Monthly Archives: May 2017

Monday Morning Coffee

May 8, 2017

Hey Andrew Friedman….do you still want to send Cody Bellinger back to the minors? I didn’t think so. Bellinger is hotter than the sun right now, and he’s the only reason the Dodgers snapped out of their early season slump. Two Dodger stories from last week made me want to throw my laptop out the window. The first was the idea that the Dodgers need to send Bellinger back to the minors to control his future cost. If the Dodgers think that way, they are failing to understand that guys like Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, and Justin Turner, won’t be great forever, and that there is a window to win with them. The other story that annoyed me was the suggestion that the Dodgers have the best pitching staff in the big leagues because they haven’t invested too much money in any single starter, except Clayton Kershaw. This is a cute strategy until October, when you don’t have any real starting pitchers to get you through the playoffs.

I don’t know about you, but I’m shocked the Angels haven’t collapsed like the United States Congress. How are they still hovering around .500, yet they are in the bottom third of nearly every critical offensive and defensive statistical category in the American League? They are counting on dudes like Ricky Nolasco, Jesse Chavez, and JC Ramirez to go to the mound to get them victories. They’ve had four guys in their lineup getting regular playing time of late hitting .200 or less. I don’t even think the greatness of Mike Trout and Mike Scioscia can overcome this. I think staying in the race has more to do with how terrible Texas and Seattle have been than anything else.

Let’s talk NBA playoffs. Due to human rights concerns the NBA should suspend the remaining portion of the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs, and just give us Warriors vs Cavs. The NBA’s motto is “NBA Cares.” If they did, they would just give us the finals already. The Warriors and Cavs are so much better than everybody else, there’s a very reasonable case to be made that 26 other teams in the league should tear it down and rebuild. This is how Drake feels after his Raptors got bounced by the Cavs for the third straight year.

Lonzo Ball’s new “Big Baller Brand” sneakers will be sold for $495. For that price I can go hire an Asian child to make unlimited pairs of his shoes. I did hear however that 3 pairs of shoes have already been pre-ordered. That means that “Big Baller Brand” has tripled their sales forecast. As much fun as it is to make fun of the price and Lavar Ball, he really may turn out to be a genius. If Lonzo ends up going to LA or New York, he gets a marketing boost right there. Ultimately though, Lonzo has to be a star player and if he is, then what looks like a ridiculous bet on his son now may prove to pay off.

Just when you thought it was the Oilers who choked against the Ducks, now it looks like Anaheim is the real head case after losing game 6 last night. Don’t worry Ducks fans, if you lose game 7 at home for the 5th year in a row on Wendesday, your playoff tickets can be redeemed at Zales for “choker” necklaces, in honor of your annual collapse. I have to say though, up until last night Ryan Getzlaf has played like he’s Jesus Christ rising from the dead, and looked like one of the greatest players to ever lace up a pair of hockey skates. The bad news for Anaheim though is that they now have 3 whole days to think about their past playoff failures before taking the ice again, which can’t be good for their chances. I guess we’ll find out if the issue was coach Bruce Boudreau from the last four years, or if they just aren’t able to ever meet the moment.

The Kentucky Derby was won by “Always Dreaming”, which is a horse that must have been named after the Rams playoff chances. I can definitely relate to that horse that jumped out of the gate and just said “nope” and stopped running. He probably belongs in a rodeo instead. The derby is easily the biggest group of white rich guys assembled since the Trump cabinet. How could you not root for “Patch”, the one-eyed horse?

Did anybody watch the Canelo Alvarez – Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight? This is exactly why boxing is dying. That was the best fight the sport could give us, in what will probably be the only big fight of the year. Canelo is so savage, he didn’t even sit down between rounds for the entire fight. Since most of you probably missed the fight, here is a quick recap….

Oilers Crush Ducks To Force Game 7

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May 7, 2017

The Oilers jumped out to a huge lead in game 6 against the Ducks, and this time, they wouldn’t give it back. Edmonton hammered Anaheim 7-1 in game 6 of their 2nd round playoff series, tying the series 3-3, and forcing a game 7 on Wednesday night in SoCal.

Leon Draisaitl had a hat trick along with two assists, while Mark Letestu had two goals and two assists, and the Oilers had a 5-0 lead after the first period.

Zach Kassian and Anton Slepychev also scored for the Oilers, while Cam Talbot made 34 saves in the win.

The Ducks only goal came from Rikard Rakell, which came midway through the 2nd period. It was a miserable night for the Anaheim goaltenders. John Gibson was pulled after giving up 3 goals on 6 shots, just 8:30 into the game. Jonathan Bernier didn’t fare much better, stopping 25 shots, but Letestu scored his first goal of the game when Bernier couldn’t find the puck that was sitting right in front of him in the crease.

“Stuff happens sometimes,” Gibson said. “It’s my job and obviously I wasn’t good enough tonight as i want to be. I just kind of let them down.”

Letestu 2nd of the game came on a one-timer over Bernier’s right pad for a power-play goal with 1:15 remaining in the first.

Draisaitl completed his hat trick on a give-and-go with Milan Lucic with 4:30 minutes left in the second period when Ryan Kesler was serving a roughing minor.

“You want to flush it but you gotta look at what you did wrong too. There’s a lot of mistakes that we made tonight,” Andrew Cogliano said. “Uncharacteristic mistakes and we deserve to lose that way. You don’t see other teams giving up breakaways in the first 10 minutes of a hockey game to move on to the conference finals.”

The Ducks will be looking to end a streak of futility in game 7. In the last four seasons, Anaheim has lost four consecutive game 7’s at home, ending their season. In each of those four series, the Ducks have held a 3-2 series lead. Anaheim was eliminated in the first round of 2013 by Detroit, in 2016 by Nashville, the second round in 2014 by the Kings, and the conference finals in 2015 by Chicago.

