Month: June 2017

Moore rocked for four home runs in four innings of work do in Giants 9-7;

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Moore (45) throws a pitch during the MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Christopher Szagola/CSM(Credit Image: © Chris Szagola/CSM via ZUMA Wire) (Cal Sport Media via AP Images

By Jeremy Kahn

Just a few years ago, this matchup between the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies would have been a playoff preview and now it is just another matchup.

Maikel Franco broke a 7-7 tie with a in the bottom of the eighth inning, and Freddy Galvis hit his second home run of the game and the Phillies defeated the Giants 9-7 at Citizens Bank Park.

Galvis hit home runs from both sides of the plate, and Odubel Herrera hit a home run, as the Phillies won their first series since in six weeks.

The switch-hitting Galvis became the first Phillies player to hit home runs from both sides of the plate since Jimmy Rollins turned the trick on July 20, 2011 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

This is the first winning streak for the Phillies since they won six games in a row from April 20-27.

Brandon Crawford helped out on the offensive side, as he hit a home run and drove in four runs and Eduardo Nunez gave the Giants an early 1-0 lead, as he hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning.

It was a back and forth game all day, as the Phillies were unable to hold leads of 4-1 and 6-3 before the Giants took a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh inning on a Crawford two-run single.

Herrera hit a RBI double off of reliever Josh Osich in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie up the game.

Just one inning later, Franco led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a home run off of losing pitcher Derek Law, who fell to 3-1 on the season.

Pat Neshek pitched the eighth inning for his first win of the season. Closer Hector Neris came on to pick-up his fifth save in six opportunities this season.

Nunez gave the Giants an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as he connected for a solo home run off of Jeremy Hellickson.

The Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Herrera and Howie Kendrick hit back-to-back doubles to give the Phillies their first lead of the game.

Galvis lengthened the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the second inning, as he hit a two-run home run off of Matt Moore. It was the first home run for Galvis since May 1.

Moore lasted four innings, giving up five runs (four earned), while Hellickson went 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (three earned).

NOTES: Jeff Samardzija looks to get the Giants back on the winning side on Monday night, as they open a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Hunter Pence was activated prior to the game and was a late inning replacement, as he came into the game in the bottom of the seventh inning.

To make room for Pence on the roster, the Giants optioned Christian Arroyo to Triple-A Sacramento.

San Francisco Giants Podcast with Morris Phillips: Bochy loses it during post game presser tells reporter team “knows where they’re at”

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AP Photo file: San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (15) in the dugout during the Major League Baseball game between the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants on May 8, 2017, at Citi Field in Flushing, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Giants drop their second straight game to the struggling Phillies 9-7 now the other shoe has dropped

#2 The Giants loss today marks two out three to the major’s worst the Philadelphia

#3 Giants manager Bruce Bochy went off on a reporter who asked what Bochy does to keep the team positive “what do you want me to convey? They’re men out there we have meetings. They know where they’re at.”

#4 Giants starter Matt Moore got racked up going 4 innings and giving up five Phillies runs

#5 The Giants who sent Christian Arroyo to Triple A activated Hunter Pence. Can Hunter Pence add some punch to this line up

Morris Phillips does the Giants podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

NHL Stanley Cup Finals and NHL News Podcast with Daniel Dullum: Can Preds make this finals interesting they can even things up in game four

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Nashville TN, USA Nashville Predators center Frederick Gaudreau (32) scores the second goal during the second period of game three between the Pittsburg Penguins vs the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Finals at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts /Cal Sport Media (Credit Image: © Steve Roberts/Cal Sport Media/CSM via ZUMA Wire) (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

On the Stanley Cup Finals Podcast and NHL News with Daniel:

1 Stanley Cup Finals – Game 3 at Nashville, won by the Predators 5-1 in a noisy Bridgestone Arena

1a – In the closing minutes of the third period, Sidney Crosby accused P.K. Subban of having bad breath.

