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Joe Johnson Pulls Jazz Even With Clippers

April 23, 2017

Joe Johnson delivered 11 straight 4th quarter points as the Utah Jazz defeated the Clippers 105-98 in game 4 of their first round series. The best-of-7 series is now tied 2-2.

Johnson finished the game with 28 points, including a critical 4th quarter jumper with to give the Jazz a 91-90 lead with just under 4 minutes left. The Clippers would never regain the lead after that.

Rudy Gobert returned to the Jazz lineup after injuring his knee in game 2. Gobert delivered 15 points to go along with 13 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Gordon Hayward played only 9 minutes in the game after battling food poisoning, and did not play in the 2nd half. He had just 3 points in the game.

The Clippers were led by Chris Paul, who had 27 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds. Jamal Crawford provided 25 points off the bench, and DeAndre Jordan had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Clips were clinging to an 80-77 lead going into the 4th quarter. A free throw by Wesley Johnson gave the Clippers an 87-80 lead with 7:37 lead, but then the Johnson and the Jazz would begin their rally.

Johnson reeled of 7 straight points in about 2 minutes to tie the game at 87-87. 2 minutes later, Johnson capped his 11-point run and gave Utah the lead for good.

The Clippers were outrebounded 42-31 and outscored in the paint 58-36. For the game, the Jazz shot 54% from the field, while the Clippers shot 44%.

The series returns to Staples Center on Tuesday night for Game 5. Utah will host Game 6 on Friday night.

Dodgers Avoid Sweep In Arizona

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April 23, 2017

Brandon McCarthy pitched seven strong innings and the Dodgers exploded for 6 runs in the 5th inning, as they defeated the D’Backs 6-2. LA managed to salvage one game in their three game set with Arizona and avoided being swept.

McCarthy improved to 3-0, giving up 2 runs on five hits and striking out six in his seven innings of work. The only two runs he allowed came on a 2-run shot from Paul Goldschmidt in the 1st inning. The D’Backs could only muster two hits off McCarthy after that.

Shelby Miller took the loss for Arizona, falling to 2-2 on the year. He made it through 4 shutout innings, and then the Dodger offense woke up in the 5th. Miller walked the first two batters and then gave up an RBI double to Corey Seager, which made it 2-2. McCarthy scored, as did Joc Pederson after an error by 2nd baseman Brandon Drury. After throwing one more pitch, he was visited by the Arizona trainer, and left the mound after that. There was no word on an injury.

Randall Delgado came in for the D’Backs and the Dodgers continued to do damage. Adrian Gonzales doubled in Seager and Justin Turner, and suddenly, it was 4-2 LA. The next batter was Yasmani Grandal, who capped the big inning with a 2-run shot to right center field. It was his 3rd long ball of the season.

McCarthy and the bullpen took it from there. Pedro Baez and Sergio Romo pitched the 8th and 9th inning, allowing just 2 hits over those two shutout innings.

The Diamondbacks lost at home for just the second time in ten games this season. Meanwhile, the Dodgers improved to 9-10 on the year. LA is in 3rd place in the NL West, 4 games back of the Rockies in the early going.

The Dodgers will now travel to San Francisco to take on the Giants for a four game set beginning Monday at AT&T Park. Hyun-Jin Ryu (0-3; 5.87 ERA) will start the first game for the Dodgers, while the struggling Giants will counter with Matt Cain (1-0; 3.31 ERA). San Francisco comes in with the worst record in the National League at 6-13.

Angels Stifled By Stroman & Jays

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April 23, 2017

Marcus Stroman pitched a complete game and gave up only 1 earned run on 7 hits, and the Blue Jays had a 4-run blitz in the 8th inning to beat the Angels 6-2.

At one point, Stroman retired 17 consecutive batters during his 99-pitch performance, which improved his record to 2-2 on the season. It was also his is first appearance back in Southern California since pitching the U.S. to victory in the World Baseball Classic final at Dodger Stadium last month.

Things looked really good for the Angels for most of the game. Albert Pujols delivered a 2-run single in the 3rd inning, and the Halos had a 2-0 lead all the way until the 8th.

Spot starter Daniel Wright gave up only three hits over his five shutout innings of work. Blake Parker and Jose Alvarez recorded the next six outs for the Angels. Then Mike Scioscia turned to Deolis Guerra to pitch the 8th.

