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Dodger Offense Still Quiet In Chicago

April 13, 2017

The Dodgers still could not get their offense going on Thursday in Chicago, losing to the Cubs 4-0. Chicago took two out of three from LA in the early season series.

The Cubs deployed left-hander Brett Anderson against the Dodgers, who stifled his former team, pitching 5 shutout innings. Anderson spent two seasons with the Dodgers, with his 2016 campaign being marred by injuries. He threw 90 pitches, and gave up only 3 hits to pick up his first win of the season. He has an E.R.A of 0.84 in his two starts with Chicago.

Chicago took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run from Anthony Rizzo in the 1st inning, and then made it 2-0 on another solo shot from Addison Russell in the 4th. Those homers came off of Dodger starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, who gave up two run-scoring hits in the 5th to Kyle Schwarber and Rizzo. That made it 4-0, and it was all the offense the Cubs would need.

Ryu took the loss, lasting 4 2/3rd innings, and giving up all 4 runs on 6 hits. He fell to 0-2 on the season, and has an E.R.A. of 5.79 in his two starts.

Although Anderson is another left-handed starter that gave the Dodgers trouble, their offensive issues were not limited to just lefties.

LA only generated 3 hits off of Cubs relievers Carl Edwards Jr., Koji Uehara, and Wade Davis, who are all right-handed pitchers.

During their 3-game set with the defending World Series Champions, the Dodgers were just 1-24 with runners in scoring position. They left 26 runners on base, and they scored just four runs in the three games.

Dodger Manager Dave Robert didn’t seem too concerned. “We look at our club and we know we’re evenly matched,” he said. “I think they know it as well. They won the series. We’ll get them at our place. They know we’re not going anywhere.”

The Cubs also made some great defensive plays on Thursday. Corey Seager was robbed by Albert Almora Jr in the 1st inning, who made a spectacular leaping catch on a fly ball hit to the wall. Two innings later, Seager was robbed again.

Seager came to the plate with two outs and Kike Hernandez at 2nd base in the 3rd inning. The Dodger shortstop hit another drive to the wall but Albert Almora Jr. leaped at the ivy to make another spectacular catch.

The Dodgers are now 5-5 on the young season. They’ll return home tomorrow for the first of a four game set against the Diamondbacks. Game 1 will feature a pair of aces going at it. Clayton Kershaw gets the ball for the Dodgers, while Arizona will counter with his former teammate, Zack Greinke.

Halos Roughed Up By Rangers Again

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April 13, 2017

The Angels had a rough afternoon against the Rangers at the Big A on Thursday, losing 8-3 to the Rangers for the 2nd time in less than 24 hours.

This time the Rangers got 7 shutout innings from ace Yu Darvis, who allowed just 5 hits and struck out 10 batters to pick up his first win of the season. Carlos Gomez and Nomar Mazara hit home runs in the victory for Texas.

The Angels only offense came on a 3-run homer from Danny Espinosa in the 9th inning. It was his 3rd home run of the season.

Ricky Nolasco had a tough day for the Halos. He went 5 innings, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits. He struck out 7, but allowed the two home runs. In three starts, Nolasco is now 0-2 with an ERA of 5.40. As a team, the Angels starting pitchers are sporting an E.R.A. of 6.00.

Despite a tough last two games, the Halos are still 6-4, and tied atop the AL West with the Houston Astros.

The Rangers didn’t waste much time in this one, getting on the board with a leadoff homer from Gomez on the 2nd pitch of the game. An RBI double from Robinson Chirinos, a run-scoring single from Jurickson Profan, and then the two-run shot from Mazara made it 5-0 after 3 innings.

Chirinos drove in two more runs with an RBI double in the 7th inning, and then he would score later in the inning on a single from Shin-Soo Choo. Chirinos finished the game with two hits, two runs, and three RBI.

Daniel Wright pitched the final four innings for the Angels. He gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, and after the game was optioned back to Triple-A Salt Lake. The Angels also learned that Garrett Richards will not return from the disabled list when he is eligible to be removed from it this weekend. There is no timetable scheduled for his return, nor for him to resume throwing.

The Halos will hit the road for the next 7 games, beginning with a 3-game set starting tomorrow night in Kansas City. The Angels will start J.C. Ramirez, while the Royals will counter with Danny Duff.

