Author Archives: omzzzzz

Wood Leads Dodgers Over D’Backs

July 5, 2017

Alex Wood pitched seven shutout innings to improve to 10-0 on the season, as the Dodgers blanked the D’Backs 1-0 on Wednesday night at the Ravine.

Wood gave up just three hits, struck out ten, and walked two during an efficient 85-pitch performance.

The only run of the game came on an RBI double from Yasmani Grandal in the 2nd inning, which scored Chris Taylor from 1st base. That came off of D’Backs starter Zack Godley.

Wood became the first Dodgers starter to reach 10-0 since Don Newcombe in 1955. He was well aware of how important the game was.

“I don’t know how often you get two teams that are 50-plus wins before the All-Star break playing against each other, especially in the same division,” Wood said. “It felt a little bit bigger tonight. Tensions were a little bit higher, especially in a 1-0 ballgame.”

Kenley Jansen pitched the 9th for his 20th save of the season. Brandon Drury reached base on a two-out single, but Jansen struck out Chris Herrmann to end the game.

Godley fell to 3-3 on the season. He gave up one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked one.

The Dodgers got just one hit after the 2nd inning. It was a double from Corey Seager in the 8th inning.

Since Clayton Kershaw is slated to start Sunday’s game against Kansas City, Wood is a strong candidate to pitch in the All-Star game next week as a replacement for the Dodger ace.

The win also moved the Dodgers 4.5 games ahead of the D’Backs in the NL West, further extending LA’s first place lead.

The Dodgers will go up for the sweep on Thursday night at the Ravine. Rich Hill (5-4, 4.00 ERA) goes for the Boys in Blue. Robbie Ray (8-4, 3.06 ERA) will be on the mound for Arizona.

Bridwell Helps Angels Top Twins

Leave a reply

July 5, 2017

Parker Bridwell pitched six shutout innings and Kole Calhoun hit a home run as the Angels got by the Twins 2-1 on Wednesday night at Target Field.

Bridwell gave up just four hits during his 98-pitch performance, improving his record to 3-1 on the season. He struck out five and walked three.

Calhoun gave the Angels a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning with a solo blast, it was his 12th of the season, coming off of former Angel Ervin Santana.

“I wouldn’t say that early run was any comfort level. We had to keep going,” skipper Mike Scioscia said. “We just did a really good job on the mound and held those guys down tonight.”

It would stay that way until the 6th inning, when Cameron Maybin stole home on a successful double steal attempt, with Calhoun taking 2nd.

The Twins would get on the board in the 7th after an RBI single by Brian Dozier. However, that’s as close as they would get.

Bud Norris pitched a perfect 9th inning to record his 12th save of the season. David Hernandez and Cam Bedrosian each pitched scoreless innings of relief as well.

“Parker pitched with his back against the wall the whole game, all our guys did,” Scioscia added.

Santana (10-6) took the loss. He pitched a complete game, giving up the two earned runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked two, while throwing 117 pitches.

Albert Pujols collected his 2,900th career hit in the first inning, becoming the 40th player in major league history to reach that mark.

Ricky Nolasco (4-9, 4.42 ERA) will start in Texas on Friday against Rangers LHP Cole Hamels (3-0, 4.12). The Halos will finish up the 1st half of the season with a 3-game set against the Rangers.

Clippers Acquire Gallinari

Leave a reply

July 4 2017

The Clippers acquired forward Danilo Gallinari on Monday in a 3-team trade that included the Hawks and Nuggets. Gallinari signed a 3-year $65 million contract with LA as part of the trade.

The Hawks will receive Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, and a 2018 1st round pick, which was acquired last week from the Rockies. The Nuggets will receive a 2019 2nd round pick from Atlanta, which it previously acquired from Washington.

the 6’10 Gallinari averaged 18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and shot 38% from 3-point land last season. He’s capable of playing both the 3 and the 4, which means the Clippers envision a front line that includes Gallinari, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan.

The 28-year-old is a floor spacing shooter, who the Clippers have tried to acquire for years.

The most notable cost of the deal for the Clippers was Crawford, who has spent the last five seasons with the team. The 37-year-old is a three-time Six Man of The Year, and has played 17 seasons in the league. He averaged 12.3 points on 41% shooting last year off the bench for LA.

