Monthly Archives: April 2017

Angels With 7-Run Rally In 9th To Beat M’s

April 9, 2017

The Angels did the unthinkable on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim. The Halos rallied from a 6-run deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the Mariners 10-9. The win completed a 3-game sweep over Seattle.

The 9th inning rally was started by Albert Pujols hitting his 592nd career home run, a solo blast which made it 9-4. After an RBI groundout from Danny Espinosa and a 2-run double from Yunel Escobar, the score was 9-7. Pujols would come through again later in the inning, hitting a 2-run single to tie the game at 9-9 with 2 outs and the bases loaded. Cliff Pennington had the game-winning RBI single after that, scoring Mike Trout, which capped the epic comeback.

Andrew Bailey collected the win for the Angels, after he pitched a scoreless 9th. Edwin Diaz took the loss for Seattle, after allowing the final 3 runs of the game.

The Angels couldn’t generate much against M’s starter Hisashi Iwakuma. Iwakuma went 6 innings, giving up just 1 run on two hits. Matt Shoemaker didn’t fare very well in his start for the Angels. Shoemaker went 4 1/3rd innings, yielding 6 earned runs on 5 hits.

“That was unbelievable,” Shoemaker said. “That was absolutely awesome. Those guys picked me up huge. I had a really, really sour day turn out sweet.”

It was the first time since Aug. 28, 1986, that the Angels scored at least seven runs in the ninth inning to win.

“We found some holes, those guys helped us with a couple of walks and we just had good at-bats all the way through,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “There was some incredible clutch hitting at the end.”

The Angels will get Monday off before beginning a 3-game set with the Rangers at the Big A on Tuesday. The first game of the series will feature Tyler Skaggs pitching for the Angels, and Cole Hammels on the Hill for the Rangers.

Dodgers Get A Win In Colorado

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April 9, 2017

The Dodgers avoided being swept on Sunday by defeating the Rockies 10-6 at Coors Field. Corey Seager hit a 2-run homer, Justin Turner added a 2-run double, and the Dodgers finally produced some offense against a left-handed pitcher.

Kenta Maeda pitched five innings, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 5 batters to earn his first win of the season. Logan Forsythe also had a breakout performance for the boys in blue. The Dodger 2nd baseman had 3 hits, scored 2 runs, and had an RBI.

Forsythe was acquired to help the Dodgers overcome their issues against left-handers. Sunday was the first time this season we saw him do just that.

“It was definitely more of a feel thing,” Forsythe said. “Mechanically, it wasn’t anything too different. I just had to try and find that feel again.”

LA blitzed Rockies lefty Tyler Anderson for 5 runs in his 5 innings of work. That snapped the Rockies 3-game win streak.

“It was big to get a win today, salvage the series and get out of here on that note,” Turner said. “For whatever reason, we always seem to have a tough time playing here.”

The Dodger bullpen held the Rockies scoreless until the 9th, when Kenley Jansen gave up two runs. However, it was too little too late for Colorado.

The Dodgers improved to 4-3 on the season, and now head to Chicago to take on the defending World Series Champions, the Cubs. It will be a 3-game series with Alex Wood getting the ball for the Dodgers on Monday. The Cubs will counter with Jon Lester.

Ducks Edge Kings To Win Division

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April 9, 2017

The Ducks outlasted the Kings in overtime 4-3 on Sunday night at the Honda Center. The victory clinched Anaheim’s 5th straight Pacific Division title.

Nate Thompson scored the game-tying with with almost 8:30 left in the 3rd, and Shea Theodore won the game in overtime.

Theodore’s goal came on a breakaway 53 seconds into overtime to give the Ducks the victory. Anaheim has earned a point in 14 consecutive games, which is currently the longest streak in the NHL. The Ducks will open the playoffs against the Calgary Flames.

“We went through a lot of ups and downs this year,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “We grew as a group as we went along, and that was a good sign. I thought the second half of the year, we did a lot better job with our composure, with our game, and we built toward this.”

The Kings gave a spirited effort despite playing for nothing but pride, and to honor their hall of fame play-by-play announcer, Bob Miller. Miller was calling the final game of his storied career. He got to call 7 goals on the night. Drew Doughty, Kyle Clifford, and Dustin Brown all scored for the Kings. Patrick Eaves and Antoine Vermette also scored for Anaheim.