Lakers Fall To Warriors In Finale

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April 12, 2017

The Lakers season came to an end Wednesday night in Oakland, which came after a 109-94 loss to the Warriors.

The game was rather meaningless for both teams. The Lakers were officially eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, and they were already locked into the 3rd worst record in the league prior to the NBA Draft Lottery. The Warriors had already clinched home court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs, and rested Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala.

The Lakers played their regular rotation, with the exception of D’Angelo Russell, who was still in Louisville, Ky, mourning the death of his grandmother.

Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 17 points, while it was Kevin Durant leading all scorers with 29 points in the game.

The Lakers only lead was 3-2, which came 90 seconds into the game. They trailed by 15 points after the 1st quarter, and were down 64-50 at the half.

During the 4th quarter they trailed by as many as 27 points, before fighting back and cutting the lead to under 20 points.

Walton put the season into perspective after the game. “This wasn’t, coming in, ‘Hey let’s go turn this thing around in year one, competing for a title. … We didn’t have the same goals as Golden State had starting this year, or Cleveland starting this year,” he said. “Our goal from the coaching standpoint was getting better at passing, getting better at playing defense, making reads on the court, having the individual skill level of the young guys. That’s where we’re at right now and that’s going to continue into the summer.”

The Lakers now turn to the offseason where the biggest question will be whether or not they will retain their top 3 protected 1st round pick, or if they will be forced to trade it to Philadelphia if the pick falls out of the first 3 slots. In the meantime, the team will begin their exit interviews tomorrow.

Clippers Clinch Home Court

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April 12, 2017

The Clippers secured home court advantage on Wednesday night with a 115-95 win over Sacramento in the final regular season contest.

LA needed to win after the Jazz defeated the Spurs at home. The Clippers and Jazz will open the 1st round of the playoffs at Staples Center on Saturday night. The Clips won the season series 3-1, and as a result, won the tie-breaker over the Jazz in the standings.

“I wanted to win the game,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought it was good for our guys to win. But honestly, home court was still more important. We got that, so that was nice to get for us. That’s a bonus.”

DeAndre Jordan had 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead LA, while Chris Paul added 17 points and 9 assists. The Clippers had 6 players in double figures, which included all 5 starters and Jamal Crawford off the bench.

“Maybe a few weeks ago, our spirit just wasn’t the same,” Paul said. “Our defensive intensity wasn’t there. I think the past couple of weeks we picked that up. It’s nice to finish the season strong, but all that was to build habits for the playoffs.”

The Kings were led by Willie Cauley-Stein, who scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Arron Afflalo had 18 points as well.

The Kings were the last team to defeat the Clippers back on March 26th. Since then, the Clippers have reeled off 7 straight wins, and piled up 11 victories in their last 13 games.

Game 1 of the Clippers and Jazz will be Saturday night at Staples Center, with tip-off schedule for 7:30 pm.

Halos Can’t Comeback This Time

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April 12, 2017

The Angels ran out of comeback magic on Wednesday night at the Big A, losing to the Rangers 8-3. Texas hit 3 home runs in the victory.

Mike Napoli, Elvis Andrus, and Carlos Gomez all went deep for the Rangers. Joey Gallo hit a go-ahead two run triple in the 5th inning, and Texas never looked back.

A.J. Griffin got the win for Texas. He pitched 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits. It was his first victory in six starts dating back to last September.

J.C. Chavez took the loss for the Angels. He went 4 1/3rd innings, yielding 5 runs on 5 hits. The Halos also got a solo home run from Mike Trout in the 3rd inning. His 3rd long ball of the season.

The Rangers got off to the quick start in this one, after Napoli and Andrus connected on solo blasts in the 1st inning. A pair of sacrifice flies from C.J. Cron and Danny Espinosa tied the game at 2-2, before Trout gave the Halos a 3-2 lead in the 3rd inning.

However, Gallo’s RBI triple, and Jurickson Profar’s run-scoring single made it 5-3 after 5 innings.

The Rangers would add three more runs on a Carlos Gomez home run in the 7th, and then a 2-run triple by Rougned Odor in the 9th inning.

“Jesse got into some bad counts,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “He just wasn’t as effective as he was in his other outing.”

The Angels return to action on Thursday afternoon at the Big in rubber match of the 3-game set. Ricky Nolasco gets the call for the Halos, while the Rangers will go with Yu Darvish.

