MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: Nats’ Strasburg on DL; The universal DH idea not going over big with Yankees; Will Padres’ Torres domestic problem be the end for him?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

sbnation.com photo: Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strausburg leaves the mound on Friday night against the San Francisco Giants and is now on the D.L. for a shoulder strain injury

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 The Washington Nationals put pitcher Stephen Strasburg on DL while The New York Yankees squawk about universal DH.

2 MLB suspends Padres’ Jose Torres pitcher for 100 games for domestic abuse arrest.

3 Giants and A’s land blue chippers in first round of MLB Draft.

4 Long, hard road for the A’s. Also, their 22nd round selection from Apache Junction.

5 Angels’ Shohei Ohtani on DL. Could miss possible All-Star selection.

Join Daniel each week for all the latest on MLB at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Earthquakes lose to LAFC 4-3 in heartbreaker

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By Marko Ukalovic and Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE — In a season where the San Jose Earthquakes (2-9-3) have often been donkey kicked in the gut losing on late goals, it was LAFC’s turn to add their name to the list of heartbreaking losses. LAFC (7-4-3) scored two goals past the 90th minute for a 4-3 comeback victory on Saturday evening at Avaya Stadium.

The Quakes would draw first blood in the 11th minute when captain Chris Wondolowski, who would be involved in three Quakes’ goals, fed a ball over to forward Danny Hoesen along the right corner. Hoesen then crossed the ball right into the center of the box where Vako would one timed the ball past LAFC goalie Tyler Miller into the back of the net for his third goal of the season.

Adama “Dio” Diomande would answer back for the expansion LAFC just four minutes later at the 15th minute. Quakes defenseman Kevin Partida made a bad clearing attempt with a header that went right over to Dio and he wasted no time heading the ball into the back of the net past Quakes goalie Andrew Tarbell for his second goal of the season.

LAFC kept pouring on the pressure as San Jose would be haunted once again by an ex-player. This time Steven Beitashour was the recipient off a ball played in that was deflected off Quakes defenseman Nick Lima that went right on to his foot and scored into an empty net on the far right corner in the 19th minute for his second goal on the season.

In the 39th minute, it looked like the Quakes would get the equalizer when Vako received a ball 25 yards out from goal. In one motion, he turned around and fired a shot on goal that Miller made a brilliant save knocking the ball over the goal to preserve the 2-1 lead heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Quakes gained the momentum back just seven minutes in when Wondolowski received a long ball from Florian Jungwirth just past midfield and dribbled down the left side of the pitch before stopping, putting a deke on LAFC midfielder Benny Feilhaber and chipped a perfect ball into the lower right corner for the equalizer in the 52nd minute for his third goal of the season.

Wondo wasn’t done scoring when Miller had a mental blunder and dribbled the ball past the defensive box instead of picking up the ball. Wondo was able to pickpocket the ball off of Miller’s foot and shot the ball into a wide empty net to give the Quakes a 3-2 lead in the 63rd minute. The gift from Miller was Wondo’s fourth goal of the season and his 138th career MLS goal. He is now just seven back of Landon Donovan, the all-time leading goal scorer in MLS history with 145.

“I love scoring goals more than many people here,” said Wondo. “But winning, nothing beats that. I will score zero goals all year if we win.”

Wondo would be forced to come out of the game at the 72nd minute due to a stomach illness that was bothering him throughout the game. He was replaced by Fatai Alashe.

“I was feeling a little under the weather and all of a sudden my lunch came up,” said Wondo. “Almost all over Walker Zimmerman’s shoes. Especially after the third time it came up, I decided it was better (to come out of the game).”

LAFC would not go gently into that good night. In the 90th minute they kept the pressure inside the Quakes zone. Beitashour crossed a ball in from 30 yards out over to a sliding Zimmerman where his initial shot was saved by Tarbell. However Dio was able to crash the net and tap in the equalizer.