Crawford is due to make $14.2 million next season, and $14.5 million the year after that, but only $3 million of it is guaranteed. He is reportedly seeking a buyout from the Hawks, and prefers to join the Lakers according to Marc Spears of The Undefeated.

Monday Morning Coffee

Leave a reply

July 3, 2017

i think it’s obvious that the NBA offseason has been much better than the season itself. Except if you’re the Clippers, who lost Chris Paul to the Rockets last week in a development that rocked the franchise. However, as angry as Doc Rivers and Lawrence Frank are right now, they came out of this with an incredible haul of assets. They have two of the best value contracts in the NBA in Patrick Beverly and Lou Williams, they gave themselves a 1st round pick in 2018, and they re-signed Blake Griffin. That potentially gives themselves up to $70 million in cap space to work with next summer. They can either build around Blake, or move him or DeAndre for even more assets. The Clips may have missed their window, but they are well on their way to rebuilding a basketball team the right way. Meanwhile, CP3’s phone has been blowing up since the trade….

As for the Lakers, they are definitely taking a calculated risk with their plan. Paul George was traded to OKC for a bag of potato chips, just so Indiana made sure he didn’t get what he wanted. By not trading for George now, there’s a chance he might like it in OKC playing with Westbrook. It’s like proposing to a girl that you’re going to marry, but then letting her date other people for a year before actually getting married. There’s a chance you won’t actually get married. On the other hand, George is still telling his friends he plans on signing with the Lakers, and the trade also prevents Russell Westbrook from signing his extension now. That means both have a chance to be wearing purple and gold in one year from now. The only bad news is that the Lakers can’t seem to get many good players to take one -year deals, which means they will be a lottery team without a lottery pick next season.

Chris Paul’s move to the Rockets gives him the chance to lose in the 2nd round of the playoffs in Texas. Without Patrick Beverley the Rockets’ defense is going to be the worst in Texas since the Alamo. JJ Redick is going to make $23 million next year. NBA GM’s have lost their damn mind! Nice to see James Dolan checking in on the Knicks like a pizza he put in the oven an hour ago. I guess he finally realized that Phil Jackson was trying to get fired, but that won’t stop him from making more bad decisions. Rajon Rondo was waived, but will still make $3 million. Coincidentally, 3 is also the percentage of shots he makes from the three point line. Kyle Lowry just got $100 million. That should be just enough to afford him one pair of Lonzo Ball’s new shoes. Danny Ainge is like that kid with a bunch of baseball cards that refuses to trade with any of the other kids.

To baseball, where the Dodgers are going to get four all-stars, and possibly a 5th in this year’s mid-summer classic. They are Kenley Jansen, Clayton Kershaw, Cody Bellinger, and Corey Seager. Justin Turner and Alex Wood also remain a possibility for the last roster spot in the NL. However, none of the Dodger players will be starters, which Jansen claims is the fans fault. Sorry Kenley, but it’s actually your boss’s fault. It’s the Dodger ownership that put the Dodgers on Time Warner Cable, preventing fans from watching the team on a nightly basis in LA, and reducing fan support. What Kenley Jansen should be really frustrated about is that the front office can’t add another decent starting pitcher to get the Dodgers into the World Series. That’s going to be no different at the trade deadline in a few weeks.

The Angels are just one game out of an American League Wild Card spot, however, I don’t know if this should make Halos fans excited or frustrated. It’s exciting that somehow the team is in playoff contention with no pitching staff, an injury to the best player in baseball, and a massive hole at 2nd base. On the other hand, just think how good the Angels could be if they didn’t blow all their money on Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and held on to some of their better prospects? They might actually be one of the better teams in the AL. The Halos may stay in contention with smoke and mirrors, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be a properly constructed baseball team anytime soon.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say the LA Kings were trying to get older and slower. That’s odd because the Kings fired Darryl Sutter and Dean Lombardi to tweak their style to a more productive offensive attack that includes speed. Instead, the Kings signed 35-year-old Mike Cammalleri. I mean was Tony Granato unavailable? The Kings are going to be paying the price for the Dustin Brown and Marian Gaborik contracts for quite some time. With younger teams like Edmonton, Anaheim, and Calgary getting faster, a return to the playoffs is looking even more doubtful now.

I feel terrible for John McEnroe. He got totally screwed by that reporter who asked him why Serena Williams shouldn’t be considered the best tennis player of all-time, regardless of the fact she’s a woman? This has nothing to do with misogyny. We celebrate woman separately, and the fact there is women’s tennis creates a class for Serena by herself. In fact, Serene herself admitted years ago that she wouldn’t be that great on the mens tour. This story needs to die, and was nothing more than crappy journalism.

