Month: May 2018

Giants win 3rd in a row with 11-2 rout of Braves

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

It seems that the San Francisco Giants are beginning to find their stride, despite the fact that their two top starters and closer are currently on the disabled list.

Buster Posey and Andrew McCutchen each picked up three hits, and Alen Hanson hit his second home run of the season and drove in four runs, as the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 11-2 at SunTrust Park.

Brandon Crawford also picked up three hits and drove in two runs for the Giants, who have at least nine runs in their last three games.

With the victory, the Giants have clinched their fifth straight series and have won three in a row and 10 out of their last 13.

On the evening, the Giants as a team picked up 18 hits, as Braves starter Brandon McCarthy went just 3.1 innings.

Ty Blach picked up his third win of the season, as he went 7.2 innings and allowed just one earned run in the victory.

Hanson got his night started in the second inning, as he hit a double that scored Crawford and then in the top of the third inning, Hanson hit a McCarthy pitch just inside the right field foul pole for his second home run of the season.

The Giants blew the game wide open in the third, that saw Brandon Belt hit a run-scoring single and then Evan Longoria hit a double that fell in just out of the reach of Nick Markakis in right field for his 1,500thcareer hit that drove in Posey.

McCutchen scored on a Posey single in the top of the fourth inning, that saw the Giants score three runs, as Crawford later added a two-run double that scored both Posey and Belt.

Posey got the Giants into the double figure plateau in the top of the fifth inning, as he singled to score Gorkys Hernandez.

Nick Hundley continued his hot hitting, as he hit a single in the top of the ninth inning to score Crawford.

Unfortunately, the Giants committed three errors, including a dropped ball by Hernandez in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Giants committed two errors in the bottom of the third inning, as Crawford committed an error on a ball hit by Albies. Hanson then committed a throwing error on a ball hit by Ronald Acuna, Jr., that retired Albies at second base.

Markakis drove in the Braves final run of the evening, as he doubled to right field that scored Acuna.

The Braves took the lead for the second straight game in the bottom of the first inning, as Freddie Freeman grounded out to first base that scored Ozzie Albies from third base.

NOTES: It was another nice crowd for the Braves, as they drew 38,242 for the game, one night after setting the record of 41,807.

Melancon threw 20 pitches in the bullpen, and looks to be on track to getting off the disabled list on May 25. Currently, Melancon is on the 60-day disabled list with a right elbow strain.

Reyes Moronta was forced to leave the game in the bottom of the ninth inning after he threw eight straight balls to start the inning. Moronta left the game with a tight back.

UP NEXT: Andrew Suarez will start for the Giants on Sunday afternoon, as they look for the sweep, while the Braves will send Mike Soroka to the mound for his first start at SunTrust Park. In his major-league debut on Tuesday night, Soroka allowed one run in six innings against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Matt Harrington: Bruins, watch your tongue, Lightning just one win away; Sharks come back, but lose to Knights 5-3; plus more

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NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast with Matt:

#1 After the Boston Bruins Brad Marchand licked the face of the Tampa Bay Lighting’s winger Ryan Callahan, that was enough to light the fuse and the Lightning. Marchand said that Callahan punched him in the face four times and kept getting close and said it was not a big deal. The Bolts get the 4-3 win in overtime in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead.

#2 The Vegas Golden Knights got a 5-3 win in regulation to take a 3-2 series lead. The Knights well ahead of San Jose scoring a goal in the first period and two in the second, but the sleeping Shark woke up answering back with three goals to tie it 3-3 in the third period but the Knights would have none of it and roared back with two goals to win it 5-3.

#3 In Washington tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins, who tied up the series 2-2 with the Caps on Thursday with a 3-1 win do battle again tonight for Game 5. In Game 4, the defense put the pressure on both of the Caps and Pens key players Alexander Ovechkin for the Caps and Sid Crosby for the Pens neither scored a goal, but what’s worse was neither even got a shot on goal in Game 4.

#4 The Nashville Predators pulled off a tough win in Winnipeg on Thursday night in Game 4 to tie up the series 2-2. It’s been a back and forth series as the Jets won Game 3 at home convincingly 7-4 for their short series lead.