LAFC would break the hearts at Avaya Stadium in the seventh minute of stoppage time when Latif Blessing took a ball just to the left of the goal. He crossed the ball back into the middle of the box where Joao Moutinho’s one-timer deflected off Quakes defenseman Jimmy Ockford and past Tarbell into the right corner of the net for the game-winner. It was Moutinho’s first goal of the season.

“This is the hardest defeat of my MLS career,” said Quakes head coach Mikael Stahre, who was obviously frustrated. “It was absolutely crazy (of an ending).”

Despite the Quakes winless in their past five games, Stahre said he was proud of the effort and execution on the offensive side of the ball his team displayed throughout the game.

“I’m really proud of the players commitment and energy,” said Stahre. “They really followed the game plan, especially in the second half.”

GAME NOTES: The Quakes were down a man in the final minute of stoppage play when Partida would earn his second yellow card of the match, resulting in a red card and automatic ejection. He will miss the next match.

Zimmerman and Moutinho earned yellow cards for LAFC.

This was the first ever match between the two clubs as LAFC is playing their inaugural season in the MLS.

The win snapped a four-game winless streak for LAFC. They now have 24 points and are currently in 3rd place in the Western Conference.

The Quakes are in 11th place with only nine points on the season.

Quakes players Anibal Godoy and Harold Cummings missed the game as they are getting ready to play in the World Cup next week in Russia for their native Panama.

LAFC was also were missing four players due to international duty at the World Cup. Omar Gaber, Marco Urena, Carlos Vela, and Laurent Ciman are in Russia playing for their respective countries.

UP NEXT: The Quakes face off against the New England Revolution on Wednesday, June 13th at 7:15 pm PDT at Avaya Stadium.

Royals shutout A’s 2-0 on Saturday for their first win of the series

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Bassitt welcomed to dugout
Bassitt congratulated after 7.0-innings of great pitching Photo: SportsRadioService.com

By Charlie O. Mallonee

OAKLAND — The Kansas City Royals snapped a six-game losing streak on Saturday when they shutout the Oakland Athletics 2-0 to win their first game of the four-game series between the two clubs. The A’s beat the Royals on Thursday and Friday.

This game was all about pitching. For the Royals, their starter — LHP Danny Duffy — pitched well above his record for the season on Saturday. Duffy came into the contest with a record of 2-6 with a 5.81 ERA in 13 starts. He was coming off a loss on Monday to the Angels in Los Angeles where he lasted only 5.0 innings.

On Saturday versus Oakland, Duffy pitched 7.0 innings, giving up no runs off just three hits. Duffy walked three and while striking out 10 batters. The 10 strikeouts were his most in a game since May 18, 2017.

Even though Oakland lost the game, they had quite a pitching story of their own. RHP Chris Bassitt made the start for the Athletics which was his first major league start since May 6, 2016. Bassitt had to undergo the dreaded UCL reconstruction surgery — better known as “Tommy John Surgery.” The rehabilitation from that procedure is long and arduous. Bassitt surprised everyone by pitching seven strong innings today against the Royals even though he was saddled with the loss.

On the Hill

Kansas City (22-33)

Duffy fially faces some pressure
Duffy finally faced some pressure from the A’s in the seventh inning Photo: SRS
  • Danny Duffy picked up the win and is now 3-6 for the year. He lowered his ERA from 5.81 to 5.28 in his shutout victory.
  • Duffy threw 98 pitches — 63 strikes
  • Kevin McCarthy worked the eighth inning for the Royals. It was a perfect three up – three down inning with one strikeout.
  • Kelvin Herrera came in to close out the game in the ninth. He did allow one base hit but retired the side and picked up his 14th save of the season. Herrera has appeared in 18 of the Royals’ 22 wins this year.