Finally, the Bachelorette gave us four hours of great television last week, and we’ll get two more tonight. I love Lee asking Rachel. “Can I be honest with you?” Why should he start now? That guy is a slimy little bastard. Peter got three hours in the hot tub but no rose? I still think ABC is taking advantage of making racism dramatic, and also turning black men into guinea pigs, since they’ve casted a black woman who loves white guys. Lee vs Kenny is way better than McGregor vs Mayweather. Poor Kenny though, he survived the toughest part of the show, then backed out because he needed to go home and see his daughter. Every rose ceremony I find myself looking at one guy asking myself “who is that guy?” Somebody tell Will this isn’t junior high, and that he needed to put the moves on. Speaking of Will, I love how Eric was understanding about Will dating outside of his race, but critical of Rachel doing it. Finally, Josiah was like the Dwight Howard of the show. He had no idea what the perception of him was, he’s so self absorbed, but ended up getting sent home while thinking he was getting a rose. Josiah does look like Jeffrey from the Fresh Prince though…..

Clippers Re-Sign Blake Griffin

Leave a reply

June 30, 2017

The Clippers and Blake Griffin agreed to a new contract on Friday night. The deal is for 5 years and $173 million.

Griffin will not receive a no-trade clause as part of the deal. The news was a relief for the Clippers, who lost their other superstar, Chris Paul, to the Houston Rockets just two days earlier.

Griffin met with a number of members of the Clipper organization, led by Owner Steve Ballmer, on Friday at Staples Center. The group also included Doc Rivers, Jerry West, as well as a several Clipper players. They included Jamal Crawford, DeAndre Jordan, Patrick Beverley, Wesley Johnson, and Sam Dekker.

“We’ve had some great meetings with them and love the direction of the organization,” a source close to Griffin told ESPN’s Royce Young. “Feel that the best chance to win is definitely with LAC.”

Griffin suffered a toe injury in the 1st round of the playoffs against Utah, and is questionable to be ready for the start of the season.

Griffin also had meetings schedule with the Suns and Nuggets when free agency started on Saturday, but cancelled those meetings.

At the end of the two-hour meeting Friday, Griffin rose and spoke, telling teammates, his coach and the owner that “I want my legacy to be a Clipper.”

Kershaw & Dodgers Get Split With Halos

Leave a reply

June 29, 2017

Clayton Kershaw struck out 12 batters and Joc Pederson hit a three-run home run as the Dodgers defeated the Angels 6-2 on Thursday night at the Big A. The victory salvaged a split of the four-game series between the cross-town rivals.

Kershaw became the first 12-game winner in the majors this season, improving his record to 12-2. He gave up just one unearned run over seven innings.

The Dodgers also got solo home runs from Yasiel Puig and Chase Utley in the fifth inning. Pederson’s sixth-inning home run came off of J.C. Ramirez (7-6), who took the loss.

The Dodgers have hit 50 home runs in the month of June. That breaks the franchise record for home runs in a month, which was set in 1953.

Both teams exchanged runs early on. Utley delivered a sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning, scoring Logan Forsythe. Albert Pujols reached on a fielder’s choice to shortstop, which allowed Cameron Maybin to score in the 4th.

Kole Calhoun came up with an RBI single in the 8th inning off of Luis Avilan, which was all the scoring for the Halos.

Kenley Jansen recorded the final four outs for his 18th save of the season, but their was drama in the 8th inning.

Brandon Morrow hit Yunel Escobar with a fastball in the shoulder, which resulted in both benches and bullpens clearing. No fights occurred, but Escobar was furious with Morrow, who was his former teammate in Toronto. That also loaded the bases for the Angels with one out.

Morrow then struck out Luis Valbuena, then Jansen came in to retire Martin Maldonado, who flied out to center.

The Dodgers improved their record to 53-28 and have taken a 2.5 game lead over Arizona in the NL West. The D’Backs will be visiting Dodger Stadium next week. The Angels are 42-41 and one game out of the last AL Wild Card spot.

The Dodgers now travel to San Diego to take on the Padres for a 3-game weekend series. Alex Wood(8-0, 1.86 ERA) goes for the Dodgers on Friday. Clayton Richard (5-7, 4.42 ERA) is on the mound for the Padres.