2 Randy Carlisle gets contract extension from Ducks

3 NHL announces key dates for expansion draft

4 Quebec City hosting exhibition game between Boston and Montreal at Videotron Center

5 Bettman rules out interrupting next NHL season for the Winter Olympics

6 Senators’ Brossard to undergo surgery, out 4, possibly 5 months

7 Carrie Underwood says her husband, Predators’ Mike Fisher, is the “best looking guy” in the NHL

Join Daniel during the NHL Finals for all the latest on the NHL podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Categories NHL

Marlins’ Volquez fires first no-hitter of 2017; A 3-0 win over visiting Diamondbacks

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Miami Marlins’ Edinson Volquez delivers a pitch during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, June 3, 2017, in Miami. The Marlins defeated the Diamondbacks 3-0 in a no-hitter. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, June 3, 2017

Miami’s Edinson Volquez didn’t just throw his first complete game of the season, he fired the first no-hitter of the 2017 MLB season on Saturday, blanking the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-0 at Miami.

Volquez dedicated the effort to his late friends and former teammates Jose Fernandez and Yordano Ventura. It would have been Ventura’s 26th birthday.

It had been a while since we’ve seen a no-hitter in the bigs. You have to go back to April 21, 2016, when the Cubs’ Jake Arietta no-hit Cincinnati. Volquez’s masterpiece

Volquez issued only two walks while no-hitting a Diamondbacks team that has been hitting well in the first two months of the season while ascending in the National League West standings. He closed out the D-Backs by striking out the side in the top of the ninth, ringing up Chris Owings for the final out.

The right-hander threw 98 pitches, struck out 10 and faced the minimum 27 hitters. The Marlins’ defense turned a pair of double plays. Volquez hit 95 MPH on the radar gun in the eighth inning, notable since he’d yet to work past the sixth inning in any of his 10 previous starts this season.

It was the sixth no-hitter in Marlins history. Volquez joins Henderson Alvarez, Anibal Sanchez, A.J. Burnett, Kevin Brown and Al Leiter on that list. The Marlins, a 1993 NL expansion team, have more no-hitters than the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres have combined.

Categories MLB

NBA Finals: More from Durant and the defense will go a long way for Warriors’ title hopes

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Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — The basketball world was on pins and needles for the start of Round Three between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, and both teams lived up to the hype for the majority of Game 1 Thursday night before Kevin Durant and the Warriors took control and ran away with the victory, 113-91.

Durant, who many pundits questioned his decision to join a high-powered Warriors team that had already played in two Finals prior to his arrival, showed out in his first Finals game since 2012 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder; pouring in a game-high 38 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists to go along with zero turnovers on 14-for-26 shooting from the floor.

Not since the great Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz that a player had at least 30 points, five assists, and zero turnovers in a game before Durant’s acts in Game 1 according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

But an epic performance on the NBA’s biggest stage is what we expect from Durant, a former league MVP, is it not?

Golden State already has a two-time league MVP (and the only unanimous MVP in league history) in Stephen Curry, who looks healthier as ever at this time this year than he did in last year’s Finals after adding 28 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds in Game 1, including 6-for-11 on 3s.

Add in Draymond Green (nine points and 11 rebounds), an odds on favorite to take home the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award this season after leading the NBA in steals per game (2.03), to go along with Klay Thompson, who despite shooting under 40-percent from both the floor (36-percent) and from beyond the three-point line (34-percent) during the postseason, was Golden State’s best defender in Game 1 holding would-be scorers to 1-for-12 shooting from the floor as the primary defender.

With all due respect to Harrison Barnes, who had a breakout season in Year 1 for the Mavericks averaging a career-high 19.2 points per game and was a fan favorite for all of Dub Nation, but his no-show during last year’s Finals (most notably in Games 5-7 where he scored just 15 points on 5-for-32 shooting (3-for-15 on 3s) after Golden State had a commanding 3-1 lead in the series still stings Warriors’ fans.

But Durant is clearly the difference-maker and much better upgrade from Barnes this year for the Warriors and will continue to be a huge match-up problem for Cleveland with Game 2 Sunday night at Oracle Arena at 5:00 p.m. PDT on the horizon.

And that’s even with first-ballot hall of famer LeBron James on the other side.

Circle back to Game 1: When Durant was on the floor, the Warriors out-scored Cleveland by 18, and in the 40 minutes that James was on the floor, the Warriors out-scored Cleveland by 22, with much of the damage coming in the second half for Golden State.

I counted at least six times in the first half of Game 1 where Cleveland’s defense just allowed Durant to cruise through the lane like he had a FasTrak embedded in his jersey for easy dunks.

At times in the game, it almost appeared that Cleveland were content on allowing Durant score at will and didn’t want to be burned by Golden State’s shooting.