Oakland (33-32)

Chris Bassitt
Bassitt pitched seven strong innings in his return to the majors Photo: Charlie O Mallonee
  • Chris Bassitt threw 93 pitches (63 strikes) in his seven innings on the hill. He posted six strikeouts and walked just one batter. The only run he gave up was earned. Bassitt’s record stands at 0-1.
  • Danny Coulombe pitched the eighth inning for Oakland. It was a 1, 2, 3 inning that included a strikeout for the reliever.
  • Yusmeiro Petit was tapped to work the ninth inning for the Athletics. With one out, Alex Gordon hit a home run to right field to give the Royals a 2-0 cushion. Petit walked the next batter but then induced the following two hitters to fly out to end the inning.

In the Batter’s Box

Royals (5th place AL Central)

  • Alex Gordon’s ninth-inning home run snapped 14-game homerless streak dating back to May 22 versus St. Louis.
  • Call Hunter Dozier “the Road King”. He has reached base in each of his last nine road games. On Saturday, he did it via a base-on-balls.
  • Paul Orlando hit a single in the second inning which ended 0-for-14 hitless streak for him.
  • Mike Moustakas became the 13th player to play 900 career games with the Royals with his appearance on Saturday.

Athletics (4th place AL West)

Chapman singles
Chapman singled to left in the seventh inning Photo: SportsRadioService.com
  • Matt Chapman had a three-hit game which was his third of the season and sixth of his career.
  • Jed Lowrie is now 0-for-13 after going 0-for-4 on Saturday.
  • Oakland was shutout for the sixth time this year which matches their total from last season.
  • The A’s were 0-for-7 with Runners In Scoring Position.
  • The Athletics left seven runners on base.

Hits vs Strikeouts watch

KC

On Saturday, the Royals collected four hits and struck out seven times.

Oakland

Your A’s also posted four hits while striking out a total of 13 times.

Up Next

The four-game series and the season-series between the Royals and the A’s will come to an end on Sunday at 1:05 P.M. at the Oakland Coliseum. The Royals will send RHP Brad Keller (1-2, 2.12 ERA) to mound to face the A’s LHP Sean Manaea (5-6, 3.59). Keller lost his last outing in Los Angeles to the Angels on Tuesday night 1-0. Manaea had a no-decision in his last start in Texas on Tuesday night. The A’s eventually lost that game 7-4.

Justify Wins the Triple Crown at the 2018 Belmont Stakes

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @ESPNStatsInfo Video credit: NBC Sports and You Tube

By Matthew Harrington

It was never in doubt, the morning favorite Justify has won the Belmont Stakes and subsequently the Triple Crown. With the win at Belmont, Justify became the 13th Triple Crown winner all-time, winning handedly in the rain at the Kentucky Derby and taking the Preakness Stakes through a heavy fog. The Chestnut thoroughbred is the first Triple Crown winner since American Pharaoh in 2015, and only the second since Affirmed accomplished the feat in 1978.

Justify, the 4-5 favorite despite the longer 1 1/4 race, enters the conversation with Seattle Slew historically. Arguably the greatest horse in racing history, Seattle Slew is the only horse to have gone undefeated in his run to the crown in 1977. Justify, the horse to break Apollo’s Curse at the derby, now has gone a perfect 6-0 after not racing st all as a two-year-old.

For trainer Bob Baffert, Saturday’s race makes him the second trainer ever to win two Triple Crowns along with James Fitzsimmons (Gallant Fox, Omaha). He is Baffert also trained American Pharaoh, his first Triple Crown winner. He’s had a horse looking for the trifecta at Belmont Park 5 times.

Justify jockey Mike Smith is already in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame for winning an astounding 26 Breeder’s Cups. He now can add Triple Crown to his resume. It’s his third win in the Belmont, having won the third jewel of the Triple Crown in 2010 and 2013. Prior to this year, he’d won the Kentucky Derby in 2005 and the Preakness in 1993.

The Winstar farms livery Smith donned at Churchill Downs and Plimico was gone Saturday, superstitions be dammed. Instead, the red silks with stars of the China Horse Club were in the winner’s circle. The horse is owned by a group of investors with a rotating schedule for the dressage.

