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Joonas Donskoi scores two goals, Sharks edge Flames 3-2

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San Jose Sharks’ Joonas Donskoi, center, from Finland, celebrates his goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames in Calgary, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ In his first game back from injury, San Jose Sharks’ Joonas Donskoi scored twice as the Sharks doused their division rival Calgary Flames 3-2 Thursday.

Donskoi’s game-winner came at 17:12, less than three minutes before overtime, as he made sure a loose puck under goalie Mike Smith went into the net. Joe Thornton and Justin Braun aided Donskoi as Thornton scored his sixth point in five games. Donskoi was playing for the first time since November 28.

Goalie Aaron Dell earned his third straight win as he made 32 saves back in his hometown of Calgary.    

Both teams came in tied for third in the division off shootout losses as each team scored in the opening and closing periods. The Sharks improved to 11-0 when leading after two periods.

San Jose’s Timo Meier and Donskoi had at least one goal and an assist apiece.

The Flames’ Michael Frolik picked up Tim Heed’s turnover in the Sharks’ end to score off Dell at 4:42 of the first.

Meier tied it later at 16:07, aided by Chris Tierney and Donskoi.

Special teams did not start off well for the Sharks. Their first power play in the opening period was cut short and  they then had a less than ideal first penalty kill in the second, in that it was cut short to where they were down 5-3. San Jose however had two shorthanded shots during the two-man advantage and another after. Logan Couture also had a chance which resulted in a power play for his team.

It was on the Sharks’ third man advantage they finally scored a power play goal for the fourth game in a row to make it 2-1. Tierney scored his first on the man advantage as he was helped by Meier and Kevin Labanc at 10 minutes of the second.  The play initially began back near the blue line when Brent Burns passed to Labanc and then Meier pushed the shot from Labanc back away after it hit goalie Mike Smith’s stick.  

San Jose re-tied the game at 7:39. The Sharks’ Marc-Edouard Vlasic lost the puck battle at the far blue line and Johnny Gaudreau converted on a 2-on-1 from Garnet Hathaway.

Game notes: Gaudreau had a game-high six shots. San Jose continues their three game Canadian road trip against the Vancouver Canucks Friday at 7pm.

 

Warriors win their sixth in a row as they rout Philadelphia Sixers 135-114

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Warriors, facing a young and uo-and-coming team for the second game in a row, broke the game wide open in the third period and coasted to victory 135-114.

The Sixers came to town with a reciord of 6-5 and finally have the services of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Sixers drafter Embiid in the first round of the 2014 drafy but missed two seasons due to injury. Their number one draft pick of 2015, Ben Simmons, was also available as he missed yhe entire 2016 season. These two players plus the addition of J J Redick who came to the Sixers as a free agent after starring with the LA Clippers. Robert Covington and Dario Saric have played very well this year and the Sixers’ starting five is quite formidable.

The Warriors and Sixers played a very competetive first half. Neither team could break away. The lead changed several times in the first half and the Sixers, Coached bt Brett Brown, looked like a carbon copy of the Warriors. They moved the ball well as they found the open man. They made five  3-point shots in the first half and had 18 assists. The Sixers shot 52% from the floor. The Warriors led by the Big Three of Kevid Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson. Durant led the team wit 20, Steph kicked in with 15 and Klay knocked down 12. Draymond Green had six as did JaVale McGee. The half ended with the Warriors leading 65-64.

The third quarter, as usual, belonged to the Warriors. They outscored the Sixers 36-21 in the period. With the tied at 74, the Warriors went on a 20-4 to take the lead 94-78. Nick Young jump started the offense with two-pointers and Kevon Looney made a key block. Young had three-3-pointers in the period and Klay Thompson and Steph Curry each made a three. The Warriors finished the third period with a sixteen-point lead 101-85 as they showed the Sixers why they are one of the best defensive units in the NBA.

Durant and Curry did not play at all in the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson made two 3-point shots early in the quarter. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr removed Thompson and Draymond Green from the game and the Warriors showed their depth as the second unit continued the impressive showing on offense as well as defense. Nick Young, Omri Casspi, Patrick McCaw, David West, and Jordan Bell were on the floor for most of the quarter.

Game Notes and Stats- Kevin Durant, who did not play Wednesday night, returned to action Saturday night. He was a force on offense as well as on defense. KD tallied 29 points. He had four assists, five rebounds, and he blocked two shots. Durant made three 3-pointers, too. Steph’s line was 22 points,nine assists, four rebounds, and he also made three 3-pointers. Klay finished with 23 and he made four 3-pointers. Draymond Green recorded a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and he had seven assists and he blocked five shots. The other Warriors in double figures were Nick Young with 13 and JaVale McGee with 11. McGee and Youn both sparked the Warriors offense when they entered the game. All five of Philadelphia’s starters were in double figures. Redick led the Sixers with 17, Saric 14, Covington 11, Embiid 12, Simmons 13.

