Month: July 2020

Gott is Hot: Giants reliever trending with the fantasy baseball crowd

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By Morris Phillips

During six minor league seasons, the Giants’ Trevor Gott criss-crossed the U.S. similar to a well-known Johnny Cash song.

I’ve been to Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika
Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica
Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield, Shreveport
Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport
Idaho, Jellico, Argentina, Diamantina
Pasadena, Catalina, see what I mean’a
I’ve been everywhere, man

Gott left the University of Kentucky after three seasons when he was selected in the sixth round of 2013 Major League Baseball Draft. That started a nomadic existence in which he pitched for nine minor league teams, including three stints in Syracuse and two with Arkansas. Each of Gott’s assignments to Syracuse followed a demotion from the Washington Nationals, one of his three major league stops that began with the Angels in 2015, then onto D.C. and the Giants in 2019. Groomed as a closer initially, the 5’10” Gott settled into a role as a setup man before his first big league promotion by Los Angeles.

With an effective fastball, but no established secondary pitch, Gott never stuck in one place or with one organization. But the Giants kept him on the big league roster for the entire season in 2019, and he rewarded them with 57 strikeouts over 52 innings in 50 appearances and 7-0 record.

Gott figured to earn some, not a bunch, of high leverage assignments in Gabe Kapler’s unheralded bullpen this season, but twice over the weekend, Kapler bypassed Tony Watson, and brought in Gott, who surprised with back-to-back saves against the powerful Dodgers.

Will Smith led off the ninth with a home run off Gott on Saturday to bring the Dodgers within one run, but the 27-year old rebounded, retiring Max Muncy, Mookie Betts and Clay Bellinger in a row for his second, big league save.

“I thought our bullpen did a nice job of holding it together under some tough conditions. In particular, Gotter did a nice job,” Kapler said of the season’s first victory.

Gott came right back Sunday night and finished off the Dodgers again, this time in a 3-1 win, and as the final piece of 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief by the Giants’ pen. Six relievers had a piece in it, but only Gott retired Smith, Betts and Muncy consecutively after he allowed a leadoff double to A.J. Pollock.

The saves caught the attention of the fantasy baseball crowd, who were more than eager to add a pitcher racking up the saves who was on only 10 percent of fantasy rosters coming into the weekend.

For Gott, he’s just taking it in stride, given all the stops and starts in his career, and Kapler’s refusal to define roles at this early juncture of the season.

“I’m really, really happy I got the opportunity, but we’ve got a lot of good, young arms down there,” Gott said. “I think these past two games you all have seen that. That’s a good lineup over there, and I think the past two games we showed that we have arms that are going to be able to compete.”

Gott’s storyline is pretty defined: his fastball that’s electric and darts away from lefties is his only dependable pitch. His curveball has always been below major league standards so much so that he’s scrapped it at times for a changeup that wasn’t more than 8 mph slower than his mid-90’s heater. But this season, he’s been a problem by reinventing the curveball, and getting it across the plate at 80 to 83 mph, which is the desirable 10 mph slower than his fastball.

So far hitters can’t sit on his fastball when the curve is putting them behind in the count. Now the question is, can he keep it up?

NOTES: Jeff Samardzija has been named the starter for Tuesday’s home opener against the Padres, with Johnny Cueto to follow Wednesday.  This halts Kapler’s pattern of not unveiling his starting pitcher until just before game time after just four games. While the strategy likely kept the Dodgers off balance, it could also be disconcerting to the Giants’ staff, who are conditioned to preparing days in advance.

 

 

 

 

Earthquakes take down Real Salt Lake 5-2, earn spot in quarterfinals of MLS Is Back

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The San Jose Earthquakes celebrate yet another happy ending following their victory over  Real Lake City in their three goal win to improve to 3-0-1 and move onto the quarterfinals (@SJEarthquakes photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

ORLANDO, Fla.—The San Jose Earthquakes continued their dominance in the second half. Real Salt Lake was their latest victim as they won they scored four second half goals en route to a 5-2 victory in their round of 16 match of the MLS is Back tournament on Monday evening at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

With the victory the Quakes stamped their ticket to the quarterfinals of the MLS Is Back tournament and now await the winner of the Minnesota FC-Columbus Crew match tomorrow evening.

San Jose had five different players tally either a goal or an assist and two players that recorded both a goal and an assist.