Golden State shot 45-for-106 (42-percent) from the floor.

Making his NBA record seventh-consecutive Finals appearance, James was Cleveland’s most effective player, finishing with a team-high 28 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists, but made just 9-for-20 from the floor.

If James could’ve recorded two more assists, he would’ve tied Lakers’ legend and NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson for the most triple-doubles in Finals history with eight, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Johnson led Los Angeles to nine Finals appearances and won five championships as the leader of the “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s. Johnson’s teams were 5-4 in the Finals while James’s teams are just 3-4.

Outside of Kyrie Irving’s 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting from the floor, the defending NBA Champions’ supporting cast came up empty in Game 1.

Kevin Love did have 15 points and a game-high 21 rebounds, but shot just 4-for-13 from the floor.

The Warriors’ bench barely out-scored the Cavaliers’ bench 24-21.

Cleveland can’t let Golden State have their way with them in Game 2 as they did in Game 1  if they have any chance of gaining a split in Oakland before the series shifts to Northeast Ohio for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday.

Golden State held the advantage in points-in-the-paint, out-scoring the Cavaliers 56-30 and dominating the fast-break, out-scoring Cleveland 27-9.

As a team, Cleveland shot 30-for-86 (34-percent) from the floor.

The 20 turnovers the Cavaliers committed that led to 21 points for Golden State was a testament to their superb defense they’ve collectively played all season long, forcing teams to shoot a league-low 43-percent from the field and finished tops in turnovers forced per game with 14.8 during the regular season.

In the postseason, Golden State is ratcheting up the defense intensity allowing just 41-percent from the floor through 13 games.

Not surprisingly, Golden State is 13-0 in the postseason this year, three wins from securing their second championship in three years.

Durant will have his fingerprints on the outcome of the Finals, believe that.

Win or lose.

A’s muscle up, club four home runs in a rout of the Nationals

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By Morris Phillips

Mired in a funk, stuck in last place, and headed nowhere fast, the A’s came out swinging on Saturday.

And this time, all that swinging had the desired effect on the outcome of the game, as the A’s rolled to a 10-4 win over the Nationals that ended a rough week of six losses in seven games.

With one-third of the season in the books, the A’s have firmly established themselves among the AL’s best home run hitting clubs with 82 homers in 55 games. But hitting home runs has not translated into winning games: after Saturday’s victory, the A’s are just 23-21 when they hit at least one home run.

In fact, not hitting home runs is a truer indicator for these A’s: only once in 55 games have they won without a home run. Oakland’s 1-10 when hitting no home runs.

When you don’t catch the ball, pitch consistently, or hit for average, yeah, even the game’s most powerful act can get obscured. That just wasn’t the case on Saturday: Ryon Healy and Jed Lowrie homered in the first inning off former Athletic Tyson Ross’ younger brother, Joe Ross, and the A’s cruised past the NL East leaders.

Healy would go on to homer a second time in the seventh, and smash a pair of doubles, all part of the best all-around day of his career. Afterwards, manager Bob Melvin said the performance shows why he so bullish on his young infielder: Healy’s passionate, plenty emotional, but resilient and a authentic student of the game.

“It’s been a little bit of a tough time for him, especially defensively,” Melvin said. “But then (Healy) ends up making a great tag on what ends up being a big out at third on the replay. He’s a tough-minded kid, got a lot of ability, but still kind of new at the big league level, still developing, but boy, he can really hit.”

Healy’s feat of four extra bases in one game hadn’t been accomplished by an Oakland player since July 2009 by Matt Holliday. And he was on everything: he took advantage of hitters’ counts on three of his hits, but he also rapped reliever Jacob Turner’s 0-2, 96 mph fastball for a double in the fifth.  In the seventh, with Turner laboring through a fourth inning of relief, Healy sent his batting practice fastball careening off the center field camera platform.

“You can’t miss good pitches to hit,” Healy said.

In the seventh, Daniel Murphy doubled off Daniel Coulombe, and was initially ruled safe at third, ahead of a bang-bang tag by Healy. But the review revealed the opposite, and Murphy was ruled out, short circuiting a Nats’ rally, with them trailing by three runs at that point.

The A’s registered a season-high ten runs, one day after losing by ten to red-hot Washington. Starter Daniel Mengden benefited by Bryce Harper’s final game of suspension, and a day off for hard-hitting Anthony Rendon, which weakened the lineup of baseball’s highest-scoring team. Still, Mengden ran into trouble in the fifth, when he was lifted with a pair of runners aboard, and Adam Lind–who had connected for a three-run homer earlier–coming up.

