryan Madson to come out of the bullpen to closeout the eighth inning which he did by getting Guillermo Heredia to ground out four to three.

Madson returned in the top of the ninth to close the came game out for Oakland and preserve the 4-3 win.

On the hill

Athletics

  • Starter Jharel Cotton (2-2, 4.76) picked up the win going 6.0-innings giving up two runs (both earned) on six hits. Cotton struck out two and walked two. He still had a tough day. After the game, A’s manager Bob Melvin said that Cotton was not able to get into his regular rhythm. Melvin said it was a growth opportunity for Cotton who pushed through the difficulties.
  • Ryan Madson earned his first save of the season going 1.1-innings allowing just no runs on one hit. He struck out three and walked none.
  • Daniel Coulombe and Liam Hendriks also appeared in relief for Oakland.

Seattle

  • Ariel Miranda started the game for M’s and took the loss. His record is now 1-2 on the season. Miranda went just 3.0-innings giving up four runs (all earned) on seven hits. He struck out three and walked none, but Miranda gave up two home runs.
  • Chase De Jong worked four innings of relief allowing no runs on just one hit. He struck out two and walked two.
  • Edwin Diaz closed out the game for the M’s tossing one inning of scoreless baseball

In the Batter’s Box

A’s

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics
Ryan Healy hits a two-run home run Photo Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
  • Ryan Healy was the man with the bat for the Athletics on Saturday. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored. Healy hit his third home run, his fifth double and upped his RBI total to nine.
  • Jed Lowrie also had a big day for the A’s. He went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored two runs on Saturday.
  • Adam Rosales hit his second home run of the young season.

M’s

  • Robinson Cano led the offense for Seattle with a 3-for-4 day at the plate scoring two of the M’s three runs.
  • Jarrod Dyson had a two for five day in the batter’s box. Dyson had one stolen base and one caught stealing.

Looking ahead to Sunday

Seattle (7-12) and Oakland (10-8) will meet in the fourth and final game of the four-game series on Sunday at 1:05 PM. RHP Yovani Gallardo (0-2, 6.19) will take the hill for the Mariners. The man who has become the “Ace of the Staff” – Andrew Triggs – will start for the Athletics. Triggs is 3-0 with an 0.00 ERA in 17.2 innings for the A’s this year.

The Warriors trailing after the first half, rally to take a 3-0 series lead over the Portland Trail Blazers 119-113

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Portland, Oregon-The Golden State Warriors, after being behind by 17 points late in the first half, came to life in the third quarter and defeated the Portland TrailBlazers 119-113 to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Warriors can close out the series Monday night in Portland.

The Dubs only lead in the first half came when Draymond Green hit a 3-pointer early in the first quarter to give the Dubs the lead 3-2. From that point forward, the Blazers, behind the hot hands of Damien Lillard and C.J. McCollum raced out to 65-48 advantage late in the first half. Steph Curry hit a three to close the gap to 67-54 at the finish of 24 minutes of play. Lillard tallied 22 for Portland and his backcourt companion, C.J. McCollum knocked down 17. Steph Curry was the only Warrior in double figures with 15. Klay Thompson was held to just 7 points. Draymond Green also had seven. Big Ja Vale McGee, who has been a spark coming off the bench, did it again Saturday night. He tallied 8 points, and his presence seemed to give the Dubs a lift.

The Blazers had everything going their way. They were moving the ball and finding the open man. The Warriors were out of sync. The Blazers outrebounded the Warriors 29-13, and each team had 9 assists. The Dubs made just 5 3-pointers while Portland made 8. The fans in Portland were convinced that the Blazers were on their way to a win.

The Dubs trailed 82-66 when Ja Vale McGee came back into the game. The Dubs went on a 19-1 run and took the lead 85-83. It was the first lead for the Dubs since early in the first quarter. The Dubs outscored the Blazers 33-21 in the quarter, but the Blazers finished the quarter ahead by just one-point 88-87. The crowd was getting very nervous as they sensed the momentum had shifted and that the Warriors were about to send the Blazers down to defeat.