Dodgers Shut Down Cubs

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April 12, 2017

The Dodgers got a solo blast from Andrew Toles, and 6 strong innings of work from Brandon McCarthy to defeat the Cubs 2-0 at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night.

McCarthy gave up just four hits while striking out 4 batters in his six innings of shutout ball. He also collected a win against San Diego last week, so he is now 2-0 on the season.

Tole hit his 1st leadoff home run, which came off of John Lackey. It was Toles 2nd home run of the season, which gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead all the way until the 9th inning.

The only other run of the game came when Chase Utley scored from 1st base after a dropped third strike and a throwing error. Utley barreled through Cubs reliever Hector Rondon.

Ross Stripling, Luis Avilan, and Kenley Jansen allowed just 1 hit over the next 3 innings. Jansen picked up his 2nd save of the season.

The Dodgers will return to action on Thursday afternoon in the rubber game of the 3-game set. Hyun-Jin Ryu will be on the mound for LA, and he’ll be opposed by former Dodger Brett Anderson.

Angels Walk Off Again

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April 11, 2017

The Angels rallied for 3 runs in the 9th inning on Tuesday night to defeat Texas 6-5 at the Big A in 10 innings. It was their 2nd straight dramatic comeback win.

The walk-off hit came on a squeeze bunt from Carlos Perez in the 10th, which scored Cameron Maybin. The bunt came with one out , and runners at the corners.

The Halos rallied for seven runs in the 9th inning on Sunday to defeat the Mariners. This time the Angels were down 5-0 by the 3rd inning. Mike Napoli started things off with an RBI single in the 1st, then in the 3rd, Elvis Andrus and Jonthan Lucroy went deep, and Texas had its 5-run cushion.

Tyler Skaggs was tagged for all 5 runs on 8 hits, in 5 innings of work. However, Bud Norris, Yusmeiro Petit, and Cam Bedrosian combined to allow just 2 hits over the next 5 innings of work.

Jefry Marte got the Angels on the board in the 7th with a solo blast off of Cole Hamels. That was the only run of the game that Hamels would allow in 7 innings of work. The Angels could only manage 4 hits off of the Rangers’ ace.

In the 8th, Maybin doubled to right field, which scored Mike Trout, and cut the lead to 5-2. In the 9th, Danny Espinosa homered, Trout had an RBI double, and Albert Pujols had an RBI single to tie the game at 5-5.

The Rangers looked like they were going to get the lead back in their half of the 10th, but Trout robbed Mike Napoli for a home run.

Game 2 of the Series will be tomorrow night in Anaheim. The Angels will give the ball to J.C. Chavez, while the Rangers will go with A.J. Griffin.

Lakers Make It 5 Straight

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April 11, 2017

The Lakers kept their late season win streak going by beating the Pelicans 108-96 on Tuesday night at Staples Center. It was their 5th straight win, and came in the final home game of the season.

Metta World Peace led the way with 18 points for the Lakers, in what might have been the final home game of his Laker career. Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson each scored 15 points as well for LA.

The Pelicans played without Anthony Davis, and DeMarcus Cousins, who were both nursing injuries. D’Angelo Russell sat out for the Lakers, opting to be with his family after the death of his grandmother.

The Pelicans were led by Cheick Diallo, who scored 19 points. Jrue Holiday added 14 in a losing effort for New Orleans.

The win means that the Lakers will finish with the 3rd worst record in the league, and will enter the NBA Draft Lottery with a 47% chance of keeping their top 3 protected 1st round pick. If their pick doesn’t land in the top 3, they will have to trade it to Philadelphia to fulfill the Steve Nash trade.

The Lakers finished the 1st quarter with on a 7-0 run, capped by a 24-ft three-point shot by Larry Nance Jr. That gave them a one point lead, which was extended to four points by halftime.

After Thomas Robinson made 2 of 3 free throws, the Lakers had a 16-point lead in the 3rd quarter. The Pelicans would make a run to cut the lead to 7, but by the end of the 3rd, the Lakers held a 12 point lead.

Another jumper by Nance Jr. with 5:01 left gave the Lakers a 17-point lead, and LA never looked back from there, holding on for the 12-point win.

The Lakers will play their final game of the season on Wednesday night in Golden State. The game will be fairly meaningless for both teams, as LA will finish with the 3rd worst record, and the Warriors will be resting some players after clinching the best record in the NBA.