The Warriors won their sixth in a row and  ninth in the last ten games as they improve to 10-3. The Warriors have won the last six games by a margin greater than 17 points for the first time in the 71-year history of the team. The Sixers fall to 6-6.

Steph Curry had to leave the game in the second quarter with an inhury to his thigh. After a short break for treatment, he returned to action without any ill effect.

The Warriors gave a championship ring before the game to James Michael McAdoo who signed with the Sixers as a free agent in the off-season. McAdoo received a nice ovation from the fans when he was inserted into the game in the fourth quarter.

Coach Steve Kerr texted with him leading up to the game.

“I’m thrilled that he was here, and I thought it was a great gesture by the Sixers to make sure he was here,” Kerr said. “I know he’ll get a huge ovation from the crowd tonight, he deserves it.”

Steph Curry made the following remarks regarding the controversy that he was unpatriotic by not wanting to visit the White House.

Curry made clear “I care about our veterans deeply” in a piece he wrote for The Players’ Tribune that published Saturday for Veterans Day expressing his support for the troops and explaining his stance — even if he didn’t want to visit the Trump White House.

The two-time MVP said: “… When someone tells me that my stances, or athlete stances in general, are `disrespecting the military’ — which has become a popular thing to accuse peaceful protesters of — it’s something that I’m going to take very, very seriously. One of the beliefs that I hold most dear is how proud I am to be an American — and how incredibly thankful I am for our troops. I know how fortunate I am to live in this country, and to do what I do for a living, and to raise my daughters in peace and prosperity. But I also hear from plenty of people who don’t have it nearly as good as I do. Plenty of people who are genuinely struggling in this country. Especially our veterans.

“And every single veteran I’ve spoken to, they’ve all said pretty much the exact same thing: That this conversation we’ve started to have in the world of sports … whether it’s been Colin (Kaepernick) kneeling, or entire NFL teams finding their own ways to show unity, or me saying that I didn’t want to go to the White House — it’s the opposite of disrespectful to them.”

Kerr applauded his superstar again.

“I thought it was beautiful,” Kerr said. “He’s very thoughtful, he’s very compassionate, very smart and he’s humble. I’ve made the comment before that he is incredibly arrogant on the floor and humble off the court. I think that’s a really powerful combination. … When he speaks it’s from the heart.”

The Warriors face another young team that appears to be on the way up in the NBA. They meet the Orlando Magic Monday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

 

Whitecaps get first franchise playoff win; Quakes eliminated shutout 5-0

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~ Photo credit: (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ A both painful and sweet match depending on your side, Vancouver asserted themselves over the San Jose Earthquakes, as the Whitecaps advanced past the Knockout Round match 5-0 Wednesday.

The score reflected the name of the match. San Jose, who recently got back into the playoffs for the first time in five years, saw their postseason ambitions cut short in a harsh way.

After the first half, it was just a one goal difference. However, though both teams had seven shots in the second half, the Quakes could not convert while Vancouver had the scoring touch. San Jose had majority possession time throughout the game.

Nicolás Mezquida, who entered in the 68th minute, scored two goals two minutes apart.

The only score they needed though, began in the 33rd minute, off a corner kick. Cristian Techera sent the ball in, Kendall Waston headed it and Fredy Montero put in the final header as he finally got his first playoff goal. It was also the Whitecaps’ first home playoff goal.

Shots were 10-3 in favor of in the first half but both teams had the same amount of shots on target, three.

For the Quakes, the 39th minute saw one of Anibal Godoy’s chances, followed by one of Victor Bernárdez’s chances in the 40th minute and one of Danny Hoesen’s two offside calls in the 41st minute.

In the second half, San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski had a chance in the 52nd minute. Hoesen had a free kick attempt that sailed just high in the next minute.  

Techera’s free kick in the 57th minute, did not miss though, as he picked the top of the net. His status was tenuous for the game when he suffered an injury in the first half.

Vancouver kept on humming as they made it 3-0 in the 64th minute. It started with a corner kick then went to a number of Whitecaps players. At one point, it hit goalie Andrew Tarbell’s leg and then Waston got Tarbell out of position with the scoring touch.

Goal number four occurred when Christian Bolanos passed to Mezquida instead of shooting and Mezquida’s ball hit the post and bounced into the net.