With reliever Liam Hendricks on the mound, Lind walked to load the bases, but Michael Taylor struck out to end the inning.  Hendricks pitched the sixth as well, and picked up the win.

On Sunday, the A’s have Sonny Gray on the mound in a matchup with the Nats’ Tanner Roark at 1:05pm.

Phils Lively wins in his debut 5-3; Call up holds Giants to a run and four hits

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Philadelphia Phillies’ Ben Lively in action during a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Saturday, June 3, 2017, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

By Jeremy Kahn

After a series-opening 10-0 victory on Friday night, the San Francisco Giants turned to Johnny Cueto to the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, it was a pitcher, who was making his major-league debut came out on the winning end.

Ben Lively pitched seven strong innings, allowing one run on four hits, walking three and striking out none and the Phillies hung on to defeat the Giants 5-3 at Citizens Bank Park.

Lively became the first Phillies starter to win a game since Jeremy Hellickson on April 27. Prior to being recalled to the Phillies, Lively was 6-1 with a 2.40 earned run average in Triple-A.

Tommy Joseph tied up the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he hit a solo home run to left field.

Phillies centerfielder Odubel Herrera drove in three runs in a four-run seventh inning, helping the Phillies to end their five-game losing streak. It was just the seventh win in the last 33 games for the Phillies, who have the worst record in the major leagues.

Orlando Calixte drove in the first Giants run of the afternoon in the top of the second and that would be the only run that Lively would allow in his major-league debut.

The Phillies scored their final four runs of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Maikel Franco singled to lead-off the inning, and went to third on an Andrew Knapp single that ended Cueto’s afternoon.

Hunter Strickland, who is waiting hear the decision on his six-day suspension came on to replace Cueto and immediately gave up a single to Freddy Galvis to score Franco with the eventual game-winning run. Cesar Hernandez singled and then Herrera doubled to break the game wide open.

Cueto gave up three runs on eight hits, striking out nine and did not walk a batter, as his career record fell to 1-5 against the Phillies.

The Giants scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning, as Brandon Crawford singled and then Aaron Hill singled in Crawford to narrow the Phillies lead down to 5-3. Jeanmar Gomez got Nick Hundley to groundout to end the game.

NOTES: Matt Moore takes the mound for the Giants in the series finale, while Hellickson takes the mound for the Phillies.

Hunter Pence could return to the Giants either on Sunday in the finale, or on Monday in the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

MLB Podcast The Show with Matt Harrington: A’s rock Nat’s and Oakland native Ross 10-4; Nats Harper requests trade to Cubs pronto

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Oakland Athletics’ Jed Lowrie celebrates after hitting a two run home run off Washington Nationals’ Joe Ross in the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 3, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

On the MLB The Show Podcast with Matt:

The Washington Nationals Bryce Harper said today that he would be interested in taking his talents to the Windy City. Harper who is serving a three game suspension for fighting after getting beaned in the hip last Monday from San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland. Harper said he would be interested in going to Chicago. The problem is the Cubs have a crowed  outfield already. Harper has one more year on his $21.64 contract for 2018 and is looking for a $400 million contract when if he could sign with the Cubs. Besides the Cubs love the idea of a Harper and Kris Bryant line up but cost and a crowded outfield could hold the deal up.  The Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets have also expressed interest in Harper.

The Oakland A’s who were struck down for two straight Thursday 8-0 to Cleveland and back in Oakland to Washington in a 13-3 laugher Friday night. The A’s lost Friday to the Nats even with Washington star Bryce Harper out of the line up. The Nats touched up A’s starter Andrew Triggs for nine hits, six earned runs, and three strikeouts. The Athletics just simply couldn’t figure out Nats starter Stephen Strasburg who went seven and gave up two runs and four hits.

Saturday it was a different story former Oakland O’Dowd High School student Joe Ross who started Saturday’s contest against the A’s for the Nats. It was not the kind of introduction he was expecting in his second start for Washington. In the bottom of the first inning he was tattooed for two two run homers the first was from Jed Lowrie who hammered one to right with Chad Pinder on base with a full count to put the A’s on top 2-0 and then came up Ryon Healy who went deep center for a two run blast scoring Yonder Alfonso in front of him putting the A’s up 4-0.