Matt Harrington does the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Pelicans bounce back with 19-point win over Warriors in Game 3 119-100

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Advocate staff photo by MATTHEW HINTON: New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) celebrates a dunk with New Orleans Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic (3) against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) as fans including Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, left, and Saints Cam Jordan cheer during the second half of game 3 of the conference semifinal NBA playoffs at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La. Friday, May 4, 2018.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Friday, May 7, 2018

New Orleans built a double-digit lead in the first half and cruised to a 119-100 victory over Golden State Friday in Game 3 of their best-of-seven NBA West series at New Orleans.

The Warriors still have a 2-games-to-1 lead in the series.

After JaVale McGee’s dunk gave the Warriors a one-point lead midway through the first quarter, Nikola Mirotic responded with a 3-pointer on the Pelicans’ next possession and New Orleans led the remainder of the contest. The Pelicans built a 15-point lead by the second quarter, though Golden State cut their deficit to six by halftime on Klay Thompson’s third 3-pointer of the quarter.

Thompson led the Warriors with 26 points, 20 of them in the second quarter. Kevin Durant was next with 22 and Steph Curry added 19. Draymond Green finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists

Curry became the first Warriors player to score 2,000 career postseason points, now at 2,012. He also became the first Warrior to pass the 500 postseason assist mark and passed Reggie Miller for fourth all time in career postseason 3-pointers with 322. Miller had 320.

After Solomon Hill nailed three 3-pointers in the first quarter off the Pelicans bench, the tone was set. Ex-Warrior Ian Clark scored 18 points in 22 minutes. Rajon Rondo dished out 21 assists, a Golden State playoff opponent record.

Hill and Clark combined for six of the Pelicans’ 14 3-balls while the Golden State bench was held to 10 points over the first three quarters. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 33 points and 18 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday added 21 points and five assists.

The series continues in New Orleans at 12:30 p.m. PDT in New Orleans.

A’s Score 4 in First, Need a Few More for 6-4 Win Over O’s

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

The Oakland A’s opened the weekend homestand against the Baltimore Orioles with a 6-4 win over the Birds friday night. The A’s rode homers from Khris Davis and Matt Olson in a four-run first inning, but needed Jed Lowrie’s RBI single in the sixth inning to pick up the win. Daniel Mengden fired five innings of three-hit, one-run ball for Oakland (16-16), but the Orioles tied the game off reliever Yusmeiro Petit in the sixth inning. Lou Trivino (2-0, 0.93 ERA) picked up the win in relief.

Adam Jones, appearing in career game 1,500 with the O’s, started the game with a solo homer for a 1-0 lead. Oakland bounced back in the bottom of the 1st though, with Khris Davis launching a three-run homer off Andrew Cashner and Matt Olson going back-to-back with a solo bomb.

Apart from Jones’ solo shot, Mengden pitched effectively outing but was pulled after five innings with 84 pitches under his belt. Petit entered the game giving up four consecutive singles to put the A’s ahead by just one at 4-3. He got the punch-out prone Pedro Alvarez for the first out, but gave up another single to Danny Valencia for a tie ballgame. Trivino came in and got a double play from Jace Peterson on just his 2nd pitch thrown.

Brad Brach, on in the bottom of the sixth after getting the last out in the fifth, saw  Stephen Piscotty reach base on a throwing error by Manny Machado. Jonathan Lucroy collected one of three hits on the night, doubling to put runners on second and third with no outs. Brach got Matt Joyce to fly out weakly, then saw his defense cut Piscotty down at the plate on a fielder’s choice, but the major’s hit leader Jed Lowrie would knock in his 31st RBI on a single to tag Brach (0-2, 5.84) with the loss. Marcus Semien would single in the insurance run in the 8th inning.

Oakland sends Trevor Cahill to the mound for Gme 2 of the series. The Orioles counter with Kevin Gausman. First pitch is at 6:05 pm PT.

Sharks Fall 5-3 to Golden Knights, Trail in Series 3-2

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell behind in their second round playoff series with a 5-3 loss in Las Vegas Friday. Vegas took a 4-0 lead with goals from James Neal, Eric Haula and two from Alex Tuch. Jonathan Marchessault scored an empty-netter in the final seconds to seal the win. The Sharks’ three third period goals came from Kevin Labanc, Tomas Hertl and Mikkel Boedker. Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves for the win. In the Sharks’ net, Martin Jones made 27 saves before being pulled in the third period, and Aaron Dell finished the game with seven saves.