Mezquida then scored one-on-one versus Tarbell in the 80th minute to cap the scoring.  

 

A’s win finale at Texas, hope to build on positive finish in 2018

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Oakland Athletics closer Blake Treinen throws during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington,Texas, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

By Morris Phillips

Across the board, you pick the statistic, and the numbers reveal the A’s are trending toward a bounce back season in 2018.

But it’s the A’s, right? They’re always building.

True, but this time a group of youthful, talented players are in place, they’ve shown some acumen for winning at the big league level, and they may catch the rest of the AL West at a vulnerable moment.

Finishing the season with a 5-2 road win over Cole Hamels and the Rangers, winning 17 of 24, and going nearly the entire, second half of the season with a winning record (40-39) fosters that belief.

“I want guys, when they come to spring training next year, to be in a different mindset than we’ve been,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We want to hit the ground running.”

Oft-injured, and previously ineffective Daniel Mengden made the transition early, finishing 2017 strong, after two stints on the disabled list, strong enough that the 24-year old has put himself on the short list of candidates for next season’s starting rotation.

After Kendall Graveman and Sean Manaea, Mengden has put himself in a group with Jharel Cotton, Paul Blackburn, Andrew Triggs and Daniel Gossett as candidates for the other three spots. And, as they did last season, the A’s may elect to forgo signing a veteran starter, confident they can get consistent they can get quality starts out of their young, core group.

After Sunday’s seven innings of shutout baseball–in the hot, Texas sun, no less–Mengden has belief that previously seemed unattainable.

“Having some time last year, then getting back this year, I knew what I had to do and stuck to the plan,” Mengden said.

 

Cain’s career ends with a heartbreaking loss to Pads 3-2

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain raises his arms walking to the dugout after pitching in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in San Francisco. Cain made his final start after announcing his retirement. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-On the day where Matt Cain pitched the final game of his 13-year career, he was not able to get the win.

Austin Hedges hit a two-run double with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, as the San Diego Padres came back to defeat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 before a crowd of 40,394, at AT&T Park.

Down to his last strike, Hedges hit a ball over the head of Hunter Pence in right field to score Christian Villanueva and Cory Spangenberg.

Cain was sharp in the final start of his career, and was in line for the win; however, the bullpen was unable to hold the lead that Pence gave them in the bottom of the third inning.

Pence narrowly beat out a Carlos Asuaje throw to first base that Pablo Sandoval to score from third base, as the Giants took a 1-0 lead.

Pence drove in Ryder Jones with a single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.

Cain went five innings, allowing just two hits, while striking out five and left to a standing ovation from the fans.

Not only did Cain receive a standing ovation from the fans, but every member of the Giants staff and players hugged 32-year old right-hander. The Padres also showed their respect, as they applauded for their longtime rival as he left the field for the final time.

Reyes Moronta blew the save in the top of the sixth inning, as he gave up the game-tying home run to Wil Myers.

It was the 30th home run of the season for Myers, becoming the first Padres player to top the 30-home run plateau since Chase Headley did so when he hit 31 in 2012. This was the sixth home run of the season for Myers.

Jhoulys Chacin pitched six strong innings in his last game of the season for the Padres, as he gave up one run on five hits, walking two and striking out six. Chacin finished the season with a record of 13-10.

During his career, Cain was a part of 109 no-decisions since 2005, which ranks as the third-most in the major leagues during that period. In 44 of those 109 games, Cain left the game with the lead

Not only did Cain receive a standing ovation from the fans, but every member of the Giants staff and players hugged 32-year old right-hander. The Padres also showed their respect, as they applauded for their longtime rival as he left the field for the final time.

Cain is just the fourth player to play at least 10 years and just wear the Giants uniform, joining Jim Davenport, Scott Garrelts and Robby Thompson.

Even though he did not fare in the decision, Cain ended his career with a 10-game losing streak, the longest of his career and the longest by a Giants pitcher since Rod Beck lost 11 in a row from August 21, 1995 thru April 29, 1997.

The right-hander ended his career at AT&T Park with a record of 60-60 in 179 regular season games.

NOTES: Johnny Cueto will close out the season for the Giants, as he takes the mound one last time, as he looks for his ninth win of the season. Like the Giants, the Padres season will come to a close on Sunday as well and they will send Luis Perdomo to the mound in the season finale.

The ninth inning loss was just the fourth loss of the season by the Giants after they entered the eighth inning with a lead. Coming into the game, the Giants were 49-3.