Meanwhile, the Angels will host the Mariners for a three-game set at the Big A. Parker Bridwell (2-0, 2.95 ERA) gets the ball for the Halos. Sam Gaviglio (3-2, 3.38 ERA) goes for the Mariners.

Angels Beat Dodgers on Throwing Error

Leave a reply

June 28, 2017

Ben Revere scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning after a throwing error by Yasmani Grandal, and the Angels got by the Dodgers 3-2 on Wednesday night at the Big A.

With one out in the 9th, Revere reached on an error by second baseman Chris Taylor. He would advance to second base on a wild pitch by Pedro Baez (2-1). Moments later, Cameron Maybin struck out swinging, but the ball got past Grandal, who raced to pick it up to try and throw out Maybin at 1st base. However, Grandal’s throw sailed over the head of 1st baseman Chase Utley’s head, and into right field. That allowed Revere to come home from second base for the walk-off game winner.

“That’s the game of baseball, I guess?” Revere said. “It’s a good thing we’ve got the speed here to cause havoc on the base paths.”

In the Dodger half of the 9th inning, it looked like Grandal was going to be one of the game’s hero. He drilled a solo home run to center field that tied the game 2-2, off of Cam Bedrosian. Bedrosian (2-0) got credit for the win.

The Boys in Blue were trailing 2-1 in the 8th inning when Trayce Thompson hit his first home run of the season, a solo blast off of Keynan Middleton, which put the Dodgers on the board.

The Halos took a 2-0 lead on a two-run homer by Andrelton Simmons in the 6th inning, coming with Kole Calhoun aboard.

Those were the only two runs of the game given up by Hyun-Jin Ryu. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, scattering two runs on seven hits, while striking out eight and walking one.

Alex Meyer pitched even better for the Angels. He threw six shutout innings, yielding just one hit, striking out four, while walking five.

The series finale goes down on Thursday night at the Big A. Clayton Kershaw (11-2, 2.47 ERA) will try to help the Dodgers salvage a split of their four-game set. JC Ramirez (7-5, 4.38 ERA) will get the ball for the Halos.

Clippers Trade Chris Paul To Houston

Leave a reply

June 28, 2017

Chris Paul shocked the NBA world on Wednesday morning, informing the Clippers that he would be signing with the Houston Rockets when free agency begins. That prompted an agreement where Paul opted into the final year of his contract, allowing the Clippers to trade him to Houston.

In return, the Clippers received guards Patrick Beverly, Lou Williams, forwards Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, and a 2018 1st round pick. The pick is top 3 protected. The Clippers will also received three other players with non-guaranteed contracts in order to make the trade work under the salary cap: DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, and Kyle Wiltjer.

The trade ends a six-year run for Paul with the Clippers, who was arguably the best player in the history of the franchise. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in assists, second in steals, fourth in free-throw percentage and sixth in points.

Paul was eligible for a 5-year $205 million contract. However, according to one team executive, the team was not interested in offering the full 5-year term, and also not interested in granting him a no-trade clause. Paul would have made $46 million in the final year of that contract at 38 years old, which was not attractive to the team.

Other team sources indicated that Paul’s relationship had grown extremely rocky with head coach Doc Rivers. The tension was reportedly over Rivers’ perceived unwillingness to include his son Austin, in a trade for Carmelo Anthony back in February. Paul and others had also perceived Coach Rivers as unwilling to criticize his son while issuing criticism of other players. Austin Rivers took to Twitter later Wednesday to deny that these stories were true.

Sources also indicated that there was tension between Paul and Blake Griffin, and that both had grown tired of playing with each other. Griffin, along with J.J. Redick, are schedule to be unrestricted free agents as of this Saturday. The Clippers however, remain confident that Griffin will re-sign with them for the 5 years and $175 million they plan on offering him.

By agreeing to opt into the final year of his contract, Paul will make just over $22 million next season, and he’ll be eligible for that 5-year $205 million next summer, if he were to re-sign with the Rockets. Paul will also form a dynamic backcourt in Houston, with MVP runner up James Harden. Houston also continues to push for a Paul George trade, and would be interested in acquiring Carmelo Anthony if he were to be bought out by the Knicks.

The trade enabled the Clippers to get something in return for Paul, who would have otherwise departed for nothing in unrestricted free agency.

