Giants sign ex-A’s OF Joyce; blank Indians in Cactus League

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from sfgate.com file: The Giants are looking over Matt Joyce, who was released by the Indians Tuesday but clocked 25 homers for the A’s in 2017.
Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle 2017

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Wednesday, March 20, 2019

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Former Athletics outfielder Matt Joyce agreed to a minor league contract with the Giants, following his release by Cleveland.

Joyce, 34, spent the last two seasons with Oakland. Last season was an injury-plagued one for Joyce, who played in 83 games while battling a lingering back injury. He hit .208 for the A’s with seven home runs and 15 runs batted in.

The left-handed batting Joyce had a more productive year for the Athletics in 2017, belting 25 home runs and driving in 68 while hitting .243 in 141 games. Adding Joyce figures to add depth to the Giants’ outfield.

Steven Duggar, Gerardo Parra and Mac Williamson are expected to be the regular San Francisco outfield, while Cameron Maybin earlier signed a minor league contract with the Giants.

The Indians signed veteran Carlos Gonzalez to a minor league deal on Tuesday, making Joyce expendable. Cleveland released Joyce from his minor league contract, which made him a free agent.

THE GAME
Giants took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Key hits were Brandon Belt’s third home run of the spring, a double by Yangervis Solarte and an RBI single by Drew Pomeranz.

San Francisco added five more runs in the fourth; Steven Duggar, Buster Posey and Evan Longoria each had run-scoring doubles.

Pablo Sandoval gave the 8,296 in attendance something to get excited about in the sixth when he legged out a bases-loaded, three-RBI double. Alen Hanson followed with a triple to score the Panda.

Pomerantz (2-1) threw five hitless innings, walked four and struck out one. Tony Watson, Will Smith, Nick Vincent and Steven Okert each threw a scoreless relief inning.

The Giants are 11-12 in Cactus League play. They host Colorado on Friday and Arizona on Saturday in Scottsdale before facing Oakland in the Bay Bridge Series on March 24 at the Coliseum.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: After record-setting game against Eagles, Cuda start three-game road trip

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sjbarracuda.com

On the San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 The San Jose Barracuda, in their record-setting 9-0 victory, got off quick with two goals to start the first period.

#2 The Colorado Eagles came in with a nine-game win streak and it was kind of amazing their streak got snapped with that kind of definition by the Barracuda.

#3 The Cuda are a in a three-way tie with the Eagles and the San Diego Gulls for second place with 70 points and 11 games left.

#4 The Eagles are 11 games over .500. How surprising after winning nine straight that they would have such a poor defensive game? Was it a matter that they were due for a bad game like this or were they tired and flat?

#5 The Cuda open a three-game road trip with the Tucson Roadrunners this Saturday and Sunday and San Diego next Thursday.

Marko does the Barracuda podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Revamped Mariners blast their way to start the season with a 9-7 win over the A’s

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Mariners

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s squared off against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, March 20th in the Tokyo to start the 2019 season. The Mariners made several moves in the off-season, and loaded up their lineup with power hitters. Those steps paid off as the M’s downed the A’s 9-7.

The A’s sent Mike Fiers to the mound to pitch. It was the first time in Fiers’ career that he had ever started on Opening Day. He pitched well for the first two innings, but things fell apart for him and the A’s in the top of the third. The A’s staked him to an early 2-0 lead. A’s right fielder Stephen Piscotty hit a solo homer in the first to give the A’s a 1-0 advantage. Then, they tacked on an unearned run in the second to lead 2-0.

In the third inning, Fiers struggled with his control. The M’s scored a run to make it 2-1. Fiers loaded the bases and had to face Domingo Santana, who had a great year with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017. He did not do well last year, and the Brewers sent him to Seattle in a trade. Santana put the M’s in the lead with his first home run of the year and his first career grand slam to propel the M’s to a 5-2 lead. The A’s DH, Khris Davis, responded with a two-run shot in the bottom of the third. The A’s trailed 5-4 after three.