After issuing a lead-off walk to Russell Martin, with 1 out, Devon Travis hit a 1-1 pitch over the left center field fence and the Jays had a 2-1 lead. Ryan Goins grounded out, then Scioscia brought in Brooks Pounders to face Kevin Pillar.

3 pitches later, Pillar took Pounders deep to left, and Toronto had a 2-run lead. An Ezequiel Carrera triple and a walk to Jose Bautista set the stage for former Angel Kendrys Morales to add to the lead. He would reach on an infield single to 3rd, scoring Carrera, and it was 4-1 Jays.

Pounders ran into more trouble in the 9th, giving up a 2-run shot to Goins, which padded the lead to 6-1. Pounders allowed two homers, a triple, a double, a single, and a walk over 1 1/3 innings.

The Angels threatened in the 9th, as Andrelton Simmons produced an RBI single to make it 6-2, but Stroman induced a game-ending double play.

The Halos have now lost 10 of their last 12 games, and they have the 2nd worst run differential (-20) in all of Major League Baseball.

The Angels will try to salvage a split of their four game series on Monday night. Ricky Nolasco (1-2; 4.76 ERA) will be on the hill for the Halos, while the Jays will go with Francisco Liriano (1-1; 5.11 ERA).

Kings Name John Stevens Head Coach

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April 23, 2017

The Kings have promoted assistant John Stevens to head coach, which the team announced on Sunday.

Stevens replaces Darryl Sutter, who was fired by the team on April 10, along with General Manager Dean Lombardi.

The 51-year-old has been on the Kings coaching staff for the last seven season. Prior to being a part of the Kings staff, he coached the Philadelphia Flyers from 2006-2009, where he compiled a record of 120-109-34. In 2008, he led Philadelphia to an Eastern Conference Final appearance.

General Manager Rob Blake and Stevens held discussions for over a week now regarding the direction of the hockey club.

“John and I had very productive dialogue this last week in relation to his head coaching philosophy and specifically how he would implement a strategy to activate our players offensively while maintaining the defensive philosophies we have come to be known for,” Blake said in a statement. “I am confident that we are both in agreement on how that can be executed.

“With that said, we believe John has the ideal qualities to lead our hockey club. His wide array of coaching experience, including success as an NHL head coach and his inherent knowledge of our players and those in our development system, is very appealing to us. We are confident he is the best person to lead our hockey club forward.”

Stevens is known for being a very defensive-minded head coach, but his challenge will be improving upon a Kings offense that was ranked 25th in the NHL last season. LA missed the playoffs for the 2nd time in the last 3 seasons.

The Kings will hold a press conference on Monday afternoon to make the announcement and formally introduce Stevens.

Simmons Does It All In Angel Win

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April 22, 2017

Andrelton Simmons hit a grand slam and the Angels held on to beat the Blue Jays 5-4 at the Big A on Saturday night.

Simmons hit a tie-breaking grand slam in the 3rd inning, the 2nd of his career, and also made a spectacular defensive play in the 9th. The Angel shortstop made a diving stop to help turn the fourth double play of the game, and end the Jays final threat of the evening.

“Double plays are great, but grand slams are cool, too, especially when you win,” Simmons said.

The Blue Jays jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Tyler Skaggs in the 1st inning. Justin Smoak came through with an RBI single.

The Halos tied it in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single from CJ Cron, which scored Mike Trout.

After Simmons made it 5-1, the Jays were held in check until the 8th inning. That’s when Kevin Pillar hit a 2-run homer against Kirby Yates. Smoak would take Yates deep to start the 9th, and the Angels found themselves clinging to a 5-4 lead.

The Blue Jays then had the tying run on first with nobody out when Devon Travis hit a grounder up the middle that Simmons turned into that spectacular 6-4-3 double play.

Skaggs got the win, pitching 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits and striking out 4. He picked up his first win of the season, and is now 1-1. Bud Norris came in during the 9th inning to record the save.

Casey Lawrence took the loss for the Jays. He’s now 0-2 on the season after pitching 6+ innings, yielding 4 earned runs on 8 hits, and striking out 4.

The Angels and Jays are back at it tomorrow afternoon in game 3 of the series. Jesse Chavez (1-3; 5.00 ERA) will go for the Halos, and Marcus Stroman (1-2; 4.05 ERA) will get the call for Toronto.