The Earthquakes have now scored 11 goals in their last three matches of the MLS is Back Tournament, including at least four in two of the three games. The club has now outscored its opponents 11-5 in the competition and 10-2 over its last 210 minutes.

San Jose controlled the majority of play in the first half. They won the possession battle 66%-34% against Real Salt Lake.

“I think the team keeps growing game after game,” said Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda. “It keeps showing a very positive attitude. In unity, in sacrifice, but more than anything in how they play. The best thing for a coach is to get the maximum level out of each player because that will allow us to have growth. Once again, I am grateful to each player and for the work they have put in.”

The Quakes broke through in the 21st minute. Magnus Eriksson started a rush up the pitch where he found Vako open in the middle. Vako then sent a pass out to the right wing where Cristian Espinoza gathered the ball, made a move inside and fired a shot past Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath back into the left corner of the goal for his second goal in as many games.

Real Salt Lake caught San Jose sleeping at the subsequent kickoff. A long ball surprised the Quakes backline and sprung Douglas Martinez who came in all alone from the left wing. Quakes goalkeeper Daniel Vega came out to challenge the play but Martinez chipped the ball over Vega for a goal just 21 seconds later at the 22nd minute.

San Jose regained their composer and toward the end of the half had numerous attempts for the go-ahead goal but weren’t able to capitalize.

It didn’t take long for San Jose regain the lead once the second half started. In the 48th minute with the Quakes in possession, Eriksson split RSL’s defense with a splendid pass over to Tommy Thompson who broke in from the right side of the D. Thompson had a stride on Alvin Jones, who ended up pushing down Thompson inside the box resulting in a penalty kick for the Quakes.

Eriksson buried the ball into the upper right corner for the first of his two-goal evening for San Jose.

“We have been shooting penalties during the week and I felt pretty confident. I had a really great feeling before both penalty kicks. There was no doubt from my side. I am really happy with the performance tonight with the boys and everybody around the team, so it is a great evening for us,” Eriksson said.

Real Salt Lake pushed back in the 59th minute when Martinez drove into the box but his shot was saved by Vega.

San Jose gained their first two-goal lead two minutes later in the 61st minute. Vako collected a turnover from 30 yards out. He dribbled up the middle before sending a pass to the left where Andy Rios gave back a pretty centering feed to Vako who tapped home the ball for for his first goal of the tournament.

Once again Martinez tried to get Real Salt Lake back into the match. He centered a pass over Damar Kreilach but Vega was there with a diving save off to spoil Kreilach’s chance in the 63rd minute.

Kreilach gave Real Salt Lake a glimmer of hope in the 75th minute when he slammed home a pass from Marcelo Silva past into the right corner past Vega cutting the Quakes lead to just one goal.

Silva received a red card in the 84th minute for a dangerous tackle attempt on Jackson Yueill that had the Quakes midfielder withering in pain on the grass for a few minutes.

With San Jose up with a man advantage, Chris Wondolowski put the game away in the 86th minute when Shea Salinas made a move around Justin Meram and centered the ball that deflected off the foot of MacMath over to the MLS all-time leading goal scorer who had the ball tap off his shin and sneak into the right corner of the net for his third goal in three games.

Wondo increased his current MLS record for goals to 162.

Eriksson put the cherry on top in the final minute of stoppage time when he cashed in his second penalty shot of the night after a hand ball by Kyle Beckerman inside the box gave the Quakes their second opportunity from 12 yards out. Beckerman was issued a red card and ejected from the match for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Vega finished with three saves on fives shots on target as he stayed undefeated in the tournament (3-0-1). MacMath finished with three saves on eight shots on target in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose had six corner kicks to Real Salt Lake’s four.

The only stat Real Salt Lake dominated in was fouls. They had 19 to only nine for San Jose.

The Quakes have taken more than twice the number of shots as their opponents in the MLS is Back Tournament (76 to 37).

Rios tallied his first assist of the MLS is Back Tournament and first of the year in all competitions.

Sixteen-year-old Cade Cowell made his second appearance of the MLS is Back Tournament, entering as a substitute in the 81st minute.

Real Salt Lake’s Justen Glad was issued a yellow card in the 66th minute for tripping Espinoza. Corey Baird (33rd minute) and Aaron Herrera (29th minute) also drew yellow cards. Espinoza received his own yellow card in the 31st minute.