Liam Hendriks gave up a run in the fourth, and Ryan Dull gave up three runs in the fifth. M’s shortstop Tim Beckham greeted Dull with a two-run blast. The A’s Matt Chapman brought the A’s closer with a three-run dinger in the seventh to make it 9-7. The M’s bullpen of Corey Gearrin, Zac Rosscup, and Hunter Strickland closed out the win for Seattle.

Game Notes and Stats: The M’s started 45-year-old Ichiro Suzuki in right field. Ichiro received a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd at the Tokyo Dome. He was 0-1 and had a walk before exiting the game in the fourth inning. Ichiro probably will retire after Thursday’s game.

Marco Gonzalez was the winning pitcher. His line was 6 innings pitched, 7 hits, 4 runs, and 69 pitches.

Fiers’ line was 3 innings of work, 4 hits, and 5 runs. He absorbed his first loss of the year.

Matt Chapman was the hitting star for the A’s with 2 hits, including a home run, and 3 runs batted in. Piscotty and Khris Davis also homered. Tim Beckham had three knocks including a big two-run homer for the M’s.

Up Next: The two teams play Thursday again in Tokyo. Righty Marco Estrada will make his A’s debut, and he will be opposed by the Mariners’ Yusei Kikuchi. Kikuchi will be making his first start as a Mariner and is highly regarded by the fans in Japan. Game time is at 2:35 am.

The term “ugly loss” was redefined as Nets come back to beat Kings 123-121

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
IMG_2984
Bogi goes to the hoop Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento — At the end of three quarters on Wednesday night, the Sacramento Kings held a 25 point lead over the visiting Brooklyn Nets, 103-78. The Kings largest lead of the night had been 28 points. All of the fans in the Golden 1 Center were settling in and getting ready for some “Showtime” basketball in the final period. Things did not go as planned.

The Nets – behind an incredible 27-point scoring barrage by D’Angelo Russell – outscored the Kings 45-18 the fourth quarter to end a three-game losing streak and defeat Sacramento 123-121. The stunned sellout crowd left the arena trying to figure out how the Kings allowed what appeared to be a sure victory to become such agonizing defeat.

This was just the fourth time in the NBA shot clock era that a team has come back to win after trailing by 25 points through three quarters. That is not the kind of stain you want to have on your season if you are the Kings.

Why Did the Kings Lose?

  1. The took their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. The looked at the scoreboard, saw a 25 point lead and relaxed. After all, there was no chance the Nets were going to mount a comeback down by that many points.
  2. Sacramento did not hustle back on defense. D’Angelo Russell and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made them pay for that as the two Nets combined for 39 points in the final quarter. Russell hit 10-of-15 shots including four 3-point baskets. Hollis-Jefferson was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in the fourth quarter.
  3. The Kings also shot horribly in the final stanza. They connected on just 5-of-22 attempts (22.7%) and went 0-for-8 from behind the 3-point line. They also turned the ball over seven times which resulted in six Brooklyn points.
IMG_2907
Fox takes the shot from the key Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee

KINGS

Top Performers

  • Marvin Bagley III was the Kings top scorer with 28 points. He shot 12-for-15 in the game and went 2-for-2 from 3-point range. Bagley has been working on adding the 3-point shot to allow him to become a true “stretch four”. Bagley also played just over 29 minutes. That is the most playing time he has seen since returning from his knee sprain.
  • De’Aaron Fox added 27 points as he hit 10-of-20 shots from the field. Fox went 2-for-5 from downtown. The point guard dished out nine assists and made four rebounds in almost 35 minutes of playing time.
  • Harrison Barnes put up 17 points, added seven rebounds and played just over 38 minutes in the loss.
  • Buddy Hield did not have a “Buddy Buckets” type game. He scored just eight points shooting 4-for-13 overall while going 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. His off night was not the cause of the Kings loss.