After the game, Sharks Captain Joe Pavelski described the team’s sense of the game:

It felt like the game was there at all times. When that score was within two or three, you feel in it. And we knew we had to get in there and create a little bit more. But, game went to four, Deller went in, all of a sudden we bang in one or two and you know it’s still there. So I don’t know, did we fell in it? We thought we had a chance for sure. Were we playing good enough? Not at some moments for sure, but the game got better at the end. So that needs to continue now, it doesn’t matter what we felt.

“We have to play harder for a longer stretch than we did tonight. We didn’t play hard enough for long enough and that’s why we lost,” said Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer. Each team killed three of four penalties. Vegas outshot the Sharks 39-30, with the biggest difference in the first period. Vegas also edged the Sharks in faceoffs, winning 51% of them. The hit count favored the Golden Knights by a big margin at 53-35.

The Golden Knights outshot the Sharks 15-7 in the first period, but Sharks goaltender Martin Jones held them off the board until the final minute. James Neal scored with just three seconds left off a rebound created by Shea Theodore’s shot from the blue line. Theodore and David Perron got the assists.

The Sharks started the second period with an early power play but could not score. They had only two shots on goal and Vegas came back with a power play of their own just 12 seconds after the Sharks power play expired.

The Vegas power play did not last long, as Alex Tuch scored at 4:52, again off a rebound. This one was created by a close in shot from Reilly Smith. It was not much of a rebound but Tuch was right on the doorstep to knock it in. Assists went to Reilly and Jonathan Marchessault.

The third Vegas goal came from Erik Haula at 8:59. Haula caught a pass from David Perron almost at the goal line. His bad angle shot squeezed under Jones’ pad on the short side. Assists went to Perron and Ryan Carpenter.

Just shy of the half way mark, Marc-Andre Fleury thwarted an excellent chance for San Jose. Marcus Sorensen skated in fast and followed his shot up by crashing the net. He knocked Fleury across the goal mouth and off his skates. The puck was cleared away to the boards, where Brent Burns was on top of it. Fleury got back in position in time to stop the blast from Burns as well.

Vegas had a second power play at 11:02 after Justin Braun was called for tripping. The Sharks started the penaly kill with a good short-handed chance from Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, but they did not beat Fleury. They had a couple more short-handed excursions into the Vegas zone and killed off the rest of the penalty.

The Sharks’ fourth line had an excellent shift in the final three minutes of the period but that was followed by another Vegas power play. After a line change, Joe Pavelski was called for roughing after a tussle in front of the Vegas net. The Sharks spent most of the rest of the period killing that off.

The Sharks’ second power play came early in the third period after Shea Theodore was called for cross-checking Tomas Hertl. Vegas killed that off, but Theodore was back in the box at 4:11, this time for slashing Hertl. The Sharks were unable to take advantage of either penalty.

Alex Tuch scored his second of the game at 8:36 of the third. The Sharks had just finished an excellent shift in the o-zone, ever frustrated by Fleury. After the offensive zone draw, the Sharks lost the puck to Oscar Lindberg, who got it out of the zone. Alex Tuch carried it across the line and passed it to Cody Eakin. Eakin sent it right back for Tuch to shoot.

Pete DeBoer pulled Martin Jones after that goal and put Aaron Dell in.

The team responded with a a quick power play goal from Kevin Labanc. James Neal was called for slashing at 9:06. 29 seconds into the power play, Logan Couture found Labanc in the slot for a clean shot over Fleury’s left pad. Assists went to Couture and Hertl.

Just over two minutes later, Tomas Hertl scored to cut the Vegas lead in half. Mikkel Boedker made a fast move behind the net and just as he had the puck coming around the post, Hertl was there to knock it in. Assists went to Boedker and Couture.

Boedker added to the Sharks’ tally with a quick shot close in after the puck popped out of a scramble in front of the Vegas net. The time of the goal was 15:44, with an assist to Logan Couture.

With 2:21 and an offensive zone draw for the Sharks, DeBoer pulled Dell for the extra skater. The Sharks spent some precious time defending that empty net before getting the puck back into the Vegas zone for a moment. But with 1:21 left, Jonathan Marchessault got control of the puck and took a shot all the way down the ice for the empty-net goal.

