Month: March 2018

Barracuda lose 3-2 in shootout against Griffins

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

The hourglass has just about ran out on the San Jose Barracuda’s (28-25-4-4) playoff chances. Their latest loss was to the Grand Rapids Griffins (38-24-1-7) by a score of 3-2 in a shootout on Friday evening at the Van Andel Arena. The victory extended the defending AHL champions’ point streak to six games.

Grand Rapids controlled the game during the 1st period as they outshot San Jose 19-6. However, the strong play of Cuda goalie Antonie Bibeau (19-14-4) kept the period scoreless after the opening 20 minutes.

The Griffins would break the deadlock just 16 seconds into the second period when Dylan Mcllarth scored his fifth goal of the season after firing home a rebound past Bibeau after a Dominic Turgeon. Mcllarth snapped a 30-game scoreless drought.

Jacob Middleton would tied the game up while the teams played 4-on-4. Middleton took a pass from Adam Helewka and blasted a shot from the point passed Griffins goalie Tom McCollum inside the far right post for his fifth goal of the season at the 12:15 mark of the second period.

In the third period, Grand Rapids would regain the lead when Colin Campbell found Ben Street wide open along the right side and was able to slide the puck into an open net for his 18th goal of the season at the 7:10 mark.

The Cuda wouldn’t go away quietly as the evened up the game with a power play goal from Alex True. Nick DeSimone fired a shot from the point that True was able to tip past McCollum for his 12th goal of the season at the 13-minute mark.

The final 12 minutes of the game, including the overtime, would remain scoreless. In the shootout Matt Puempel would send the 9,860 fans home happy when his goal in the fourth round of the shootout clinched it for the Griffins.

McCollum earned the victory making 33 saves on 35 shots. Bibeau suffered the tough luck loss making 36 saves on 38 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 1/3 on the power play, while Grand Rapids was 0/2.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel to Rockford to take on the IceHogs on Saturday afternoon at 4 pm PST.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News, and Commentary: Angels’ Ohtani is all the rage at the Oakland Coliseum

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Photo credit: @deepredthread

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND — Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Angels infielder and pitcher, is baseball’s center of the universe at the Oakland Coliseum with at least 100 Japanese journalists out here to cover the first ever position and pitcher player since Babe Ruth did it for the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century.

Ohtani, who had not made himself available to the Japanese and English media, is a very low-key player much in the way that former Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki was when he was in his hey days. Ohtani is schedule to pitch on Sunday against the Oakland A’s that will draw not only thousands in the stands, but millions watching from Japan and about 100 Japanese reporters are expected to cover his first big league pitching performance on Sunday.

A’s opening day transformation: The A’s team president David Kaval, who did away with the opening night game concept, gets a lot of credit for his scheduling of the A’s first day game since the day game opener since 1994. Amaury remembers covering the Giants opening day and the Giants played a lot of day games.

Day games are special, and in Anaheim, the Angels play a lot of Saturday night games. It’s an entertainment area as you get Disneyland which is for families who take their families to the park, and at night, they go to the games. The games for the A’s every game is a day on a Saturday.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish radio play-by-play and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Blach has the stuff; four relievers and a shutout; Can SF keep it going?

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 The opening day performance by San Francisco Giants starter Ty Blach, who went five innings with three hits and three strikeouts. Blach put out a strong performance.

#2 A look at what pitches that were working for Blach.

#3 It took four relievers to come in to shut the door on the Los Angeles Dodgers. There were doubts about the Giants bullpen, but they really impressed on Opening Day.

#4 Dodgers starter Clayton Kernshaw pitched well enough to win, but he didn’t get any offensive support, throwing for one run, eight hits, walked two, struck out seven well enough to complete the game.

#5 Joe Panik, who got the game’s only run on a solo home run in the fifth, that turned out to be the difference maker.

Michael Duca does the Giants podcast Fridays and Morris Phillips on Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Emergency goalie sets NHL record; Canucks get a comeback win; Sharks drop two straight; plus more

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Photo credit: @BarDown

On the NHL podcast with Joe Lami:

#1 What could you say about emergency goalie Scott Foster, a 36 year old accountant by day, back up goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks by night? Foster, who stopped seven shots after the Hawks’ first two goalies were hurt, helped in defeating the Winnipeg Jets 6-2. Foster set the NHL record for length of time played by an emergency goalie. The previous record was under 60 seconds. Foster was put into a situation where he was greatly needed as opposed to previous emergency goalies who played for just a few seconds and got the job done.

#2 The Vancouver Canucks got by the Edmonton Oilers 2-1. The Canucks’ goals from Sam Gagner and Derrick Pousiot were all that was needed. The Canucks were down 1-0, but came back with goals in the second and third periods.