UP NEXT: San Jose take on the winner of the Columbus-Minnesota match on Saturday 8/1 at 5:00pm at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

A’s blank Angels 3-0 take three out four from LA

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Oakland A’s pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) who started and threw for five innings was one of six pitchers who combined in a nine hit shutout of the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday afternoon (athleticsnation.com)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Oakland A’s beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 to take three out four to start the 2020 season with a 3-1 record. The Angels had Albert Pujols back in the lineup after giving him the day off on Sunday.

Also back in the lineup was Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani, who pitched yesterday, was the designated hitter. Ohtani typically has the day off after throwing. He did not get out of the first inning and did not retire a hitter.

The A’s sent righty Chriss Bassitt to the hill to face the Angels. Bassitt was making his first start of the year. The Angels countered with Griffin Canning. Bassitt had his work cut out for him.

The A’s pitchers have to work hard to retire the Angels hitters. The Angels lineup with David Fletcher, Mike Trout, Justin Upton, Ohtani, and Tommy LaStella can make life rough for any pitcher. A’s manager Bob Melvin had a 70 pitch limit for Bassitt on Monday. Bassitt threw a lot of pitches in the first and second innings and left the game after four innings of work.

The A’s drew first blood in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, second baseman Tony Kemp walked. Marcus Semien beat the shift as he singled to right-center to send Kemp to third. Ramon Laureano hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Kemp with the first run of the game. Semien tagged up and advanced to second on the play. A’s third baseman Matt Chapman doubled to deep centerfield to drive in Semien with the inning’s second run. The A’s lead 2-0 after three complete.

In the top of the fourth, the Angels blew an excellent opportunity to get on the board and possibly tie the game. Justin Upton led off the frame with a single. Tommy LaStella, who loves to hit against the A’s, doubled to send Upton to third.

The next hitter, future Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols hit a rocket to third baseman Matt Chapman. Chappie, sure-handed as ever, picked up the ball, and his throw home got Upton trapped in a rundown. A’s catcher Sean Murphy tagged Upton for the out.

LaStella could not advance to third on the play. Angels’ catcher Jason Castro singled to load the bases with one out. Bassitt got out of the inning when he got Andrelto Simmons to ground out into a 1-2-3 double play. The A’s bullpen did their job and held the Angels scoreless the rest of the way.

Mark Canha led off the bottom of the fourth with his first home run of the year to make it 3-0. That ended the scoring for the A’s. The Angels threatened in the ninth as they had two men on with two out. A’s reliever, Joakim Soria, had to face the American League MVP Mike Trout. Trout could tie the game with one swing of the bat.

Soria struck him out looking. Trout argued the call but to no avail. The A’s win 3-0. Game Notes- The A’s bullpen continued their outstanding work again on Monday. In four games, they have given up just one run.

The A’s used five relievers. Burch Smith, who took over for Bassitt in the fifth, worked two innings and received credit for his second win. T.J.McFarland, Yusmeiro Petit, Jake Diekman, and Soria all saw action.

A’s manager Bob Melvin said the play that changed the game’s momentum was Chapman’s throw to nail Upton. it was a “big swing.” Melvin said this about Chris Bassitt: “we feel good when he’s on the mound.”

The big news around baseball was the story about the 14 people in the Miami Marlin organization that became infected with Covid-19. So far, 11 players and three other personnel contracted the disease.

The Marlins tested the players after yesterday’s game with the Phillies, and results are expected back today. The Marlins’ games with the Baltimore Orioles have been postponed. The Phillies and Yankees games were also postponed. Melvin’s comment about the outbreak was succinct: “it worries you.” The A’s host the Colorado Rockies Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time will be at 6:40 pm.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Between Covid and Kneeling, Season might Not go Far

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Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly takes in the ball game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Ballpark on Sat Jul 25th as his team’s game has been canceled on Monday Jul 27th due to a Covid-19 outbreak (AP photo)

Between Covid and Kneeling, Season might Not go Far

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Fourteen players from the Miami Marlins (as of today) have tested positive, prompting the cancellation of their home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. This was after the Marlins completed a series in Philadelphia as seven players and two coaches tested positive for corona virus. MLB said the games were postponed while the league conducts more testing.

According to the Washington Times there are also calls to boycott Major League Baseball after photos of players kneeling prior to games. The hashtag #BoycottMLB trended on Twitter as some commentators on social-media accused the league of showing a lack of respect for the military, which the league denied. “It has never been about the military or the flag,” the MLB tweeted. “The players and coaches are using their platforms to peacefully protest.” Nevertheless, the kneeling continues to be very controversial across the country. Most people continue to look at sports as the “only” escape left.