D’Backs Pound Dodgers Again

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April 22, 2017

Yasmany Tomas hit a pair of home runs for Arizona, and David Peralta hit a franchise record four doubles, as the Diamondbacks hammered the Dodgers 11-5 on Saturday night at Chase Field.

Kenta Maeda got roughed up in 5 innings of work, giving up 6 runs on 9 hits. He struck out 5, but gave up 4 home runs on the night, falling to 1-2 on the season.

Robby Ray got the win for Arizona, improving to 2-0, despite laboring through 5 1/3rd innings. He gave up all 5 Dodger runs on 9 hits, but struck out 6 and got plenty of run support.

The Dodgers got off to a quick start in the 1st after Kike Hernandez homered in the 1st inning to make it 1-0. However, the D’Backs answered in the bottom half of the inning with a 2-run homer from Jake Lamb, followed by a solo shot from Tomas.

An RBI single from Justin Turner in the 3rd cut the Arizona lead to 3-2, but in the 4th Chris Herrmann hit a 2-run shot to make it 5-2. That would be all for Maeda, after throwing 83 pitches. Tomas hit his 2nd homer of the game in the 5th to make it 6-2.

“I threw a lot of pitches at the heart of the plate and a lot of hitters took advantage of that,” Maeda said through a translator. “My wish was to go deep in the game knowing the bullpen was taxed. I just didn’t execute at all.”

The Dodgers rallied for 3 runs in the 6th, after an Austin Barnes RBI double, an Adrian Gonzales RBI infield hit, and a bases loaded walk to Chris Taylor.

The rally wasn’t enough though as the D’Backs would go on to add 5 more runs in the 7th and 8th inning, against Chris Hatcher and Ross Stripling.

Skipper Dave Roberts indicated that he was unsure of Maeda’s future status in the LA starting rotation after all of his recent troubles.

“We are going to talk through some things and see what is best for Kenta,” Roberts said. Maeda has not lasted more than five innings in any of his four starts.

The Dodgers will try to avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field. Brandon McCarthy (2-0; 2.12 ERA) will be on the mound for LA, and the D’Backs will go with Shelby Miller (2-1; 3.50 ERA).

Blake Griffin Done For The Playoffs

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April 22, 2017

Blake Griffin has been ruled out for the rest of the playoffs after suffering an injury to his big toe on Friday night against Utah. The Clippers made the announcement on Saturday morning.

Griffin suffered the injury in the first half Friday and did not return to the game. The injury is to the plantar plate of his right big toe. Griffin will visit a foot and ankle specialist when the Clippers return to Los Angeles.

It is the 2nd straight year that Griffin has suffered an injury that has knocked him out of the playoffs. Last year against Portland, Griffin injured his quad, and was out for the remainder of the series, in which the Clippers were eliminated in six games.

He also missed 18 straight games earlier this season after undergoing surgery on his right knee. Griffin was the Clippers’ leading scorer and second-leading rebounder this season, averaging 21.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

Griffin could potentially be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He has one year remaining on his contract for $21 million. However, he has he has an early-termination option on his contract this summer, allowing him to test the free agent market, or re-sign with LA for potentially another 5 years and up to $180 million.

Clips Win But Lose Blake

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April 21, 2017

Chris Paul put the Clippers on his back in the 4th quarter, scoring 9 straight points during one stretch as LA defeated Utah 111-106 in game 3 of their 1st round playoff series. The Clippers now have a 2-1 lead in the series.

Paul finished the game with 34 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds for the Clips. However, they also lost Blake Griffin, who left the game in the 1st half after bruising his right big toe. The injury took place late in the 2nd quarter after Griffin scored on a fast break. He went to the locker room shortly after, undergoing X-rays that came back negative. He’ll be evaluated for further tests.

DeAndre Jordan had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had a playoff career-high 15 points, and Jamal Crawford finished with 9 points.

Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with a playoff career-high 40 points. However, the Jazz went scoreless for 6:06 of the 4th quarter, which allowed the Clippers to go on a 15-0 run.

With 4 minutes left, Paul nailed a 3-pointer to give the Clippers a 97-96 lead, their first lead since the 1st quarter of the game.

At the 3:23 mark, Paul went behind his back and eluded two Jazz defenders for a driving layup to make it 99-96 Clippers. That forced Utah to call a timeout to regroup.

“He has an amazing will,” Doc Rivers said. “He’s just a tough guy. He’s stubborn in a very, very positive way. All the great ones have that in them. They’re stubborn like they aren’t going to lose.”