#3 The Minnesota Wild made no doubts about who was going to dominate this game as they got three goals in the second period. The Wild got two goals from Zach Parise.

#4 The San Jose Sharks dropped their second straight game. This time to the Nashville Predators 5-3. Coming out of a 2-2 tie after the first period. the Preds got to work with a goal in second period and scored twice in the third period.

#5 It was all Blue Jackets in a 5-1 win past the Calgary Flames. Columbus’ Pierre Luc DuBois got a hat trick in the contest.

Joe Lami does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings lose hard fought game to Pacers, 106-103

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Bogie vs Bogie
It was Bogdanovic vs Bogdanovic in this game! Photo: @Pacers

By: Jordan Chapin

SACRAMENTO- On one of the final home games of the season, the Kings put on quite a show against the playoff bound Indiana Pacers but didn’t have enough down the stretch as they fall to Indiana 106-103. After a sloppy game on Tuesday night against the Mavericks, Sacramento came out tonight, and really seemed like they were playing for their city. Led by the outstanding shooting nights of Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Kings were in it for the entirety of the game, but ran into an all-star by the name of Victor Oladipo.

Kings starting 5 vs Ind
Kings starting five vs Pacers Photo @SacramentoKings

Sacramento looked as good as they have this season in the first half of the ballgame. Willie Cauley-Stien was doing everything out on the floor before heading into the locker-room, including scoring 17 of his 19 points and shooting (9-of-10) from the field. The Kings outscored the Pacers bench 48 to 22 led by a 20 point night from Buddy Hield and Frank Mason doing a little bit of everything.

The second half of the game, the Kings continued to shoot the ball well and played hard, but the all-star, Victor Oladipo, began to show why he has led his team to the 5th-seed in the East. He finished his night with 24 points, five boards, and two assists, including the dagger 3-pointer that sealed the win for Indiana. Even after two crazy made baskets in the final seconds of the game by Hield and Bogdanovic, the Kings luck ran out as they fell 106-103.

Indiana sweeps the season series with the Kings, although it took a hard fought game from the Pacers to seal the win. The Kings will finish their six-game homestand on Saturday as the World Champion Golden State Warriors come to town. Fans were able to get into the game tonight and it really seemed like the Kings were playing for the Sacramento faithful. With only seven games remaining, the Kings will not surpass their win total of 32 from last season, but it seems they are truly playing for what is to come in the future.

Warriors lose third straight game, fall to Bucks 116-107

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors lost their third straight game and the seventh in the last 10 as they were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks 116-107 Thursday night at Oracle Arena. It was the first time in the Steve Kerr Era that the Warriors have lost three straight games.

The game marked the return of Kevin Durant, who was out with a rib injury, and Draymond Green, who suffered a groin injury and had to deal with a bout of the flu. The Warriors were competitive in the first half. They trailed the Bucks by just two at the end of the first quarter and fell behind by nine after the first 24 minutes of play.

Kevin Durant played 17 minutes in the first half and scored 10 points. Durant was hit with two technical fouls as he felt he was fouled while driving towards the basket. Durant also felt that referee Tre Maddox missed several calls and when he complained about getting mugged. Maddox called a technical and when Durant continued to gripe. Maddox ejected him for the game and that spelled doom for the Warriors.

Durant on his ejection: “I got fouled, and I told [the ref] how I felt, and he kicked me out.”

The Bucks outscored the Warriors 34-23 in the third quarter and had a 20-point lead after three periods of play. The Warriors rallied in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bucks 35-24; but 20-point leads are so difficult to overcome so late in the game, and Milwaukee was able to hold on for the win.

Game Notes: The Warriors Quinn Cook scored a career-high 30 points in a losing effort. Draymond Green had 11, JaVale McGee and Patrick McCaw both had 12 and Kevon Looney and David West added 12 apiece, respectively.

Scoring leaders for Milwaukee were Giannis Antetokounpo with 32, Khris Middleton 23, Eric Bledsoe 20, and Jabari Parker 14.

With the loss, the Warriors fall one game behind the Toronto Raptors for the NBA’s second-best record.

The Warriors are now 54-21 for the season.

Up Next: The Warriors play the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center Saturday night.

Klay Thompson has not been cleared to play, and it is still not known when he will return.

The Warriors need one more win to clinch the second seed in the Western Conference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blach outduels Kershaw; Giants take opener 1-0

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The Giants appeared to have the look of a team that was basically up on a tee for the Dodgers to smack around, particularly on Opening Day.

Someone apparently forgot to tell Ty Blach and the rest of the pitching staff, which combined to shut down the Dodgers Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, 1-0.

Blach went five innings and gave up only three hits to a lineup that was only one game away from winning the World Series, while also striking out three and walking three. From that point, the Giants utilized four relievers, including fill-in closer Hunter Strickland, to keep Los Angeles off the scoreboard for four more innings.