Kershaw keeps record clean against Giants

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~ (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (18-4) backed by double play defense equaled a 3-1 win over San Francisco in the teams’ last 2017 meeting Sunday.

Kershaw, now 25-0 versus the rival Giants, pitched seven scoreless innings until giving up a homer in the eighth. He struck out six and has had that many for the fifth outing in a row. San Francisco peppered Kershaw with eight hits like last time, but the Dodgers defense turned four double plays.

Brandon Morrow earned the save.

Yasmani Grandal had the game-winner with a two-run shot off starter Chris Stratton in the fourth. Grandal also brought in the other run and walked. Joc Pederson had two walk, one single and a stolen base.

For the Giants, Mac Williamson was a perfect 3-for-3 with the home run and two singles. Hunter Pence was also a perfect 3-for-3 versus Kershaw with two singles and an infield hit.

San Francisco pitchers threw three 1-2-3 innings.

Pence got the first hit of the game with a leadoff single but was stranded in the second.

Los Angeles followed with their first hit from Curtis Granderson. Logan Forsythe got the game’s first extra-base hit, which allowed Granderson to go to third. One out later, Grandal hit a fly ball that allowed Granderson to score.

The game winner was set up when Chase Utley reached on an infield hit and Grandal followed with a home run. It could have been worse after Pederson walked, moved to second on a sacrifice from Kershaw and moved to third on a wild pitch. However, after review, a call was overturned when a fan interfered with a catchable ball by Pence that gave the Giants the final out of the inning.

San Francisco got a leadoff runner in scoring position when Hernández hit a double in the sixth, but a poor baserunning choice ended that threat.

Like the previous game, a rally began in the eighth with Williamson’s  home run. However, the Giants were unable to do more. An interesting occurrence was when Hernández was at the plate and his bat went flying towards Kershaw. Kershaw had to jump and then retrieved the bat.

Game notes: The Dodgers’ Chris Taylor finished 0-for-11 in the series. San Francisco finishes their road trip against the Diamondbacks, starting Monday at 6:40pm.

Toronto FC tramples Quakes

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~ Photo credit: San Jose Earthquakes

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ San Jose was outshot 21-6 as Toronto FC won in a 4-0 rout Saturday.

Toronto increased their unbeaten streak to 10 games while remaining undefeated at home.

The Quakes had no shots in the second half before going a man down in the 72nd minute. They ended up getting three shots starting in the 88th minute.

Jozy Altidore got his 50th and 51st MLS goals, Victor Vasquez got a goal and assist and former Quake Steven Beitashour had two assists to name some.

San Jose was able to hold off Toronto at first.

Toronto had a number of chances, including Altidore to start. In the 7th minute, he had an offsides goal, a missed header in the 12th minute, and another shot that was saved in the 14th minute.

Marco Urena had the Quakes’ first shot in the 17th minute.

Altidore, Justin Morrow and Sebastian Giovinco had shots for Toronto in the 21st minute, 23rd minute and 24th minute respectively.

They finally scored in the 26th minute. Goalie Andrew Tarbell got his hands on the ball before Beitashour’s ball went to Vasquez, who took advantage of Tarbell being out of position.

Urena had another shot in the 34th minute.

San Jose only had possession advantage in the final five minutes of the first half. The Quakes’ Jackson Yueill had a shot in the 43rd minute and Giovinco had another shot in the 44th minute.

Altidore finally got his goal when Toronto tacked on another goal in the 48th minute. He then scored another goal in the 64th minute.

Half-time substitute Jonathan Osorio made it 4-0 two minutes later.

Darwin Ceren was the man issued a red card. The Quakes also went down a man the last meeting between the teams. 

Game notes: It was both goalie Alex Bono’s and San Jose’s second shutout in three games. The Quakes return home to play the Houston Dynamo Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Crawford strikes early, the Cardinals strike back in 11-6 win over the Giants

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San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Crawford, right, is met at home plate by teammates Buster Posey, center, and Hunter Pence (8) after Crawford’s two-run home run gainst the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–As witnessed by the 12 pitchers that threw pitches out of the bullpen on Friday, this was not the type of ballgame decided on first impressions.

Brandon Crawford struck early, Cardinals’ starter Jack Flaherty succumbed a little to the nerves associated with his first big-league appearance, but the Cardinals stayed the course, striking for late runs in their 11-6 win over the Giants.

“We get down, we get the wind kicked out of us a little bit and they fight,” Cardinals’ manager Mike Matheney said. “That’s a skill, to have that kind of tenacity, to have that belief in themselves and each other. It’s going to pay off.”