Florida is right now the “hot spot” for corona virus. There are two teams that play there, the Miami Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays, but these two teams are scheduled to play during this abbreviated season with the rest of the east coast teams. That is a situation that is developing and Major League Baseball is following very carefully.

As somebody that just ended broadcasting three games of the Angels vs. Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum, I would say from firsthand experience the A’S have taken all the necessary precautions at the Oakland Coliseum for the skeleton crew of employees during these games including a handful of us doing radio and television. I have to confess it is an eerie feeling, broadcasting at an empty Major League park the size of the Oakland Coliseum, almost like a surreal experience. From a level that regularly is frequented by a lot of media people, and now it is just a few.

The 60-game season is now for the first time since it began in jeopardy, a combination of factors in the most complex world we are living today. Although some national televised games have shown excellent ratings, After all, MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL can make any schedule they want send any directives they want, but the real wild card continues to be Covid-19. Because Covid-19 has their own scheduled, but the big difference is that their schedule is a mystery.

“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better” – Dalai Lama

Stay well and stay tuned.

Athletics Radio. KIQI 1010AM/990AM Spanish radio(Bay Area and Sacramento)is scheduled to carry tomorrow’s game when the Colorado Rockies visit the Oakland Coliseum, pregame 6:30, first pitch 6:40PM.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Wotus “class act” toasts manager and coaches after Giants first victory on Saturday

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San Francisco Giants left fielder Austin Slater makes a catch on a ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

On the Giants podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Giants manager Gabe Kapler said that Ron Wotus offered a toast with a bottle of wine after Saturday’s first Giants win of the season 5-4 over the Dodgers in the video room at Dodger Stadium saying Wotus is a class act.

#2 The Giants bullpen nearly fell apart in the late innings trying to keep the Dodgers hitters off balance but were able to get the outs and bail out and hold a lead.

#3 The Giants took game four on Sunday 3-1 to get a split against the Dodgers one of the toughest teams on the MLB docket. The Giants got a key home run from Mauricio Dubon to help launch the win.

#4 Left fielder Austin Slater on Saturday made a spectacular sixth inning catch not before he hit his hip into the outfield wall and sat and rested on Sunday.

#5 Morris talk about Kapler’s gamesmanship by not announcing the starting pitcher until the beginning of each game. Not even the pitcher of record has any idea who will be the starter before each game.

Join Morris each Monday for the Giants podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

MLB podcast with Larry Crino: With 14 Marlin players positive for Covid will MLB shut season down? plus more

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(AP photo) Miami Marlins pitcher Robert Duggar (center), pitching coach Mel Stottlemeyre Jr (left) and catcher Francisco Cevelli (right) talk it over during their game at Citizens Bank Ball park in Philadelphia.  While the Marlins were completing their first series it might be their last one as 14 players and two coaches have come up positive with Covid-19 and cannot not leave Philadelphia and will quarantine in their hotel rooms. The Cincinnati Reds also have reported a Covid-19 outbreak.

On the MLB with Larry Crino:

#1 Larry how will the impact of up to 14 players and two coaches on the Miami Marlins coming up positive for Coivd-19 have on MLB and will other teams who are scheduled to play the Marlins have to scramble and should MLB come to the realization that canceling the season is the practical thing to do.

#2 Larry the Los Angeles Dodgers opened their first two games of the season with games that were not even close with 8-1 and 9-1 then unexpectedly the San Francisco Giants got some pitching help in the next two games winning 5-4 and 3-1 for a split.

#3 The Dodgers Max Muncy hit for two home runs on Thursday and absolutely saw everything that the Giants threw him.

#4 At Fenway Park in Boston fans are saying the streets around Fenway are quieter than they can ever remember, no more people out on the streets before or even after ball games ordering food, drinks or soft ice cream cones it’s very unusual for Sox fans to see such an empty place.

#5 How important now is it that the San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler set the tone on Monday night during the Giants exhibition game against the Oakland A’s with most of the teams taking a knee during the national anthem. Now other MLB teams have followed pursuit and are taking a knee during the anthem.

Join Larry Crino each Monday for the MLB podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Dubon with big hit gives Giants the win 3-1

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San Francisco Giants Mauricio Dubon takes Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Donovan Solano deep for his first homer of the season to help pace the Giants past the Dodgers to force a split going away from Dodger Stadium (NBC Sports photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

After getting shellacked in the first two games of the season, the San Francisco Giants came back to split the series.