The A’s who wound up winning the contest Saturday 10-4 thanks to some key hitting and a great start of the game also got some pitching from starter Daniel Mengden who improved his ERA to 10.13 he pitched 4.2 innings, six hits, four runs. He didn’t get the decision but A’s get the win.

Matt has more on the MLB The Show podcast take a listen below at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Quakes down early; Valeri hits back of the net for Timbers as Portland ends winless streak

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~ Photo credit: San Jose Earthquakes

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Diego Valeri scored twice Friday as the Portland Timbers ended their longest winless streak of the season with a 2-0 win over San Jose Friday.

All the Timers really needed was Valeri’s 50th minute goal, as the Quakes became shorthanded in the 37th minute.

Darwin Ceren was ejected after receiving his first yellow in the 36th minute.

Portland took advantage, making no substitutions during the game, outshooting San Jose 22-6 and had double the possession time.

The only Quake to have more than one shot in the game was Tommy Thompson, who produced the team’s only shot on goal.

Valeri scored again in the 94th minute.

It was Portland’s most goals since April 29. They had gone five games without a win, which started when San Jose shut them out 3-0. The Timbers last had a clean sheet March 12.

Game notes: Zarek Valentin had the assist on Valeri’s first goal. San Jose keeper David Bingham was forced to make a season-high six saves. The Quakes, who suffered another two goal loss, are still winless at Portland all time (0-7-3). San Jose next plays Sporting Kansas City June 17th at 6pm.

A’s Surrender 5 Homeruns in 13-3 loss to Nats; loses pile up for last place AL West team

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Washington Nationals’ Michael Taylor, right, celebrates with Jose Lobaton after hitting a home run off Oakland Athletics’ Andrew Triggs in the second inning of a baseball game Friday, June 2, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND–No Bryce Harper, no problem for the Washington Nationals Friday night in Oakland. Without their cornerstone slugger, the Nationals teed off for five homeruns in a 13-3 rout of the Oakland Athletics. All nine of Washington’s starters collected a hit and an RBI in the lopsided affair. For Oakland, Matt Joyce and Yonder Alonso each went deep.

A’s starter Andrew Triggs (5-5, 3.36 ERA) has rode his slinging sidearm approach to an exceptional season, but Friday was a bump in the road for the long-reliever-turned-starter. Going head-to-head with Stephen Strasburg, Triggs found himself down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third after giving up homers to Michael Taylor and Daniel Murphy. Joyce would tag Strasburg for a two-run homer, his sixth of the year, in the bottom of the third to tie the game, but the wheels fell off entirely for Triggs in the fourth.

Triggs two-seamer to Anthony Rendon caught too much of the plate, giving Washington’s third baseman a ringing double to open the inning. Matt Weiters went back-to-back, plating Rendon to give the Nats a 3-2 lead. Triggs got two outs but a deflected grounder to Jed Lowrie wound up in center field for an RBI single for Trea Turner. Jayson Werth walked, then Daniel Murphy singled home Turner for a 5-2 edge.

The single chased Triggs from the game after just 3 2/3. Frankie Montas, the new Oakland reliever, gave up a single to Ryan Zimmerman that plated inherited runner Werth to close the book on Triggs with six runs allowed. Montas would depart the game after getting the last out, making way for Zach Neal.

Neal struggled mightily in his 3 1/3 innings of mop-up duty. He allowed 7 runs on nine hits including a solo homer to Werth, the first long ball of Brian Goodwin’s career on a two-run shot in the top of the seventh and a  three-run dinger from Rendon in the top of the 8th.

The runs were more than enough to back Strasburg  (7-1, 2.91) and his 7 innings of four-hit ball. The former first overall pick fired seven strikeouts to only three walks in the win. Deposed closer Blake Treinen pitched a perfect eighth, but opened the ninth with Alonso’s solo shot. After the first baseman’s 15th homer, Treinen surrendered two more hits before escaping the ninth and wrapping up the blowout.

Oakland sends Daniel Mengden to the mound hoping for a long outing after a 3 1/3 inning appearance against the Cleveland Indians May 29th. Washington counters with youngster Joe Ross. The Nats will be without Harper again Saturday for his role in the Memorial Day fracas with the San Francisco Giants. His suspension ends in time for Sunday’s contest.