Jerome Iginla might have played the final game of his NHL career for the Kings. The 40-year-old said he will discuss his future with his family before making a decision.

“We hung in there,” Kings’ coach Darryl Sutter said. “I’ve said that lots. We didn’t score enough goals this year. We didn’t have enough goal-scorers in our lineup.”

The Kings season is over, and they’ll have to do some soul searching after missing the playoffs for the 2nd time in the last 3 seasons.

The Ducks will open the playoffs on Thursday against Calgary at the Honda Center. One concern for Anaheim will be the loss of defenseman Cam Fowler, who is out 2-6 weeks with a knee injury.

Russell Beats Wolves At Buzzer

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April 9, 2017

D’Angelo Russell hit a game-winning 3-point basket at the buzzer, and the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 110-109 on Sunday night at Staples Center. It was the 4th straight win for the Lake Show.

Russell revealed that he was playing the game with a very heavy heart, after his grandmother, Pamela Russell, had passed away early Sunday morning. Russell even considered sitting out of Sunday night’s game, but elected to play in honor of his grandmother.

“She was a strong woman,” Russell said. “She did a great job raising my dad. Piggybacking off that my dad did a great job raising his sons and his kids in general. Being a great father. That’s what she was put on this Earth for.”

Russell had 16 points on the night, while Tyler Ennis led the way for the Lakers with 20 points. The T-Wolves got 41 points from Andrew Wiggins, and 40 points from Karl-Anthony Towns. It was the first time in T-Wolves franchise history that two players had reached the 40-point mark in the same game.

The Lakers got off to a nice start, but led by only two points at halftime. They trailed by a basket heading into the 4th quarter. That’s when Metta World Peace entered the game.

He played 11 minutes, scoring 8 points, and kept the Lakers in the game. The Lakers trailed by 4 points with 33.8 seconds left. Randle cut the lead to two points, and the Wolves missed an opportunity put the game away on the ensuing possession.

In the final moments, Russell passed the ball to World Peace, who launched a 3-pointer that missed. However, Randle grabbed the rebound, and found Russell for the game-winning shot, which bounced out before bouncing back into the hoop as time expired.

“That’s just God, honestly,” Russell said. “… For me to win the game with a game-winning shot, that’s just God putting the cherry on top. A win would’ve been good enough.”

The win was a missed opportunity for the Lakers to improve their lottery odds though. The Suns defeated the Mavericks, which means they are still 1.5 games worse than the Lakers, with two games remaining for both teams.

The Lakers will take on the Pelicans on Tuesday night at Staples, before closing out the season on Wednesday at Golden State. The Suns final game will be on Tuesday evening at Sacramento.

Clippers Too Much For Spurs

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April 8, 2017

The Clippers got 19 points from Chris Paul and took down the Spurs 98-87 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. LA improved to 3-1 on the season vs San Antonio, and inched closer to 4th place in the West.

The Clips had 6 players in double figures, including all 5 starters. Blake Griffin had 18 points and 8 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan had 17 points to go along with 17 rebounds. They also dominated San Antonio in the paint, outscoring them 48-32 for the game.

Kawhi Leonard had 28 points to lead the Spurs, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18. San Antonio has already secured the #2 seed and will be playing a first round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.

After an even first quarter that saw the Spurs finish the period with a 1 point lead, the Clippers would make their move toward the end of the 1st half. A 13-3 run over the final 4:07 of the half gave the Clippers a 52-43 lead going into the locker room.

The Spurs cut the lead to 82-78 after a jumper by Leonard. However, the Clippers countered with an 8-0 run and pushed the lead to 82-70 heading into the 4th quarter.

Neither team shot well in the 4th quarter. The Spurs wouldn’t get any closer than 92-83 however, and the Clips assured themselves of a 1st round matchup with the Jazz. The only question is who will get home court.

The Clippers will return to action on Monday night against the Rockets. Then they’ll wrap up the regular season on Wednesday vs Sacramento.

Trout Leads Halos Over Mariners

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April 8, 2017

Mike Trout hit a 2-run blast in the 7th inning, and the Angels held on to defeat the Mariners 5-4 at the Big A on Saturday night.