Team Stats

  • SAC shot 51.6-percent (49/95) for the contest. They sank 9-of-25 (36.0%) of their 3-point attempts.
  • The Kings went 14-for-20 (70%) from the free throw line. Both the percentage and number of attempts are a little low.
  • The turnover to assists ratio was awful. The Kings made 25 assists but they turned the ball over 21 times. That missed the desired 2:1 ratio by a “country mile”.
  • Sacramento was outscored in the paint 68-64. The Kings usually own the paint when they win.
  • The Kings are now 34-36 for the season. They are 7.0 games out of the eighth-place and the final playoff slot in the Western Conference with 12 games to play.

BROOKLYN

Spotlight Players

  • D’Angelo Russell was the games leading scorer with 44 points. He shot 17-for-33 from the floor and connected on 6-of-15 from downtown. Russell made it a double-double by distributing 12 “dimes”. He made four steals. Hey Lakers, Mr. Russell is a Restricted Free Agent in the off-season. Maybe you should make a play for the one you traded away.
  • Rondae Hollis-Jefferson came off the bench when it looked like it was going to be “mop-up” time and wound up scoring the winning bucket. He scored 14 points in just under 17 minutes on the floor. Hollis-Jefferson went 6-for-7 shooting from the field.
  • Jared Dudley scored six points in the contest. Why is that significant? All six points came in the fourth quarter when all the points were scored by three players – Russell, Hollis-Jefferson, and Dudley.

Team Stats

  • The Nets shot 50.0-percent (47/94) from the floor and hit 12-of-35 (34.3%) attempts from 3-point land.
  • Brooklyn hit 17-of-23 (73.9%) of their shots from the charity stripe.
  • BKN recorded 28 assists and committed 18 turnovers. The TOV’s were too high but they made it work.
  • They made 16 steals versus 13 for SAC.
  • The Nets blocked four Kings shots. The Kings recorded only one blocked shot.
  • The Nets are now 37-36 on the season and one-half game back of sixth-place Detroit in the Eastern Conference.

Up Next

The Kings will return to action on Thursday when the Dallas Mavericks come to Sacramento for a 7:00 PM tipoff. This will be a chance for Sacramento fans to see rookie Luka Doncic and possibly see Dirk Nowitzki for the final time.

Brooklyn will continue their seven-game road trip on Friday night in Los Angeles when they will take on the Lakers.

 

 

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: How Sharks lost three straight at home; Ichiro is just the ticket for opener in Japan; St. Mary’s continues to deliver the thrills

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NHL

Barbara Mason filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 The San Jose Sharks, after winning six straight have all of a sudden hit a brick wall with three straight loses to Florida, Nashville and Vegas. Should there be some concern from head coach Peter DeBoer?

#2 Ichiro can still throw from the outfield to the plate. He’s over 40, but can still start as a designated hitter and will be in the starting line up for the Seattle Mariners against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday in Tokyo for opening day.

#3 Ichiro becomes the second oldest position player in MLB history to start a game.

#4 This is a big deal for the Oakland A’s to host and open the season in Japan and there has been a huge contingent of press and fans, who will pack the Tokyo Dome Wednesday night.

#5 St. Mary’s win over Gonzaga last week is something that basketball analysts are still talking about. You have to go back to the 2010 St. Mary’s team, who beat top-10 Villanova in the 2010 NCAA Tournament in the second round.

Barbara Mason does Amaury’s News and Commentary each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Can Bogut make a difference for Golden State?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCSWarriors

On the Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 The Warriors brought back Andrew Bogut and he’s in the lineup. How crucial is Bogut for Golden State in the home stretch?

#2 Bogut came back to Golden State after having lunch with the Warriors assistant general manager Larry Harris. Harris was so impressed by Bogut’s analysis on the Warriors’ last four games and how detailed he was about how he could help the team if he was to return.

Join David Zizmor for the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Splash Brothers lead the way to a Warriors win over the Timberwolves 117-106

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors finished the four-game road trip with a 3-1 record. They lost to the Spurs Monday night when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson could not buy a bucket. It was a different story at the Target Center Tuesday night as Curry and Thompson combined for 64 points and led the Warriors to their 48th win of the year. DeMarcus Cousins was out again with a sore ankle and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gave Shaun Livingston the night off. Andre Iguodala, who did not play Monday, returned to action against the Timberwolves.