Harper hits his 19th home run in Nationals’ 7-5 win over Giants

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sports.yahoo.com

By Jeremy Kahn

On the day that the Washington Capitals brought the newly won Stanley Cup to Nationals Park and Alexander Ovechkin threw out the first pitch, it was the Washington Nationals superstar that provided the big blast against the San Francisoo Giants.

Bryce Harper hit his National League-leading 19th home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, as the Nationals defeated the Giants 7-5 in an early Saturday matinee at Nationals Park.

In his first game since being activated from the 60-day disabled list, Adam Eaton scored two runs to help even the weekend series with the Giants.

Eaton, who missed 52 games with a left ankle bruise, was hit by a pitch, as he led off the bottom of the first inning.

Anthony Rendon drove in Eaton with a single that gave the Nationals a quick 1-0 lead, and then in the next inning, he scored again and the Nationals took a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Dereck Rodriguez lasted just 2.2 innings, as he gave up five runs just six days after his first major league start and win over the Philadelphia Phillies at AT&T Park.

Rodriguez, who is the son of Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez, pitched in front of his father for the first time as a major leaguer, and will do so again on Thursday, when he pitches in his hometown of Miami against the Marlins.

Nick Hundley got the Giants back in it in the top of the third inning, as he hit a three-run home run off of Gio Gonzalez to get the Giants within 5-3.

The Giants rally continued in the top of the fourth inning, as the Giants loaded the bases and were only able to manage one run, as Andrew McCutchen hit a sacrifice fly.

Gonzalez, who like Rodriguez saw his pitch count elevate and was unable to get out of the fourth inning.

Justin Miller picked up his third win of the season, as he retired all five batters he faced.

Hundley got the Giants within one run in the top of the seventh inning, as he doubled in a run; however, the Nationals put the game away in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Spence Kieboom hit a RBI double of his own.

NOTES: Derek Holland will take the mound in the series finale on Sunday, while the Nationals will send Max Scherzer to the mound, as he looks to improve to 11-1 on the season.

This will be the first time that Holland will face the Nationals in his 10-year career, while Scherzer looks to go to 2-0 against the Giants this season. On April 25, Scherzer went six innings and struck out 10 in a 15-2 victory for the Nationals, as they salvaged the series finale.

Brandon Crawford was out of the lineup for the first time since May 16 against the Cincinnati Reds. Crawford struck out as a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh inning.

Ovechkin’s first pitch to Scherzer went over the pitcher’s head, and the Conn Smythe Award Winner asked for another one and it was granted.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Nats conclude their series on Sunday at 1:05 pm PDT.

MLB The Show podcast with Matt Harrington: Halos’ Ohtani out, could have Tommy John; Nats’ Strasburg suffering shoulder injury; Padres’ Torres suspended 100 days for domestic violence

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: abc7.com

On the MLB The Show podcast with Matt:

The Los Angeles Angels reported that superstar Japanese pitcher Shohei Ohtani was placed on the D.L. on Friday night for a Grade 2 UCL strain. Ohtani was given a PRP and stem cell injection on Friday by Dr. Steve Yoon in Los Angeles. Dr. Yoon said that he would re-evaluate Ohtani’s progress in three weeks. If things don’t improve, Dr. Yoon and the Angels did mention Tommy John surgery could be in the equation.

The Washington Nationals’ star pitcher Stephen Strasburg has been suffering through shoulder inflammation. It was discovered on Friday night after pitching to the San Francisco Giants that Strasburg was having the shoulder problems.

The San Diego Padres have suspended pitcher Jose Torres for 100 games, which is being served retroactively. In December, in Phoenix, Torres broke down a locked door, punched a hole in another locked door and pointed a gun at his female roommate threatening to kill her.