Trout was honored before the game by the Angels, recognizing him for his 2nd AL MVP award in 3 years. Owner Arte Moreno presented Trout with a large commemorative ring. The Angels center fielder was 0-3 in his first three at-bats with 2 strikeouts, before connecting in the 7th inning on what would be the decisive blow to Seattle.

Andrelton Simmons also made an incredible defensive play in the 3rd inning. Jean Segura attempted to advance from first to third base on Mitch Haniger’s grounder. Simmons was covering third, and snagged Jefry Marte’s off-target throw and twisted in midair to apply a behind-the-back tag on Segura. It took video replay, but Segura was ruled out on the play.

J.C. Ramirez recorded the win, and Cam Bedrosian got his 2nd save of the season. He threw 18 pitches in the 8th inning, then struck out the side in the 9th for a five-out save.

“He felt great when he got out of the eighth,” skipper Mike Scoscia said. “He had some gas in his tank. And we’re closer to the day off on Monday.”

The Halos got off to a slow start in this one. Ricky Nolasco surrendered a 2-run homer to Haniger in the 1st. Nolasco pitched 6 innings, yielding those 2 runs on 4 hits, while striking out 3.

RBI singles by Danny Espinosa and Kole Calhoun over the next two innings would tie the game at 2-2. The Halos would then take a 3-2 lead on a solo shot from Yunel Escobar in the 5th inning. The Angels’ shortstop had 3 hits on the night.

Mike Zunino tied things up a 3-3 in the M’s half of the 7th inning with an RBI single. However, Trout came through with his big blast just half an inning later. The Mariners got one back in the 8th on a sacrifice fly from Nelson Cruz, but that’s as close they would come.

Felix Hernandez started for Seattle. King Felix went six innings, giving up 3 runs on 10 hits, and striking out 6. Evan Scribner took the loss for the Mariners, after giving up the home run to Trout.

The Angels will go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim. Matt Shoemaker will be on the hill for Halos, while the M’s will give the ball to Hisashi Iwakuma.

Rockies Get To Kershaw

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April 8, 2017

For the first time in his career, Clayton Kershaw gave up back-to-back home runs as the Rockies defeated the Dodgers 4-2 at Coors Field on Saturday night.

Mark Reynolds and Gerardo Parra hit the back-to-back homers in the 6th inning, extending the Rockies’ lead to 4-1, which the Dodgers would never recover from. Nolan Arenado also homered for Colorado. The three home runs were the most Kershaw had surrendered since 2013.

“I didn’t know that,” Kershaw said. “That was cool, for a little bit, I guess. You never expect to give up home runs.”

Kershaw gave up 8 home runs in 21 starts last year. In his first two starts, he’s already surrendered 4.

The Dodgers meager offensive output continued to be a problem as well on Saturday. Their only offense consisted of a solo home run from Andrew Toles in the 5th inning that tied the game 1-1, and an RBI single from Adrian Gonzales in the 8th inning. After some explosive offensive outputs against the Padres, the Dodgers have just three runs in their last two games.

“It’s not from lack of effort,” skipper Dave Roberts said. “We’re going to hit. We’re going to score runs. I don’t think we’re too concerned over these first two games.”

LA couldn’t get the bats going against Jon Gray, who gave up just 1 run on 4 hits in a little over 5 innings of work. Mike Dunn recorded two outs in the 6th inning to earn the win, and Greg Holland pitched a perfect 9th inning to earn his 4th save of the season.

The Dodgers will try to avoid getting swept on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field. Kenta Maeda will be on the hill for LA, and the Rockies will go with Tyler Anderson.

Kings Win In Bob Miller Home Finale

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April 8, 2017

The Kings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Staples. The win was a nice way to say goodbye to Kings Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Bob Miller, who was calling the final home game of his career.

Drew Doughty scored the game-winning goal 27 seconds into overtime, after redirecting a pass from Jeff Carter past Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford. The goal finished off an exciting 3rd period, which saw the Kings rally twice from one-goal deficits. Dustin Brown and Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Kings. Chicago’s goals came from Jonathan Toews and and Artemi Panarin.