“He’s got a great makeup about him,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We were very confident that he was going to give us a chance to win, which he did. That’s why we picked him to go on Opening Day.”

In the process, Blach got the best of Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who gave up a run on eight hits, walking two and striking out seven.

Second baseman Joe Panik fired the shot that separated the two teams and provided the difference. In the fifth inning, he got an inside fastball from Kershaw and sent it into the seats beyond the short fence in right field for a solo homer.

“That’s what this game is about, it about competing,” Blach said. “I love the opportunity to go up against one of the best in the league. It’s a great opportunity, and I loved every minute of it.”

Sharks Lose to Predators 5-3, End Point Streak at 9 Games

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 5-2 to the Nashville Predators Thursday, their second loss in a row on the current road trip. Nashville goals came from Kyle Turris, Viktor Arvidsson, Craig Smith, Ryan Ellis and Nick Bonino. Sharks goals came from Logan Couture, Brenden Dillon and Mikkel Boedker. In goal, Nashville’s Juuse Saros made 39 saves for the win, while Martin Jones made 27 saves for the Sharks. The game was whistle-riddled, including a high-pressure penalty shot for the Sharks in the final two minutes of the game. Despite eleven penalties called, neither team scored on the power play.

Thursday’s loss ended the Sharks’ nine-game point streak, but Sharks forward Logan Couture still said: “It was a good game, it was a fun game to be a part of. It was back and forth, I thought it had a lot of grade A looks against a very good defensive team. Their goaltender made some big time saves down the stretch there. But yeah, it was a fun game.”

This was the Sharks’ second loss in a row to Nashville. On February 22, Nashville won 7-1 in San Jose. Of Thursday’s road game, Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon said:

They’re the top team in the West and I think we came in and pretty much proved to ourselves that we can hang with them, and not just hang with but play well. I think we deserved better tonight, we had a lot of chances. Their goalie played well, credit to him. But I think we really took a step in our game, coming back in here after the last time.

The first period was thick with scoring. Early in the first period, Kyle Turris gave Nashville their first lead of the game. P.K Subban’s hard shot from the point rebounded off Jones and went right to Turris’ stick. Assists went to Subban and Craig Smith.

Less than two minutes later, Logan Couture tied it. As the puck came to him along the blue line, Brent Burns saw Couture skating through the high slot and hit him with a one-touch pass. Couture carried the puck briefly before taking a wrist shot that beat Saros on the short side. Assists went to Burns and Mikkle Boedker.

Just past the midpoint of the period, Nashville took another lead when Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg turned a blue line giveaway into a two-on-none against Martin Jones. Assists went to Forsberg and Ryan Johansen.

The Sharks tied the game, again less than two minutes later, with a goal from Brenden Dillon. Dillon’s shot found its way through a line of moving traffic, including a couple of Sharks, but touched no one and gave Dillon his fifth of the season. The lone assists went to Jannik Hansen.

The second period saw six penalties and just one goal. Craig Smith scored at 10:38. Kyle Turris carried the puck across both blue lines before dropping it to Ryan Ellis. Ellis took the shot, creating a rebound that Smith picked up as he arrived behind the traffic. Assists went to Turris and Ellis.

Mikkel Boedker tied it up next, at 5:54 of the third period. Just as a Sharks power play ended, several Sharks took shots from in fairly close before the Boedker moved the puck away from the net. He skated across the slot and took a shot from the top of the faceoff crcle. His shot seemed to hit one of the Nashville players in front of the net, then dropped and bounced across the line. Assists went to Chris Tierney and Timo Meier.

Ryan Ellis gave the Predators their final lead at 10:06. Ryan Johansen carried the puck through the neutral zone and handed it off to Viktor Arvidsson. Arvidsson tried to center it but it bounced off a skate and then pinballed off the boards to Ellis high in the slot. His shot caught Jones trying to move across. Assists went to Filip Forsberg and Arvidsson.

The final few minutes to the third period were frenetic. The Sharks had a power play at 16:50 after P.K Subban put the puck over the glass, and before that ended, Ryan Ellis was called for displacing the net. Logan Couture was awarded a penalty shot for the Ellis penalty but he could not beat Saros. The Predators killed off the Subban penalty and got a goal from Nick Bonino in the empty net with 17 seconds left in regulation.

The Sharks are still in second place in the Pacific Division, five points behind the Las Vegas Golden Knights and five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks next play in Las Vegas on Saturday at 7:30 pm PT.

A’s win opener in a 6-5 walk-off win over Angels

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — What a glorious day to play a ballgame! The weather at the Coliseum was fantastic, and the A’s and Angels were getting ready to play the first game of the season. The fans filed in, and the festivities were underway to kick off the 2018 season. A’s Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers threw out the first pitch to conclude the Opening Day ceremonies and the time has come to Play Ball.