The Giants led 5-2 through six innings, but the Cardinals scored nine runs in the final three innings to storm back. Matheney said he had no idea the game was one of the hottest in the history of the ballpark, but did remember remarking on how the beautiful the backdrop was at first pitch. But in the end, Matheney marveled at the resilience of his ballclub, which didn’t lose focus when down three runs late.

“Great offense, getting back into it,” Matheney said.

In the ninth inning alone, the Cardinals hit for the cycle, scored six times, and put the Giants away with Sam Dyson and Albert Suarez faltering for the home team. Manager Bruce Bochy didn’t apologize for the six pitching changes that snatched the game of any rhythm, but acknowledged his club was outclassed.

“I think you look at extra–base hits–I think they had what six there in the last three innings.  Our setup guys, the closer… you’re probably not going to win a ballgame like this.”

Johnny Cueto returned to the active roster and started for the first time since July 14 and his rust showed in the steady traffic on the basepaths in the early innings. But Cueto departed with a lead, allowing four hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Crawford supported Cueto with a two-run homer in the second, and a two-run double in the third. The home run came after MLB’s formal apology regarding Crawford’s apparent home run in Thursday’s game.

The Giants have dropped 10 of their last 13 ballgames, including the first two to St. Louis on this abbreviated four-game homestand.

 

 

San Jose Earthquakes Saturday game wrap: New York downs Quakes 2-1

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~Photo: New York City Football Club Twitter

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ New York City’s Thomas McNamara made his mark as San Jose’s road woes and New York’s home dominance combined in a 2-1 result Saturday.

In the 67th minute, four minutes after he came off the bench, McNamara made the final kick after a number of players passed en route to the goal, including a pass from David Villa with his back to the net.

On their home turf, New York has posted a 9-0-2 record in 11 games. The Quakes meanwhile are now 1-13-7 on the road.

San Jose’s Victor Bernardez gave them their only card in the 80th minute, but its color was damaging as they went down a man, already down 2-1.

The Quakes had more possession in the second half, but were missing the score.

New York dominated almost all of the first half with 70.5% possession, while San Jose had more shots on target, less fouls and more clearances.

The Quakes’ Chris Wondolowski made the game’s first attempt in the 3rd minute and was nearby when Marco Urena scored his first goal for his club. With no lag from international competition and travel, he got a deflection and scored from a diagonal in the 6th minute.

New York was not far behind. Jack Harrison tied the match in the 10th minute as goalie David Bingham’s initial save deflected into the net.

Harrison got close again, but could not corral the ball from Andrea Pirlo in the 22nd minute.

New York had four corners in a row from the 36th through 38th minutes and San Jose blocked three of their shot attempts in the 40th minute, the first two from Harrison.

In the 74th minute, the Quakes’ Shea Salinas missed and goalie Johnson made his fourth save against Nick Lima. It was the third straight game in which Johnson had to make four saves.

Salinas took the corner kick in the final seconds, but San Jose was unable to capitalize.

Game notes: The Quakes’ Anibal Godoy rested. San Jose next hosts the Seattle Sounders Saturday at 7:30pm.

 

Thornton gets 1000th career assist on critical empty net goal

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~ Photo: (Trevor Hagan/The Canadian Press via AP)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ San Jose’s Joe Thornton became the 13th NHL player to reach 1000 assists, as they prevailed over the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 Monday.

In Thornton’s 900th game, he had the secondary assist as Joe Pavelski put his second goal of the game in from the blue line. Mikkel Boedker commented postgame on Thornton, “He’s a giver.”

Nikolaj Ehlers slammed his stick against the post in frustration after the goal came at 19:34. Its’ significance grew larger when the Jets’ 5-4 advantage became 6-4 after Dylan DeMelo committed a delay of game penalty and Mark Scheifele made it 3-2 with seven seconds left.

Instead of Winnipeg’s third straight win, it was Aaron Dell’s. The Jets were 0-for-3 on the power play and playing with an extra man with 2:06 left in the game. Playing his second game in five days, Dell was always there at the right time.

Pavelski opened the scoring at 9:45 of the first with a straightaway slot shot. This came after Melker Karlsson had a short side shot right before.

Josh Morrissey then singlehandedly equalized the playing ice less than two minutes later.

Period two saw no goals but a 16-9 shot advantage for the Sharks.

Boedker broke the deadlock at 7:26 of the third period on a breakaway. It was his first ever shorthanded goal and the third shorthanded San Jose goal out of three games against Winnipeg this season.

Game notes: Rest after the Sharks’ second of back-to-back games, will precede the first of a four game homestand, starting with the best team in the NHL, the Washington Capitals, Thursday at 7:30pm.