Game 6 will be in San Jose on Sunday at 4:30 pm PT.

Stratton goes five in Giants’ 9-4 win over the Braves

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

After allowing a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, it was like déjà vu all over for Chris Stratton and the San Francisco Giants.

Stratton, who got just four outs in his last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday afternoon, was able to recover and go five innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out six and the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 9-4 at SunTrust Park.

The win by the Giants stopped the Braves five-game winning streak, who are coming off a three-city, 10-game road trip, where they went 7-3 against the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, who the Braves now lead in the National League East by 1.5 games.

Freddie Freeman gave the Braves a quick 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning, as he hit a Stratton pitch into the left field seats. Following the Freeman home run, Jose Bautista, who was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett made a great first impression on the Braves fans, as he doubled in his first at-bat.

Unfortunately for the Braves and their crowd, the Giants put a quick stop to the lead in the top of the second inning.

Gregor Blanco hit a two-run triple, Alen Hanson hit a run-scoring double and then scored on a fielder’s choice, Brandon Belt added a RBI double and finally Evan Longoria drove in the final run of a six-run inning, when he grounded out.

Nick Markakis cut the Giants lead in half in the bottom of the third inning, as his sixth home run of the season.

Brandon Crawford then gave the Giants a five-run in the top of the seventh inning, as he hit his third home run, a two-run blast into the right field seats.

Crawford went three-for-five on the night for the Giants with two runs batted in for the Giants, who have won six out of their last eight.

Ozzie Albies drove in the final run of the game for the Braves, as he hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored Charlie Culberson, who hit a pinch-hit single, while batting for Jesse Biddle, who came in the top of the seventh and surrendered the two-run home run to Crawford.

It was a rough night for Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz, who pitched just five innings, allowing six runs on nine hits, walking two and striking out four.

Will Smith made his second straight appearance in relief for the Giants, as he went one inning, allowing one run on one hit. Smith, who missed all of the 2017 season after Tommy John surgery, made his season debut on Wednesday afternoon against the San Diego Padres at AT&T Park.

Longoria closed out the scoring for the Giants in the top of the ninth inning, as he hit his team-leading seventh home run of the season off of Max Fried.

NOTES: Ty Blach takes the mound on Saturday night, as the Giants continue their three-game series in Atlanta. The Braves will send Brandon McCarthy to the mound, as they look to even up the series.

Mark Melancon will throw in the bullpen for the first time this season on Saturday. Melancon is on the disabled list with a right elbow flexor strain. Mac Williamson, who is eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list on Saturday may not be ready, as he suffering from a virus.

This was the largest crowd in SunTrust Park history, as they drew 41,807 in the opener of the three-game series.

UP NEXT: The Giants are on a three-city, 10-game road trip that began on Friday night, then will move to Philadelphia for a four-game set and end after three games in Pittsburgh on May 12.

Opinion: Defensive issues cause Warriors to get run over by Pelicans 119-100 in Game 3

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Photo credit: @NBCSWarriors

By: Eric He

If the Golden State Warriors were looking to coast their way to the Western Conference Finals, the New Orleans Pelicans just reminded them that it won’t be all smooth sailing.

The Warriors fell 119-100 to the Pelicans on Friday in Game 3 on the road, and their lead in the series is now at 2-1. They were outplayed from beginning to end by New Orleans, never establishing their game and failing to mount a second-half comeback.

Instead, it was the Anthony Davis show. the Pelicans’ star recorded 33 points and 18 rebounds, having his way inside. The Pelicans shot 45.2 percent from 3-point range, giving the Warriors a dose of their own medicine. Davis dominated JaVale McGee, who got the start despite receiving minimal playing time in the first two games. McGee played just nine minutes and had a plus-minus of -10.

The Warriors had four starters in double figures, but found no rhythm offensively. They trailed by six points at halftime, but in the third quarter, when they typically make their push, it was the Pelicans who went on a run and outscored the Warriors by 11. New Orleans led by 17 points after three quarters.