Former MLB infielder and Philadelphia Phillie Lenny Dykstra is facing charges for making terrorist threats and possession of illegal drugs after threatening to shoot a Uber driver. Dykstra got into the car and wanted to change destinations. The driver told Dykstra to make the changes on his Uber app, but Dykstra took a pill bottle and put it behind the head of the driver and said he would blow his head off if he didn’t take him where he wanted to go. According to Dykstra, the driver was blowing through red lights and was driving to a police station where he told police he was threatened by Dykstra. Dykstra in turn charged the Uber driver for false imprisonment for keeping him in the car while he was being driven to the police station. Both are being criminally charged, respectfully.

Matt Harrington does the MLB The Show podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Offensive struggles contribute to Aces’ 87-83 loss to Atlanta

Published on by psushawnLeave a comment

20180608 - A'ja Wilson 05

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces dropped their second straight game in an 87-83 loss to the Atlanta Dream at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Friday.

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Kayla McBride added 13 points.

The Aces kept the game close until early in the third quarter when the Dream went on a 16-3 run to take control of the game.

Head Coach Bill Laimbeer has been stressing defense throughout the season, but sparking offense was the struggle for the Aces against the Dream.

“We gave up too many offensive rebounds to this team, but overall I think our defense was OK,” said Laimbeer.  “I think our offense is what hurt us today.”

“It was an offensive struggle,” said Wilson.  “I know for myself, my mind was all over the place, but it is something that I can work on and control.”

The Aces will next play four straight games on the road in Phoenix, Indiana, New York and Dallas.

“It’s going to be tough on the road, but if we have our mentality, it really doesn’t matter if we are home or away,” said Wilson.  “Our focus is there and we have to continue to push through.”

With the loss, the Aces dropped to 1-6 on the season.

“We have all of the pieces to the puzzle, it’s just a matter of coming together,” said Wilson.  “We are still young and we are still missing a few players, but we are learning.”

The Aces next home game will be on Sunday, June 17th against the Phoenix Mercury at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The game was an early Friday matinee game scheduled at noon Pacific.
  • 5,913 Aces fans attended the game.
  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (20) for the seventh straight game.
  • Nia Coffey (ankle) and Moriah Jefferson (knee) did not play due to injury.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Warriors finish off Cavs 108-85 for back-to-back championships

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Pearl Allison Lo

The Golden State Warriors were on the big stage following their defeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. This year, Golden State knocked out Cleveland again with a 108-85 rout Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night at the Quicken Loans Arena.

The start of the game was familiar territory as the Warriors went into the game with a 3-0 advantage, but the result was unfamiliar as they found themselves with another title–their first ever back-to-back titles. It was Golden State’s sixth straight win of these 2018 playoffs.

For fans of the opposing team, perhaps more disappointing than the loss for the Cavs, is whether star LeBron James will stay or leave.

Still sporting a red eye from Game 1, James left the court with 4:03 left after playing a game-high 41 minutes and scoring 23 points. He left to praise from all, including his opponents and the crowds chants of “MVP” grew louder.

Speaking of MVP, Kevin Durant matched his team, receiving the NBA Finals accolade for the second straight year. Durant finished a +30 and earned his first career playoff triple double, with 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds along with a game-high 10 assists.

Teammate Stephen Curry, who held the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after the game, scored a 2018 playoff-high 37 points in 39 minutes.

In the first, after both teams scored, the Warriors went on an 11-0 run, seven points from Curry, which Cleveland then countered with an 8-0 run. Golden State had three fouls during the latter run, including a technical. The Warriors’ Klay Thompson left the court after his second foul.  

The Cavs’ last possession of the first was marked by four offensive rebounds, three missed shots and two blocks by Golden State.

Curry overcame his 11 point performance in Game 3 with 12 points in the first.

It took awhile for Golden State to get going in the second. Cleveland took advantage, gaining the lead for the first time, 39-38, with 7:12 left. At that point, the Warriors only had four points to the Cavaliers’ 14. The lead then continued to change basket by basket for a total of five times and then a sixth after free throws interrupted the pattern.