The Blackhawks had a 1-0 lead after Toews wristed a shot that deflected off of Jonathan Quick’s shoulder at the 6:25 mark of the 1st. That lead would stand until the 3rd.

Toffoli blasted a one-timer by Corey Crawford on the power play at 4:52 of the 3rd period. That tied the game, but the Hawks would strike back 9 minutes later, when Panarin scored his 31st of the season. Panarin took a cross-ice pass from Patrick Kane, which Quick had no chance to stop. However, Brown tied it up again with 55 seconds left in the game, after sneaking backdoor and putting a backhander by Crawford.

That set the stage for Doughty’s heroics in overtime. Quick made 25 saves as well for the Kings, who will miss the playoffs for the 2nd time in the last 3 seasons.

Miller has spent 44 years as the voice of the Kings. Saturday afternoon’s game featured a number of tributes to him, which including the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Barry Melrose, Vin Scully, and many others.

Miller will call the final game of his career on Sunday night in Anaheim, against the Ducks.

Lakers Make It 3 In A Row With Win Against Kings

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April 7, 2017

The Lakers made in 3 straight wins by beating the Kings 98-94 on Friday night at Staples Center. Once again, the win hurt the Lakers chances in the lottery, but helped the development of their current young players.

“I know my guys around me we don’t believe in going out there and trying to lose games,” Julius Randle said. “The basketball gods come back, I believe in that, it’ll come back and haunt you. So you don’t do that. You gotta treat the game with respect.”

Randle led the Lakers with 25 points and 6 rebounds. Brandon Ingram contributed 14 points as well. The win kept the Lakers 1.5 games better than the Phoenix Suns in the West. Phoenix, who has the 2nd worst record in the NBA, defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. The Lakers first round pick needs to land in the top 3 this year, or else they will have to trade it away to Philadelphia to satisfy the Steve Nash trade.

Skal Labissiere led Sacramento with 19 points. The Kings also have some incentive to improve their chances in the lottery, and rested three healthy players of their own: Kosta Koufus, Ty Lawson, and Garrett Temple.

The Lakers led 93-92 with 5 seconds remaining in the game, and Larry Nance Jr. at the foul line for two shots. Nance Jr. missed the first free throw, and made the second, which gave LA a two point lead. Corey Brewer stole in the inbounds pass from Buddy Heild on the next possession, and Brewer made two free throws to secure the win for the Lakers.

“We’re getting team effort really from everybody right now,” Laker coach Luke Walton said. “Everybody’s kind of rising to the challenge as far as the way they’re playing, competing mainly on the defensive end. … They’re having fun and competing. When we were playing well early in the year that’s what we were doing. Losing took that from us. We found it again in the last couple games.”

The Lakers have three games left on the season. Sunday night they’ll host Minnesota at Staples Center, followed by games against the Pelicans and Warriors. If the Lakers finish with the 3rd worst record in the NBA, they will have a 47% chance of keeping this years draft pick.

Rockies Edge Dodgers

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April 7, 2017

The Dodger struggles against left-handed pitching continued on Friday in Colorado. This time it was Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland leading Colorado to a 2-1 win at Coors Field.

Freeland pitched six strong innings, and gave up just one run on four hits. Colorado also got a solo homer from Dustin Garneau in the 5th off of Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Ryu only went 4 2/3 innings but had an encouraging start after sitting out much of the last two seasons with injury. Ryu gave up two runs on six hits and struck out five, while throwing 77 pitches.

The Dodgers only run of the game came on an RBI ground out from Kike Hernandez in the fourth inning. Nolan Arenado gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double off Ryu.

Both bullpens, as expected, were effective. Ross Stripling, Josh Fields, and Grant Dayton retired all 10 batters they faced.

The Rockies bullpen got three scoreless innings of their own, with Jake McGee pitching a scoreless ninth for the save, his first of the year.

The Dodgers stacked the lineup with 7 right-handed hitters and switch-hitting Yasmani Grandal. It didn’t help though, as the Dodgers were 0-5 with runners in scoring position.

Before the game, LA placed Rich Hill on the 10-day DL with another pitching blister.

Game 2 of the series will be tomorrow night. Clayton Kershaw gets the ball for LA, and he’ll go up against Jon Gray.