Dodgers Lose To Cubs in 9th

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April 10, 2017

Anthony Rizzo singled against Kenley Jansen in the bottom of the 9th inning on Monday night, and the Cubs beat the Dodgers 3-2. The game was finally played after a one-hour and 56 minute rain delay. It was the home opener for the Cubs, which saw them raise their World Series Championship banner at Wrigley Field.

The 9th inning began with a John Jay single off of Sergio Romo. Tommy La Stella pinch-hit for Wade Davis, then advanced Jay to second base on a groundout to shortstop. That’s when Jansen came in for Romo. The Dodger closer would strike out Kris Bryant, and it looked like he might get out of the jam. However, Jay stole 3rd during Bryant’s at-bat, and Rizzo would single on a 1-1 pitch to give the Cubs the win.

The Cubs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in this one. Bryant hit an RBI double in the 3rd inning off of Dodgers’ starter Alex Wood. Wood went just 3 2/3 innings, giving up 1 earned run on 3 hits, and striking out 4. Cubs’ starter Jon Lester made it 2-0 on an RBI fielder’s choice in the 4th.

However, the Dodgers would answer in the 6th. Corey Seager doubled to right, scoring Joc Pederson, which got the Dodgers on the board. In the 8th, Chase Utley reached on a fielder’s choice, which scored Logan Forsythe to tie the game at 2-2. Utley looked like he was going to hit into a sure double play, but Addison Russell threw the ball away when tossing it over to first base. The play was reviewed to make sure Justin Turner did not interfere with Russell while sliding into 2nd base, but the umpire ruled that no interference occurred.

Lester pitched six strong innings for the Cubs, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, and striking out 7. The Dodgers couldn’t generate much offense against the Cubs’ bullpen. LA had just 2 hits against 5 different Cubs relievers, and only 1 unearned run to show for it.

The Dodgers had their chances but couldn’t capitalize. LA was just 1-7 with runners in scoring position, and left 8 men on base.

Game 2 of the series will be on Wednesday night at Wrigley. The Dodgers will give the ball to Brandon McCarthy, while the Cubs will counter with John Lackey.

Kings Fire Sutter & Lombardi

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April 10, 2017

The Kings began their offseason with a major shakeup on Monday night, firing head coach Darryl Sutter, and General Manager Dean Lombardi. Lombardi will be replaced by Rob Blake, who was serving as Assistant General Manager, and Luc Robitaille will become team President.

Under Lombardi and Sutter, the Kings had the most successful four year run in franchise history, winning Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014. However, in the last three years, the Kings have missed the playoffs twice, and won only 1 playoff game in that stretch.

Dan Beckerman, President and CEO of Kings parent company AEG, made this statement on Monday:

“This was an extremely difficult decision and was made with an enormous amount of consideration for what we have accomplished in our past. But the present and future of our organization is the highest priority,” said Beckerman. “Words cannot express our gratitude and appreciation for what Dean and Darryl have accomplished for the Kings franchise. They built this team and helped lead us to two Stanley Cup Championships and will forever be remembered as all-time greats in Kings history. But with that level of accomplishment comes high expectations and we have not met those expectations for the last three seasons. With the core players we have in place, we should be contending each year for the Stanley Cup. Our failure to meet these goals has led us to this change.”

The Kings will hold a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at Staples Center to discuss the news, which isn’t all that much of a surprise given recent speculation.

Sutter finished with the best coaching record in franchise history, 225-147-53, and the second-most games coached in L.A history. However, Sutter was criticized by many for his inability to consistently give opportunities to his younger players that needed to be developed.

Lombardi had a year left on his contract. He was the architect of two Stanley Cup Championship teams, drafting the likes of Drew Doughty, and fortifying the roster with veterans like Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Marian Gaborik. However, Lombardi’s loyalty to those veteran players created a very difficult salary cap situation for the Kings to improve their team, and their physical style took a toll on those aging veterans.

One coaching candidate the Kings may look to is John Stevens, who has been the team’s associate head coach and previously coached the Philadelphia Flyers. Ontario Reign Coach Mike Stothers could also be in the mix if the Kings intend to give more opportunity to ether younger players.

Robitaille and Blake will have to address what style the Kings will play moving forward, but will have to do so with limited salary cap flexibility to improve the roster. Leadership will also be a major question, after stripping Dustin Brown of the captaincy last season, while giving it to Anze Kopitar, who had a very poor offensive season.