Mauricio Dubon singled in the top of the sixth inning to score Donovan Solano, helping the Giants to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

Solano led off the inning with a single off of eventual losing pitcher Brusdar Graterol, then Pablo Sandoval singled Solano to second base.

Adam Kolarek came on to replace Graterol and immediately retired Brandon Crawford for the second out of the inning; however, Dubon then gave the Giants lead for good, as he singled to left field in front of Chris Taylor.

Darin Ruf gave the Giants the lead in the top of the third inning, as he singled to left field to score Dubon from second base.

Once again, like on Saturday afternoon, the Giants immediately gave up the lead and the Dodgers tied it up, when Cody Bellinger singled to right field to score Mookie Betts.

Solano gave the Giants an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning, as he singled to left field to score Ruf.

Seven different Giants pitchers combined on a seven-hitter, as the Giants split the four-game series in Los Angeles.

Drew Smyly got the start for the Giants, as he went 3.1 innings, allowing one run on four hits, walking one and striking out two.

After Smyly, six relievers gave up only three hits, walked two and struck out six, Shawn Anderson went one inning, walking one and struck out two.

Wandy Peralta pitched one strong inning, as he struck out one in his lone inning of work, as he won for the first time this season.

Sam Coonrod, Tyler Rogers and Trevor Gott pitched the final three innings with Gott picking up his second save in as many days, despite allowing a lead-off double to Will Smith; however, Gott was able to get AJ Pollock to fly out to Mike Yastrzemski and then Betts lined out to Dubon and then Gott struck out Max Muncy swinging to end the game.

UP NEXT: After a quick four-game road trip to Los Angeles, the Giants will be off on Monday before opening the 2020 home slate on Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park.

The O in Ohtani stands for zero outs in A’s 6-4 win over the Angels

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By Morris Phillips

Major League Baseball has quite a bit of anonymity running through it these days, so here goes in recapping the Angels and A’s on Sunday:

The biggest name came up a little bit short, the most transcendent name didn’t last long, and the newest name went the furthest in the A’s 6-4 win at the Coliseum.

The A’s took full advantage of Shohei Ohtani’s unraveled return to the mound, striking for five runs out the gate before the two-way star was removed without recording an out. But the A’s were stymied by starter-turned-reliever Matt Andriese (5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief) and superstar Mike Trout (4 RBI) which turned a rout into a tense game in the fifth.

We pause at this point to examine how Ohtani’s 11th major league start–and his first since Tommy John surgery in 2018–became his worst, and how Trout came tantalizing close to rescuing his teammate with a second, three-run homer in the game’s first five innings.

Ohtani, the singular big league talent who combines a home run swing with a nasty, mid 90’s fastball-slider combo wiped out the A’s in his second big league start, a 12-strikeout masterpiece littered with unhittable sliders in April 2018 at the Coliseum.  Despite being used conservatively by the Angels, as an occasional DH and having a no less than a full week between starts, Ohtani experienced arm discomfort that truncated his rookie season as a pitcher.  He kept hitting that season before having the surgery in the off-season, then missing all of 2019 as a pitcher, while continuing his designated hitter duties.

Ohtani’s summer camp procceded naturally–and trouble free–a ramp up of velocity and length over three appearances. He appeared ready to pitch effectively on Sunday, his first start for new manager Joe Maddon.

Marcus Semien, with just one hit in his first eight at-bats, took Ohtani back up the middle for a leadoff single. The next three batters all walked as Ohtani took deep breaths on the mound and looked less than comfortable. Singles by Mark Canha and Robbie Grossman increased the A’s lead to 4-0, and forced Maddon’s hand after the Japanese star faced just six batters.

“He just didn’t throw the ball very well,” Maddon said. “I can’t sit here making excuses for him. I’m not going to do that. It just wasn’t his day. The fastball wasn’t coming out, there was no deception in his pitches.”

Tellingly, Ohtani hit 94 mph as high–slightly off the 96 mph he regularly hit in 2018–and threw just two sliders. No doubt, healthy, but tentative, not surprising given his injury and infrequent pitching assignments going back over three years now.

“Right now I feel like I was throwing the ball rather than pitching,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “There is still a little rust. I have to come up with a game plan.”