The Warriors wanted to get off to a good start. They did not want to be trailing at halftime by more than 10 points as they have done several times lately. They took an early 7-2 lead. The young Timberwolves, led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, went on a 20-2 run to put the Warriors in a 22-9 hole. The Warriors did not lose their composure as they regrouped and finished the first quarter on a 21-5 run to take a 30-27 lead after the first 12 minutes of play. Thompson, who did not score a point in the first half against the Spurs, tallied 15 in the first quarter.

The Warriors won the second quarter 29-20 to end the first half leading 59-47. The Warriors finally had someone come off the bench and put some points on the board. Jonas Jerebko was that player as he sparked the team with 14 points in eight minutes of playing time. Thompson led the team with 17, Curry 11, Jerebko 14, and Kevin Durant 5. For the Timberwolves, Towns put 16, Dario Saric and Wiggins had 7 each. The Warriors shot 45.7% from the floor, and the defense held the Timberwolves to just 37.8%. The Warriors were prolific from 3-point range as they connected 11 times. The Timberwolves mad four threes in 16 attempts.

The Timberwolves started the third quarter on a tear as they went on a 14-2 run to tie the game at 61. Curry and Thompson led the team on a 10-1 run, and the Timberwolves never came close. Curry was on fire as he scored the last 14 points of the third quarter and his total for the entire quarter was 22. The Warriors outscored Minnesota 32-28 and led 91-75.

With Curry on the bench at the start of the fourth quarter, the unit led by Thompson, Durant, Jerebko, Cook, and Draymond Green increased the lead to 20, 101-81. The Timberwolves went on a 19-9 run to cut the lead to nine 112-103. Curry came back into the game and knocked down a three. Each time he made a bucket before the final buzzer and the Warriors won 117-106

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 47-22 for the year. They will be making their seventh consecutive playoff appearance, which is a franchise record.

The Timberwolves dropped to 32-39 and will not make the playoffs this season.

Curry led the Warriors with 36. He made eight three-pointers. Klay had 28, and he knocked down 4 threes. Jerebko had 18 and Durant finished with 17. Draymond Green recorded 5 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. He also blocked 4 shots. Alfonzo McKinnie did not score, but he recorded 9 rebounds. The Warriors had 39 assists on 44 baskets. They were moving the ball well. They shot 48.8% from the floor and held Minnesota to 40.4%. The only reason the game wasn’t a blowout was the fact that the Timberwolves had 18 more free throws and made 16 more than the Warriors.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the Indiana Pacers Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The Pacers have the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference, and the W’s will have to be at their best if they hope to send them down to defeat. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

KZ Okpala was a First-Team All-District selection by the USBWA

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: gostanford.com

By: Ana Kieu

Stanford Cardinal forward KZ Okpala was a First Team All-District selection by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), based on voting from its national membership of more than 900 individuals.

Okpala, who was also a First Team All-Pac-12 pick, led Stanford in scoring at 16.8 PPG in his second year on The Farm. He ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring with the second-most 20-point games (15) in the conference. He also ranks 17th in the conference in rebounding (5.7 RPG), and 12th in defensive rebounding (4.5 DRPG). During the Pac-12 regular season, he finished fifth in the conference in scoring (17.5 PPG).

Okpala, a semifinalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, scored a career-high 30 points in the win at California in February. He recorded four consecutive 20-point games for the first time in his career in the middle of the conference season, achieving the mark against Arizona (29), Arizona State (21), Washington (22) and Utah (22). He arned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in November, after averaging 29.0 ppg in victories over Seattle and UNC Wilmington. He finished his sophomore season on The Farm with a pair of double-doubles, posting 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Pac-12 opener against UCLA and 20 points and 10 rebounds in the season opener against Seattle.

The USBWA All-District IX Team recognized 11 standouts from Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura was the District IX Player of the Year.

Stanford, with 11 of 15 players in their first or second year, completed the season 15-16 overall and 8-10 in the Pac-12.