But the issue was more on the defensive end. The Warriors were slow on rotations and allowed clean looks from distance. Jrue Holiday and Nikola Mirotic both provided supplemental scoring, while Ian Clark had 18 points off the bench.

Now, the Warriors would do themselves a huge favor by winning Game 4 and returning home with a 3-1 series lead. Otherwise, a series that felt like it was over after Game 2 may last longer than expected.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast with Joe Lami: Pens tie up series with Caps at 2-2 to silence Ovechkin; Preds play for their lives, series with Jets now tied

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photo from nhl.com: The Nashville Predators PK Subban celebrates scoring the game winner past the Winnipeg Jets to tie up the series up at two games apiece in Winnipeg on Thursday night

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast with Joe:

#1 The Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne stood on his head and stop 32 shots in a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets who just trounced the Preds on Tuesday night in game three 7-4 flipped the script with a series tying game loss to Nashville. Game 5 will be this Saturday night in Winnipeg. The Predators’ PK Subban scored a power-play goal for the gamer.

#2 The Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night got a series-tying win past the Washington Capitals in a Game 4 win 3-1. The Penguins also were able to shut down Alex Ovechkin likewise the Penguins Sid Crosby who didn’t score a goal or get a shot and both were well-defended in Thursday’s contest.

#3 The San Jose Sharks tied their series 2-2 with the Vegas Golden Knights with a 4-0 shutout in Game 4 at SAP Center on Wednesday night. The Sharks dominated this game from start to finish and avoided going back to Vegas down 3-1. The Golden Knights will host the Sharks on Friday night for Game 5.

#4 The Tampa Bay Lighting are up two games to one over the Boston Bruins. The Bolts have been living on the forecheck that has helped shake the puck loose a few times and the Ligthing were able to gets wins by two goals and three goals in Games 2 and 3.

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

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips and Michael Duca: Elbow problems for Johnny Cueto, could it spell a season-ending injury?

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Photo credit: @mlbdepthcharts

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 How possible is this elbow injury for Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto being a season-ending injury?

#2 Will Cueto be considered for Tommy John surgery?

#3 Giant pitcher Will Smith has been activated Thursday after being on the DL from Tommy John surgery. Smith last pitched last season.

#4 Also, after the news about Cueto, the Giants pitcher Andrew Suarez was almost demoted to Triple-A Sacramento, but the Giants kept him up with the club to spot start and he’s slated to start on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

#5 What’s it like to see with Mac Williamson back in the lineup with his scheduled return on Saturday?

Giants podcasters Morris Phillips and Michael Duca podcasts Giants baseball each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Giants look to build on positive momentum after 9-4 win over the Padres

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Photo credit: mlb.com

By Jeremy Harness

The Giants have managed to get back to being a winning baseball team. By virtue of their series win against the San Diego Padres, they are now a game above .500, which is certainly a reason to be excited if you’re a Giants fan.

Having won four of their last six games, the Giants, however, will have a test on their hands as they now hit the road for 12 games.

The first stop on their journey will take place in Atlanta, as the Giants pay a visit to the Braves for a three-game weekend series that starts Friday night at SunTrust Park. Chris Stratton (2-2, 3.90 ERA) will take the ball for the Giants opposite Atlanta righty Mike Foltynewicz (2-1, 2.53 ERA).

Foltynewicz is coming off a stellar performance in Philadelphia, as he gave up only a run on three hits over six strong innings in a 4-1 win over the Phillies last Saturday. Meanwhile, Stratton is looking for a comeback after surrendering six runs in only 1 1/3 innings in a blowout loss to the Dodgers last Saturday.

Lefty Ty Blach (2-3, 4.10 ERA) will go for the Giants on Saturday against Brandon McCarthy, a former Athletic who has won all of his four starts this year with a 3.09 ERA. In their last outings, McCarthy beat the Phillies in a one-run, five-hit performance over 5 1/3 innings, while Blach went six innings and surrendered a pair of runs on six hits in a win over Washington.

To close out the series, the Giants will send Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 5.27 ERA) to the mound against Atlanta’s Mike Soroka (1-0, 1.50 ERA).

Samardzija, who has been making his return from injury, is coming off an outing against San Diego on Monday where he surrendered two runs on five hits in a victory while Soroka won his first start of the season on Tuesday by surrendering only a run on six hits to the New York Mets.