Trout came up in an advantageous situation in the third with a pair of runners aboard and gifted a 3-0 count by Fiers. Not through granting gifts, Fiers looked to get back in the count with a batting practice fastball that Trout launched. Not surprising, but the bomb was the first of Trout’s 286 career homers to come on a 3-0 count. In fact, only five times in 210 situations had Trout resolved an at-bat on a 3-0 pitch with a swing, and that produced just one single. Needless to say, Fiers had little to fear, except…

When Brian Goodwin and David Fletcher opened the fifth, as they did in the third, with back-to-back singles, Fiers got a relatively early hook as well. But Yusmeiro Petit back the starter with three consecutive outs, including a sacrifice fly that reached the warning track induced off Trout’s bat. That smash would have given the Angels the lead, instead it made Petit the game’s subtle hero.

Four other A’s relievers followed, concluding  with Liam Hendriks’ four-out save, and none allowed a run. The heroes in Oakland’s 2-1 start to the season? The bullpen with one run allowed in 15 plus innings of work.

“They’ve been fantastic,” Bob Melvin noted. “We knew the bullpen would be very important in the beginning of the year. They’ve been up to the task.”

Sean Murphy, the first A’s catcher to truly be handed the keys to the car by Melvin since Stephen Vogt departed, finished the Halos with a 455-foot home run in the sixth. First pitch swinging against reliever Noe Ramirez, Murphy was everything Trout wasn’t with his controlled, home run swing in the third: violent and powerful.

“He’s about as strong as anybody and can hit the ball as far as anyone on our team. All it takes for a guy like him is one pitch,” Melvin said of his young catcher.

The A’s conclude the wraparound, four-game series on Monday with Griffin Canning facing familiar face, Chris Bassitt for the A’s.

Aces fall to Sky in tough loss, 88-86

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Untitled

Photo credit: Phelan M. Ebenhack (Associated Press)

By Shawn McCullough

The improbable WNBA season began for the Aces, but not as they had hoped.

After the Aces led for most of the game, the Chicago Sky rallied back with an 11-0 run to finish the game to beat the Aces, 88-86, at the IMG Bubble in Bradenton, FL.

“We have a lot of potential, but we just let it slip in the last two minutes, we had the game,” said forward Angel McCoughtry.

McCoughtry scored 25 points and pulled down eight rebounds in her first game with the Aces after signing with Las Vegas back in February.

Aces All-Star forward A’ja Wilson added 22 points with 11 rebounds, combining with McCoughtry to score 47 of the Aces 86 points.

“We need scoring and they [McCoughtry and Wilson] are the two people who can provide the scoring,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “Those are the two horses.”

The Aces finished the game 0 for 5 from 3-point range, while the Sky went 9 for 27 from beyond the arc.

“We had control of the game throughout and just didn’t make the right plays,” said Laimbeer.  “But our team played better than I thought that we would play and I thought that overall it was a good showing for us.”

With the loss, the Aces fall to 0-1 to start a 22 game schedule in which Las Vegas will play each of the other 11 WNBA teams twice.

The entire WNBA is playing all games in Bradenton, FL in the IMG Bubble to protect players, staff, referees and media from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“You are so locked in, it really didn’t feel any different honestly,” said forward Dearica Hamby about playing without fans.  “It still felt like a real game.”

The Aces will next play on Wednesday against Angel McCoughtry’s former team, the Atlanta Dream.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com
Game Notes:

  • The Aces shot 46.8% from the field.
  • Las Vegas out-rebounded Chicago 42-33.
  • The Aces turned the ball over 17 times.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 35 Angel McCoughtry
C – 4 Carolyn Swords
G – 15 Lindsey Allen
G – 21 Kayla McBride

Headline Sports with Daniel Dullum: What’s in a name? Washington Football Team and Seattle Kraken; plus more

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The logo flag of the NHL’s newest franchise the Seattle Kraken flies atop the Seattle Space Needle where below the needle the Kraken will open up their new arena Climate Change Arena in the 2021-22 season (AP photo)

Daniel on Headlines podcast:

1 What’s in a name? Generic rebranding for D.C. football; NHL’s Seattle team hits a home run with its nickname selection

2 ESPN’s opening night Yankees-Nats broadcast a huge ratings hit

3 Nomadic Blue Jays may have found a home in Buffalo

4 Rutgers, Michigan State football teams in Covid-19 quarantine

5 Rockies’ Daniel Bard gets first MLB win in seven years

6 Swingin’ A’s hire Tom Hanks to serve as virtual concessions hawker

Daniel Dullum does Headlines podcasts every Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com