Golden Knights continue late surge, defeat Sharks 7-3 at SAP

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Monday, March 18, 2019

The surging Vegas Golden Knights continued their winning ways on Monday at SAP Center, upending the San Jose Sharks 7-3 in a possible NHL West playoff preview.

It was the Golden Knights’ ninth win in their last 10 games. Vegas (87 points) also moved within seven points of San Jose (94 points) for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. The Sharks trail Pacific Division-leading Calgary (95 points) by one point.

San Jose lost its third consecutive home game in regulation for the first time in three seasons, failing in another opportunity to clinch a playoff berth.

Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault each earned four points in the victory for Vegas. Smith had three assists and added a goal in the third period. Marchessault had one goal and two assists in the first period and tacked on an empty-net tally in the third.

While William Karlsson, Mark Stone, Paul Stastny and Cody Eakin also scored for the Knights, goaltender Malcolm Subban stopped 36 San Jose shots while filling in for the injured Marc-Andre Fleury.

Logan Couture scored two goals and Joe Thornton added one tally for the Sharks. Martin Jones surrendered three goals on 11 shots before he was replaced by Aaron Dell in the opening period. Marchessault’s goal from a bad angle ended Jones’ night.

Couture’s first goal gave him 500 career points.

Though Evander Kane was back in the Sharks’ lineup, captain Joe Pavelski missed his first game with an injury since January of 2011. Pavelski took a hard hit in Saturday’s game against Nashville.

The Sharks visit Los Angeles on Thursday to face the Kings at 7:30 pm.

Spurs stay hot as they defeat the Warriors 111-105

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, without DeMarcus Cousins, fell to the red-hot Spurs at the AT&T Center Monday night. The Warriors started Andrew Bogut in place of Cousins, who sat out with a sore ankle. Bogut, who flew in from Australia (and was probably suffering from jet lag), played well in the first half. He scored 7 points and had 7 rebounds in his first NBA game since January 2018 when he was a member of the Lakers. Andre Iguodala was not available either.

The Warriors’ backcourt duo of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were ice cold in the first half. Curry and Thompson were 0-for-13 from the floor until Curry made a bucket with 1:07 left in the period. Despite the lack of production from the two, the Warriors stayed close, and Curry hit a 75-footer as the buzzer sounded to end the first period tied at 25.

The Warriors held the lead 36-33 with 7:38 left in the half From this point on, they scored just 11 points. The Spurs knocked down 33, and they led 58-47 at the halfway point. Curry and Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 11 each. Bogut had 7. The most shocking stat of the first half was the fact that Thompson had not scored a single point.

The Warriors played better ball in the third quarter. They went on a 16-5 run to tie the game at 75. The Spurs battled back and regained the lead 82-78 to end the third period. The Warriors just couldn’t get over the hump in the fourth quarter. The Spurs outscored them 29-27 to win 111-105.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors are now 47-22 and are tied with Denver for the best record in the Western Conference. Denver beat Boston 114-105 to move into the first place tie with Golden State. These teams meet for the final time April 2nd at Oracle Arena. The Warriors are 2-1 against Denver this year.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 25 points, He was 9-for-25 from the floor and made 6 threes in 18 tries. Durant had 24. Klay Thompson finished the night with 14. He was 5-for-18 from the field and made 4 threes. Alfonzo McKinnie led the bench with 8, and Kevon Looney with 6.

The Spurs had five players in double figures. DeMar DeRozan’s line was 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. LaMarcus Aldredge had a double-double with 23 points and 13 boards. Derrick White had 12. The Spurs had three players that came off the bench and made significant contributions: Rudy Gay 17, Paddy Mills 10, and Marco Belinelli 9.

The team stats show how close the game was. Each team was 41-for-88 from the floor. The Warriors made 13 threes. The Spurs made 10. The Spurs went to the line 10 more times than the Warriors and outscored them 19-10. The points from the free throw line won the game for San Antonio.

It was the ninth straight win and 11th straight home win for the Spurs.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday in Minneapolis. Game time is at 5:00 pm.