Kendall Graveman started for Oakland, and he was not at his best. He went five-plus innings and was tagged for five runs, all earned. In his five-plus innings of work, he threw 78 pitches and gave up seven hits, including three solo home runs, a triple and a double. A’s designated hitter Khris Davis put a charge in the A’s offense when he homered with two men on. First baseman Matt Olson, the next batter after Davis, blasted his first of the year to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth. The A’s tied the game in the seventh and won it 6-5 in a walk-off in the 11th. It was a thriller.

Graveman was the starting pitcher for the A’s, and he was opposed by the Angels’ Garrett Richards. It was the second year in a row that two pitchers faced each other on Opening Day. Graveman set the Angels down in order in the first inning, but ran into trouble in the second.

The Angels drew first blood as the scored two runs on four hits. Kole Calhoun got things going for the Angels when he tripled to deep right centerfield. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons singled sharply to centerfield to drive in Calhoun. Graveman retired Luis Valbuena when third baseman Matt Chapman made a sensational catch over the tarpaulin to record the out. The next batter, Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani making his Major League debut, singled to right to send Simmons to third. Angels’ catcher Martin Maldonado hit a ground rule double to drive in Simmons with the Angels second run. The A’s mounted a threat in their half of the second when they put men on at second and third with two out, but Matt Joyce struck out to end the threat. The Angels lead 2-0 after two innings of play.

The Angels upped the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning when Kole Calhoun, who seems to own Graveman, homered to deep left centerfield. Graveman settled down and retired the next three Angel hitters. The A’s failed to score in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the fifth, the Angels added another run on the strength of Zach Cozart’s first dinger of the season. The A’s got on the board in their half of the fifth. With one out, Richards walked Matt Joyce and Marcus Semien. He struck out Jed Lowrie for the second out. The A’s DH Khris “Khrush” Davis homered just over the wall in left centerfield to make it 4-3. The next batter Matt Olson tied the game with a solo blast to right.

Graveman, facing Albert Pujols leading off the sixth, served up another gopher ball. Pujols sent the ball deep into the left-field seats for his first homer of the season and 615th of his career for the future Hall of Fame player. Graveman was done for the day and was replaced by Ryan Buchter who was making his Oakland A’s debut. The A’s tied the game in the bottom of the seventh.With one out, three consecutive singles by Semien, Lowrie, and Khris Davis produced the A’s fifth run

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the 11th. With one out, Boog Powell tripled over the head of Justin Upton who was not playing deep. The Angels issued an intentional walk to Matt Joyce to set up an inning-ending double play. Angel manager Mike Scioscia brought Upton as a fifth infielder. The strategy failed as Marcus Semien singled to center to end the game and send the 27,764 fans home very happy. Final score: The A’s won 6-5.

Game Notes: Time of game was four hours and two minutes and 27,764 fans were at the game. The hitting stars for Oakland were Marcus Semien with hits, including the game-winning single, and Boog Powell with a double and a triple. His triple in the 11th inning set up the winning run. Khris Davis with singles and homered to drive in four runs. Matt Olson hit a moonshot Jed Lowrie contributed two hits to help the A’s win.

The Angels’ second baseman, Zach Cozart, in his first game as an Angel had three hits, including a home run and a double. Kole Calhoun recorded a home run, a triple, and a single to start the season. Future Hall of Fame player, Albert Pujols, had two hits including the 615th home run of his illustrious career. Catcher Martin Maldonado tormented the A’s pitching staff as he had three hits. Angels’ rookie Shohei Ohtani singled on the very first pitch in the Major League. The A’s shut him down the rest of the way. Two-time MVP Mike Trout went hitless in six at-bats.

Up Next: Game two of the four-game series will be played at 7:05 pm PST Friday night. Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland, and Tyler Skaggs will start for the Angels.

 

 

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Quakes host NYCFC Saturday; plus more news

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu:

1. The Quakes welcome NYCFC to Avaya Stadium Saturday night. What are your three keys to the game?

2. The Quakes’ training field got a new fence wrap on Monday. What do you think of the mini makeover?

3. JT Marcinkowski earned a spot on the USL’s Team of the Week for his standout performance in the Reno 1868 FC vs. Las Vegas Lights FC match, which ended in a 1-1 draw Saturday night.

4. Ted Ramey, the voice of the Earthquakes, recently said that the player he’s expecting to have their breakout is Magnus Eriksson.

5. The Quakes recently tweeted a story titled “Defying All Odds: Cardinal Newman’s Inspiring Journey to Glory” that was published after Cardinal Newman was crowned the D3 NorCal Champions following the Tubbs fire.

Ana Kieu does the San Jose Earthquakes podcast each week at SportsRadioService.com.