The fans weren’t wrong. The Blazers gave the Dubs a run for the money as the lead seesawed back and forth. The last time Portland would lead happened when they made a free throw and led 96-95. The Warriors, behind Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson, extended the lead to 108-100. The Blazers cut the deficit to four, but the Dubs would not be denied. Iguodala and Curry mad clutch hoops to nail down the win 119-113.

Game notes and stats- The Dubs’ defense came to life in the second half as the limited the Blazers to just 46 points in the half. They bottled up McCollum and Lillard much of the second half, and the Blazers do not have the manpower to keep up with the Warriors. Kevin Durant, Shaun Livingston, and Matt Barnes did not suit up Saturday night. The Blazers’ Jusuf Nurkic played in his first game since breaking a bone in his leg April 1st. Nurkic gave the Blazers a lift, but he showed a lot of rust and could not jump. He still managed to record 11 rebounds and 4 assists.

Step Curry led the Dubs with 34 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. Klay Thompson finished with 24. Patrick McCaw continued to play well filling in for Kevin Durant. McCaw finished the night with 11 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and a blocked shot. Andre Iguodala had 16, JaVale McGee 14, and Draymond added 9 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds, and six big blocks. The Dubs had 11 steals and 11 blocks for the night, The Dubs committed just 7 turnovers.

Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr missed the game with an undisclosed illness. Assistant coach Mike Brown filled in for Kerr. Andre Iguodala said this about Brown:” I think he did a really good job of keeping us poised.”

Game four of the series will be at the Moda Center in Portland Monday night. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

 

 

San Francisco Giants Saturday game wrap: Rocks Senzatela dominates Giants in four hit 12-3 laugher

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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela delivers a pitch to San Francisco Giants’ Eduardo Nunez in the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 22, 2017, in Denver. The Rockies won 12-3. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

By Jeremy Kahn

Antonio Senzatela is showing the major leagues that he can pitch at this level, especially against the San Francisco Giants.

Senzatela pitched seven strong innings of just one-run ball, as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Giants 12-3 at Coors Field.

The rookie allowed just that one run on four hits, while not walking a batter and striking out three and Senzatela raises his record to 3-0 on the season. This was his second win over the Giants in the last six days, as he defeated the Giants on Sunday at AT&T Park.

This was the Rockies fifth win in six meetings over the Giants so far this season, as the surprising Rockies continue to stay near the top of the National League West.

Mark Reynolds hit a home run in the bottom of the first inning, as the Rockies scored three runs against Giants starter Matt Moore.

Charlie Blackmon hit a triple and hit a home run, while Trevor Story added his second home run in as many games.

As for the Giants, their early season slump continues, as they have lost five out of six and are now 6-12 on the season, the worst record in the National League.

Moore pitched just four innings, allowing six runs and nine hits, as his career record at Coors Field falls to 0-2 with a 12.34 earned run average in three appearances.

After learning that ace Madison Bumgarner could be lost from six to eight weeks, due to a shoulder and rib injury, Denard Span was forced to leave the game due to a shoulder injury as he crashed into the center-field walk on a Blackmon drive that ended the bottom of the second inning.

Joe Panik hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to break up Senzatela’s shutout.

Quakes lose 2-0 to Dynamo on the road

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Photo credit: San Jose Earthquakes’ Twitter (@SJEarthquakes)

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes suffered a 2-0 blowout loss to the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday.

The Earthquakes sported their blue and black jerseys in Houston, but were unable to get past the Dynamo in Saturday’s match.

The Dynamo struck first at the 10th minute when Erick Torres Garcia converted on his penalty kick to give his team a 1-0 lead.

David Bingham denied Torres’ free kick outside of the box, but the Dynamo held onto a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute.

The Earthquakes had a couple of chances, but were unable to capitalize on them. In the 31st minute, Marco Urena danced around the Dynamo defenders, but wasn’t able to get his shot past Joe Willis.

The officials issued a yellow card to Florian Jungwirth in the 35th minute.

Urena had a great run in the 39th minute as he tried to get in behind the Dynamo’s backline, but was unable to get his shot past the near post.

The Earthquakes trailed the Dynamo 1-0 at halftime.