“I’m just always looking at the scoreboard trying to manage the game,” Paul said. “I was just trying to pick my spots. That’s a good team over there. They stick to their principles.

Game 4 will be on Sunday in Utah. The Clippers will try to take a 3-1 lead in the series. They’ll be awaiting word on the severity of Griffin’s injury between now and then. Meanwhile, the Jazz will be awaiting word on whether center Rudy Gobert will return to their lineup.

Dodger Bullpen Implodes in Arizona

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April 21, 2017

The Dodgers and Diamondbacks were locked up in a tight game on Friday night until the 8th inning. That’s when Arizona erupted for 9 runs resulting in a 13-5 D’Backs victory at Chase Field.

Paul Goldschmidt, Yasmani Tomas, and Chris Ianetta each drove in two runs during the late rally against the Dodger bullpen. Arizona put together 6 hits and 5 walks in the 8th.

Chris Taylor’s home run gave the Dodgers a 5-4 lead in the 7th, but things went south in the 8th inning.

Luis Avilan walked in the tying run, then Sergio Romo was called for a balk that brought home the go-ahead score. It was the first balk of Romo’s career. What followed was an avalanche of Arizona runs.

“It got called a balk regardless of what I think,” Romo said. “It was a balk in a big situation.”

The Dodgers had gotten off to a strong start after Corey Seager hit a 2-run homer in the 1st inning which gave LA a 2-0 lead. A.J. Pollock hit a solo shot in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 2-1. It remained a 1-run game until the 8th inning when the D’Backs blew it open.

Ross Stripling pitched a little more than an inning, and suffered the loss. Archie Bradley got the win for the Diamondbacks.

Alex Wood got the start for LA, in place of the injured Rich Hill. He last 4 2/3rd inning, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits, and striking out 6 batters.

The 2nd game of the series will be tomorrow night at Chase Field. Kenta Maeda will take the mound for the Dodgers, and he’ll go up against Robbie Ray.

Blue Jays Outlast Angels in 13 innings

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April 21, 2017

Just when you thought things could only get better for the Angels, they lose to the team with the worst record in baseball on Friday night at the Big A. The Blue Jays defeated the Angels 8-7 in 13 innings in the first of a four game set.

Jose Bautista hit his first homer of the season, a 3-run blast coming in the top of the 13th inning, to put the Jays ahead 8-5. The Halos threatened in the 9th inning, but Toronto held on for just it’s 4th victory of the season.

The Blue Jays were off to their worst start in franchise history, and Bautista was hitting only .109 coming into the game. The Angels haven’t been much better, now losers of 9 of their last 10 games, and tied for last place in the AL West.

The Angels were forced to use Jesse Chavez in the 13th inning. Chavez took the loss, and was schedule to start on Sunday. The Halos used all of their position players and relievers.

After a walk and two Toronto errors, the Halos loaded the bases in the bottom of the 13th inning with nobody out. The Jays brought in reliever Joe Biagini, who struck out Cliff Pennington for the 1st out of the inning.

A single by Kole Calhoun, and a walk to Mike Trout made the score 8-7. However, Albert Pujols struck out, and CJ Cron lined out to center to end the game. Biagini earned the save, and Ryan Tepera got credit for the win after pitching 3 scoreless innings of relief.

The Angels started Alex Meyer, who made his season debut after being called up from the minors. However, he didn’t last long, pitching only 3 2/3rd innings. He yielded two runs on four hits, walking four, and also had a wild pitch that scored one of the runs. The Jays had a 2-0 lead heading to the bottom of the 3rd.

Albert Pujols gave the Angels the lead with a 3-run double in that 3rd inning. Two innings later, Mike Trout hit a solo home run and it was 4-2 Halos.

A few innings later, the Angels gave the lead right back. With a 4-3 lead, Bud Norris walked two and gave way to Cam Bedrosian, who promptly wild pitched the runners up a base and gave up a two-run double to Justin Smoak.

An RBI double from Jefrey Marte in the 8th inning would tie the game at 5-5. It appeared the ball may have bounced off the bottom of the foul pole, but after a review it was ruled a double.

After all that, the Angels and Jays will be back at it on Saturday night at the Big A in game 2 of the series. Tyler Skaggs (0-1; 5.19 ERA) will get the ball for the Angels, and the Jays will counter with Casey Lawrence (0-1; 13.50 ERA).