Beverly is one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, and on a team friendly contract that pays him $5.5 million next season, with a team option for the following season. Dekker, 23, is an athletic player with decent three-point range. Williams is one of the NBA’s best sixth men, and Harrell is a high-energy player who will be entering only his third season in the league.

Even if the Clippers were to re-sign Griffin, they could still potentially have about $70 million in cap space in the summer of 2018, with an excellent free agent class available.

During his six seasons in LA, Paul averaged 18.8 points, 9.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals while committing only 2.3 turnovers per game. He was named to three All-NBA first teams, two All-NBA second teams and six All-Defensive first teams.

He took to Twitter to thank the Clippers and their fans. He wrote “Unbelievable amount of emotions right now — I don’t even know what to say. Lots of love and tears. I’m so blessed and thankful for the ability to play this game, this is the part that no one can prepare you for.”

The Clippers also waived retiring forward Paul Pierce on Wednesday to adhere to the NBA’s roster limit of 20 during the offseason.

Dodgers Shut Down Angels 4-0

Leave a reply

July 27, 2017

Joc Pederson hit a three-run homer and Kenta Maeda threw a career-high seven shutout innings, as the Dodgers shutout the Angels 4-0 on Tuesday night at the Ravine.

Maeda gave up just four hits, struck out six batters, and did not walk anybody. He improved his record to 6-3 on the season.

All four Dodger runs came in the 6th inning. Chase Utley lead off with a double against Jesse Chavez, then Logan Forsythe walked. After Chris Taylor flied out to center, Utley tagged up and moved to third base. That prompted Angels’ skipper Mike Scioscia to bring in reliever Jose Alvarez to face rookie-sensation Cody Bellinger.

Bellinger then drilled a 1-0 pitch to left center for an RBI single, which scored Utley. Austin Barnes was up next, and his ground out to first moved Forsythe to third and Bellinger to second. That set the stage for Pederson, who ripped an 0-1 pitch over the center field wall for his 7th home run of the season. That gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, and was the only offense either team would produce on the night.

Since returning from the DL on June 13, Pederson is hitting .319 with five home runs.

Brandon Morrow pitched the final two innings for the Dodgers. He gave up only one hit while making an efficient 16 pitches.

Jesse Chavez (5-8) took the loss but pitched well. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, and was charged with 2 runs while giving up just two hits. He struck out five and walked four.

Both teams rested a number of everyday players. The Angels rested Albert Pujols and Cameron Maybin. The Dodgers sat Yasmani Grandal, Corey Seager, Yasiel Puig, and Justin Turner.

Game 3 of the series shifts to the Big A on Wednesday night. Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-6, 4.30 ERA) gets the ball for the Boys in Blue. The Halos will counter with Alex Meyer (3-4, 4.20 ERA).

Halos Snap Dodger Win Streak

Leave a reply

June 26, 2017

Yunel Escobar drove in a two runs and Ricky Nolasco pitched into the 7th inning, as the Angels surprised the Dodgers 4-0 on Monday night at the Ravine. The Halos snapped the Dodgers 10-game win streak.

Nolasco went 6 2/3 innings, and picked up his first win in two months, improving to 3-9 on the season. The former Dodger gave up five hits, struck out five, and walked two. He left the game after getting hit with a line drive off the bat of Enrique Hernandez.

Cam Bedrosian, Keynan Middleton, and David Hernandez continued the shutout over the final two plus innings.

Escobar delivered a two-run single in the 3rd inning off of Rich Hill, which scored Cameron Mabyin and Kole Calhoun.

Danny Espinosa added a sacrifice fly in the 4th inning that scored Andrelton Simmons. Martin Maldonado capped the scoring with a solo home run off of Sergio Romo in the 9th.

Hill went seven innings, giving up three runs on four hits. His record dropped to 4-4 on the season. He struck out seven and walked two after making 99 pitches.

The shutout also meant that the Dodgers ended a streak of 17 consecutive games with at least one home run. That tied the longest stretch since the team moved to Los Angels prior to the 1958 season.

The Angels won for the fourth time in the last five games, and moved two games over .500 at 41-39.

Game 2 of the series goes down tomorrow night at the Ravine. Kenta Maeda (5-3, 4.62 ERA) gets the ball for the Boys in Blue. Jesse Chavez (5-7, 5.15 ERA) takes the mound for the Halos.