The Earthquakes started the second half with a substitution. They swapped Shea Salinas in favor of Jahmir Hyka.

Jungwirth made a huge one-on-one tackle to disrupt a Dynamo counterattack in the 48th minute. Urena had another scoring chance in the 59th minute as he sent a shot into the net that went just wide.

The Earthquakes made another substitution in the 64th minute. They replaced Urena with Danny Hoesen. However, their efforts didn’t work.

The Dynamo took a 2-0 lead in the 72nd minute as Alberth Elis completed a shot at the back post.

The Earthquakes made their third substitution just one minute later. Tommy Thompson entered the match after Shaun Francis left.

Things simply didn’t go right for the Earthquakes. Cordell Cato wanted to cut the lead in half. He had a shot that just missed the far post in the 78th minute.

Five minutes of stoppage time were added to Saturday’s match. Ultimately, the Dynamo held on for a 2-0 win over the Earthquakes. Houston outshot San Jose 13-9.

Notes
Earthquakes’ starting lineup
Cato
Francis
Jungwirth
Urena
Fatai Alashe
David Bingham
Darwin Ceren
Anibal Godoy
Nick Lima
Shea Salinas
Chris Wondolowski

Up Next
The Earthquakes will visit the Minnesota United FC at TCF Bank Stadium next Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PST on NBCSB+

Head Coach Justin Wilcox debuts new era of Cal Football at the Spring Game

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20170422_131618

By Morris Phillips

Defense ahead of the offense?  Second stringers challenging the projected starters? Coaching tenets and terminology outpacing player comprehension?  Chase Forrest or Ross Bowers?

Depends on who you ask. This is, after all, Spring 2017 California Football, sporting as clean a slate as anyone on the Division I football landscape.  And the occasion of the Spring Game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium didn’t make things any less murkier.

New head coach Justin Wilcox, the son of former 49er Dave Wilcox, was hired from Wisconsin, replacing the fired Sonny Dykes in January.  Wilcox’s arrival means defense is back in Berkeley, a necessity after the 2016 Bears surrendered more than 40 points per game.  But can a defense featuring holdovers James Looney, Devante Downs and linebacker Cameron Saffold take a jump to the top half of the Pac-12 statistically?

On Saturday, during the controlled scrimmage with pads and physicality, but without tackling, corner Camryn Bynum led the Bears with six tackles and a pass breakup, and Elijah Hicks had an interception, a pass breakup and three tackles. Bynum and Hicks are part of a deep Cal secondary that also features Marloshawn Franklin Jr. and Darius Allensworth.

Offensively, the Bears are attempting to retool without quarterback Davis Webb and receiver Chad Hansen, with both expected to be chosen in the upcoming NFL Draft. Webb and Hansen combined for 11 touchdown passes in 2016 meaning that those manning their spots this season will have big shoes to fill.  Forrest was Webb’s backup in 2016, but didn’t make any game appearances. In 2015, Forrest backed Jared Goff, and appeared in parts of three games, completing 10 of 17 passes, including one touchdown.

Bowers is a third-year sophomore and has very limited experience, taking a handful of snaps in the 2016 finale against UCLA.  On Saturday, both starter candidates played well with Bowers gaining the edge statistically.  Bowers finished 18 of 30 for 168 yards and four touchdowns, while Forrest was 15 of 30 for 168 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Demetris Robertson and Melquise Stovall lead Cal’s promising group of returning receivers although neither saw action on Saturday.  Robertson is a sprinter on Cal’s track and field team this spring, and Stovall is recovering from a foot injury. The pair combined for 92 catches and 10 touchdowns last fall. In the spring game, sophomore Kanawai Noa took advantage of the pair’s absence, catching eight balls for 112 yards.

The Bears figure to be plenty experienced in one area: coaching. New defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter joins the Bears after a five-year run as the head coach of Fresno State. Ironically, DeRuyter was replaced by former Cal coach Jeff Tedford at Fresno.  New offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin was the long time head coach of Eastern Washington, where his Eagles engineered some eye-popping results against Pac-12 competition, including last season’s 45-42 win over Washington State.