Golden State then held the lead the rest of the game after the 47-43 score with 4:36 left (Andre Iguodala hit a three). Curry had eight points with the help of two three’s and Cleveland missed three free throws.  

By the end of the second, both teams had scored 27 points apiece, canceling out any advantage for the Cavaliers.

In the third, Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson inadvertently helped with the Warriors’ then game-high 17 point lead, 67-52, when he put in a bucket for them. The points were credited to JaVale McGee.

When James made a free throw, the third score after (49-47), that would be the closest the Cavaliers ever got anymore.

Both teams’ field goal and three point shooting went down in the third but Golden State’s first bucket of the third, a Thompson jumper, would mark a double-digit lead for the rest of the game. Cleveland only scored 13 points in the quarter and the Warriors lead reached 21 points at the end.

Golden State’s lead’s largest margin would end at 28 points and occurred with 6:19 left, courtesy of Curry (102-74).

Game Notes: The last time the NBA Finals saw a sweep was in 2007, when James and the Cavs were the victims again. The Warriors finished a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line. Durant also had a a game-high-tying three blocks. Golden State will celebrate with their fans in person Tuesday at 11 am PDT.

Davis Goes Deep Twice in A’s 7-2 Rout, Montas Stifles Royals Again

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND, Calif. — Frankie Montas continues to get it done for the Oakland Athletics, winning his third-straight start Friday night against the Kansas City Royals 7-2 at O.co Coliseum on Friday night.

The A’s hosted Pride Night at the Coliseum, and made it very clear that baseball was for everyone, regardless of their gender and/or sexual orientation.

In case you missed the celebration, you can check out the A’s team store for rainbow-oriented gear in the MLB Shop and its website.

Montas (3-0, 1.25 ERA) nearly matched his last outing, an eight-inning no-run performance against these same Royals with a duplicate performance, but a two-run homer to Mike Moustakas spoiled the shutout for the starter. Khris Davis hit a pair of homeruns for Oakland, Dustin Folwer blasted a solo shot and Jonathan Lucroy  knocked in three runs for the Green and Gold, moving the A’s two games over .500 at 33-31. Lou Trivino picked up his first career save after firing the final 1 1/3 innings.

Montas was two outs away from eight innings of shutout baseball, but a Whit Merrfield single put a runner on. Montas got Alcides Escobar to line out but couldn’t put Moustakas away after falling into a full count. Montas’ two-seamer wound up right in the middle of the plate, giving Moustakas a meatball for his 13th long ball of the year.

Montas would depart the game leading 6-2, having his full arsenal of pitches working Friday. He used his slider and offspeed pitches to rack up five strike-outs, but also used his heavy two-seamer to work deep into the game. He faced 30 batters, needing just 96 pitches to get one out away from a full eight innings. After three starts of 2018, he now sports the sparkling ERA of 1.25 runs.

Just like in last week’s win for Montas, a 16-0 win, Montas didn’t even need to be near peak performance. Khris Davis continued his torrid stretch after returning from injury. He  took Royals starter Jakob Junis (5-6, 4.05) deep twice Friday, once in the first inning and once in the fourth, to boast four homers over his last seven games and 17 on the season. Dustin Fowler also tagged Junis with a solo shot in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Davis’ second homer in the fourth inning wasn’t the only damage the A’s would do in the frame. Leading 3-0, Jonathan Lucroy would knock in a run on a single. Two innings later, he’d tag Junis with two more runs, plating Marcus Semien and Stephen Piscotty on a double for a 6-0 A’s lead. Oakland would score an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth for the seventh run of the game.

The A’s send Chris Bassitt to the mound for his 2018 debut, hoping the young righty’s return to the rotation will go as well as recent returnees Montas and Paul Blackburn. He’ll be opposed by Danny Duffy, who sports a 5.81 ERA with six losses to just two wins.

Game time is set for Saturday afternoon at 1:05 pm PDT.