DeRuyter promises to install a 3-4 look to this season’s defense, although it remains to be seen if the Bears currently have enough talent and depth at linebacker to make it work.  Baldwin should keep the Cal offense in high octane mode, but the look will be different than under Dykes. Baldwin’s offense features fewer spread sets, and the Bears are expected to reintroduce tight ends into their scheme.

The Bears open the season on September 2 at North Carolina, with the home opener a week later against Weber State.

 

Solo Homers Push A’s Past M’s 3-1 for Manaea’s First Win

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Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea throws to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 21, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND–The Oakland Athletics won their fourth-straight game Friday night at the Coliseum, topping the Seattle Mariners 3-1. Sean Manaea went six innings to pick up his first win of the season and Trevour Plouffe and Yonder Alonso each hit solo home runs off Hisashi Iwakuma to open the weekend series. Santiago Casilla nailed down his third save of the year to pull the A’s (9-8) a game over .500.

Manaea (1-1, 4.43 ERA) handled the M’s lineup with poise, walking only three batters in his six innings of work. The young southpaw struck out six M’s while allowing only one run on a two-out triple to Mitch Haniger in the top of the third for a 1-0 Seattle lead.

“The slider has really come a long way for him,” said Melvin. “That’s a big pitch for him. Whether it’s back footing righties, away to lefties, 2-3 pitches mixed in. All-in-all gave us six solid innings allowing one run and we turned it over to the bullpen.”

The A’s deep lineup, currently ranked third in the league in homers, came through for the emerging pitcher. The no. eight hitter tagged starter Iwakuma (0-2, 5.31 ERA) with a deep homer to center in the bottom of the fifth. It was Plouffe’s 100th career homer and 4th homer in 7 games.

“This is a true power guy,” said Melvin of his third baseman. “He had some injuries last year which, his numbers were down because of injury. But when he gets on a roll… He’s not swinging particularly well here and he’s still hitting homers, and big homers. He’ll find a streak where he gets really hot. He’s the type of guy who can carry a team.

Alonso, a free-agent-to-be, launched the winning run in the bottom of the sixth, crushing Iwakuma’s first offering over the wall in right center field for his third homer of the season. For the A’s, it was another homer from an usual spot in the line-up, the two-hole.

“We’ve talked about when we’re good,” said Melvin. “What we feel like is good for us is the length of the line-up,”

Stephen Vogt would score Jed Lowrie in the sixth as well on a sacrifice fly to make the score 3-1. From there, Ryan Dull, Sean Doolittle and Casilla would all toss scoreless frames. The A’s look to add to their winning record Saturday when Jharel Cotton takes the mound in the matinee. He’ll be opposed by Seattle lefty Ariel Miranda.

Barracuda shutout Heat 4-0 in Game 1, take 1-0 series lead

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Photo credit: San Jose Barracuda Twitter (@sjbarracuda)

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda took Game 1 of the first round in the Calder Cup Playoffs with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Stockton Heat at SAP Center on Friday night.

The Barracuda stuck first for a 1-0 lead at 13:32 of the opening period. Tim Heed stood all alone in front of the Heat’s net fired the puck past Jon Gillies top-shelf for an unassisted goal and first of the playoffs.

“They’re a heavy team,” Heed said. “We have to move our feet and stay on the right side, so I think we did okay, but we still have some improvements to do. So I think it’s going to get better as this year moves along.”

Shots were tied at 10 apiece, but the Barracuda held a 1-0 lead over the Heat after 20 minutes.

The Barracuda took a 2-0 lead less than three minutes into the second period. Ryan Carpenter received a pass from Buddy Robinson and blasted the puck into the net for his first goal of the playoffs.

The Barracuda missed out on a potential scoring opportunity midway through the period. Barclay Goodrow set up Kevin Labanc for a play, but his shot missed the net.

Shots were 25-20 in favor of the Barracuda, who brought a 2-0 lead over the Heat into the locker room after 40 minutes.

The Barracuda extended their lead to 3-0 with 8:23 left in the third period. Carpenter skated to the front of the Heat’s net and stuffed the puck through traffic for his second goal of the game as well as the playoffs.

Labanc fired a long-range wrist shot into the empty net with 38.9 seconds left in regulation to seal a 4-0 shutout victory for the Barracuda. Troy Grosenick stopped all 28 shots he faced.

“I thought we did just fine,” Grosenick said. “We broke pucks up pretty fast for the most part and they had us in there and we played playoff hockey and everyone’s screaming 100% so there were times we could’ve done better but I think most of the game we did a good job Gillies made 32 saves in a losing effort.

“They did a really great job in the lanes,” Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer responded when asked what his team could improve on the power play. “But I think we had too many pucks blocked and our entries weren’t real clean.”

Notes
Barracuda’s 2016-17 regular season highlights
Western Conference Regular Season Champions (Bud Poile Trophy)

Pacific Division Regular Season Champions (John Chick Trophy)

Goaltender of the Year (Troy Grosenick) [Aldege “Baz” Bastien Award]

Coach of the Year (Roy Sommer) [Louis A.R. Pieri Award]

Rookie of the Year (Daniel O’Regan) [Dudley “Red” Garrett]

First Team AHL All-Star (Grosenick)

Second Team AHL All-Star (Tim Heed)

Mid-Season All-Stars (Grosenick, O’Regan)

AHL Season-Long Winning Streak (14 games)

AHL Season-Long Point Streak (15 games)

CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month (Grosenick) [February]

CCM/AHL Player of the Week (Grosenick) [2x]

Barracuda facts
Grosenick is the fifth goaltender in AHL history to reach double-digit shutouts (10) Grosenick held a scoreless streak for 248 consecutive minutes from Nov. 19 to Dec. 18 Nine players spent time with both the Barracuda and Sharks

Second youngest roster in the AHL

AHL’s top-ranked offense (3.44 goals per game)

AHL’s second-ranked power play (23.8%)

AHL’s eighth-ranked penalty kill (83.3%)

Fourth in team defense (2.56 goals per game)

Up Next
Both teams return to action on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. PST. You can tune into Game 2 on AHL Live and AM 1220 KDOW.

Cueto loses for the first time in 2017 gets rocked by the Rockies 6-5, Bumgarner hurt

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto heads to the dugout after giving up six runs to the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 21, 2017, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski

By Jeremy Kahn

On the same day where the San Francisco Giants learned that their ace Madison Bumgarner will be lost for a consider amount of time, Johnny Cueto lost for the first time this season.

Trevor Story hit a grand slam and Charlie Blackmon hit an inside-the-park home run in a six-run fourth inning, helping the Colorado Rockies defeat the Giants 6-5 at Coors Field.

This was the first time that a team hit a grand slam and an inside-the-park home run since the 2011 Boston Red Sox, and the last National League team to accomplish this feat was the 1950 New York Giants, this according to STATS.

Tyler Chatwood won his second game in a row, just six days after shutting out the Giants on just two hits at AT&T Park.

Chatwood went six innings, allowing four runs, as he evened his record on the young season at 2-2.

The Giants last opportunity came in the top of the eighth inning, as they put two runners on base with just one out; however, Rockies reliever Jake McGee was to get Denard Span to fly out for the second out and then Brandon Belt ended the inning on a popup.

Rockies closer Greg Holland came on in the top of the ninth inning, and retired the Giants in order to earned his ninth save in as many opportunities to start the season.

Cueto lost for the first time in four decisions this season, as he allowed his first ever grand slam to Story in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Blackmon’s inside-the-park home run came when his sinking line drive was lost in the lights by Hunter Pence.

Brandon Barnes hit the last inside-the-park home run for the Rockies on June 14, 2014 against the Giants at AT&T Park.

Cueto pitched just five innings, allowing six runs, as his streak of seven consecutive going back to the 2016 season came to an end.

NOTES: Matt Moore looks to even his record at 2-2 on Saturday afternoon, as he takes the mound and he will face Antonio Senzatela, who is looking for his third win on the season and his second straight over the Giants.

Bumgarner was injured an off-day dirt biking accident, and was placed on the 10-day disabled list for the first time in his major-league career.