“Each year is a new year; each day is a new day,” Gibson added. “If you look at the past, you don’t get anywhere.”

Edmonton’s last Game 7 was the 2006 Stanley Cup final, which they lost 3-1 at Carolina. Edmonton is 6-3 in franchise history in game 7, and 3-2 on the road. The Ducks are 2-6 in game 7 in their franchise history, and 1-4 at home. The good news for the Ducks however is that home teams have won nearly 60% of game 7’s in the NHL.

It all goes down Wednesday night at the Honda Center. The winner will advance to the Western Conference Finals to play the Nashville Predators.

Astros Get By Halos In Rubber Match

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May 7, 2017

Jose Altuve and Evan Gattis hit home runs and the Astros defeated the Angels 5-3 in the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim.

The Angels played without Mike Trout for the 2nd straight game, sitting out with a sore hamstring, and this time Houston took advantage.

The Halos jumped out to a 2-0 lead in this one after a solo blast from Yunel Escobar in the 1st inning, followed by a Martin Maldonado RBI single in the 2nd.

Angel starter Matt Shoemaker ran into trouble in the 3rd inning. With one out, Alex Bregman doubled, and after Jake Marisnick struck out, George Spring walked. Then Josh Reddick singled, driving in Bregman, which put the Astros on the board. The next batter was Altuve, who connected on a 3-run shot to left field, giving Houston a 4-2 lead. The Astros would add another solo shot in the 7th off of Shoemaker, courtesy of Gattis, who connect on the first pitch of the inning.

Shoemaker (1-2) took the loss after pitching 6 innings, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits. He walked 3 and struck out 4 while making 80 pitches. After the Gattis homer in the 7th, Yusmeiro Petit came in to relieve Shoemaker.

Escobar drilled his 2nd homer of the game in the 5th inning, driving a pitch over the center field wall off of Mike Fiers. Fiers (1-1) picked up the win after going 5 innings, giving up all 3 Angel runs on 4 hits. He made 94 pitches, striking out 1 and walking 4. Ken Giles picked up his 8th save of the season, pitching a perfect 9th inning, and striking out the last two batters he faced.

Houston got 4 scoreless innings of relief from James Hoyt, Will Harris, and Giles. The three combined to give up just 2 hits, while striking out a total of 7 Angels.

The Astros are now 21-11, which is their best start in franchise history. After taking two of three over the weekend, they are now 17-6 against the AL West. The Angels are now 16-17 on the year, 5.5 games back of Houston in the division.

The Halos will now travel up to Oakland to open up a 3-game set with the A’s beginning Monday night. Rickly Nolasco (2-2; 4.68 ERA) will be on the hill for the Angels, while Oakland will counter with Kendall Graveman (2-2; 3.95 ERA).

Bellinger Hits Grand Slam In Dodgers’ Win

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May 6, 2017

Cody Bellinger hit his 1st career grand slam, as the Dodgers routed the Padres 10-2 on Saturday night at Petco Park.

Bellinger was 2-4 on the evening, with 5 runs batted in. Clayton Kershaw (5-2) pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up just 1 earned run on 5 hits, striking out 9 Padres along the way.

The game was scoreless until the 4th when Bellinger got things started with an RBI single that scored Justin Turner. The Dodgers would tack on two more in the inning on a pass ball from Padres’ catcher Austin Hedges, scoring Franklin Gutierrez, and then an RBI single from Yasiel Puig, which scored Bellinger.

Kike Hernandez made it 5-0 in the 5th inning with a 2-run double, scoring Justin Turner and Chris Taylor.

That was all for Padres’ starter Clayton Richard (2-4). He allowed 5 runs on 7 hits on the night.

The Friars only offense of the night came on a solo homer by Ryan Schimpf, his 8th of the season, which came off of Kershaw in the 8th. They would also add an unearned run in the 9th inning on a fielding error by Justin Turner.

Bellinger is now hitting .357 for the Dodgers. In the first two games of this series, he’s 5-9 with 3 homers, 9 RBI, and 4 runs.

Chris Taylor walked three times and scored twice. He is one of just five MLB players this season with at least 30 plate appearance whose OBP and OPS are greater than .470 and 1.07 respectively.

The only bad news for LA was the amount of exertion Kershaw and Kenley Jansen put forth for a 10-2 rout. Kershaw threw 118 pitches, and Jansen threw 33. Skipper Dave Roberts said that Kershaw would likely get an extra day of rest before pitching again, while Jansen indicated that he likely would not be available tomorrow.

The Dodgers improved to 17-14 on the season, and remain two games back of 1st place Colorado in the NL West. The Dodgers are scheduled to go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park, but Roberts was told it is “unlikely” they’ll be able to get the game in based on the weather forecast. The scheduled starters are Brandon McCarthy (3-0; 3.10 ERA) for the Dodgers, and Trevor Cahill (2-2; 3.60 ERA).

Angels Get Walk Off Win Over Astros

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May 6, 2017

Andrelton Simmons delivered an infield single in the bottom of the 9th inning, scoring Kole Calhoun, and the Angels defeated the Astros 2-1 on Saturday night at the Big A in walk off fashion.

Simmons hit a chopper high off the plate to short, which gave Carlos Correa trouble. The Astros shortstop attempted to throw home, but it was in not nearly in time to get Calhoun at the plate.

Calhoun led off the 9th inning against Chris Devenski with a walk. Then Albert Pujols hit a single to left field, which allowed Calhoun to make it all the way to 3rd base, after some aggressive running by the Angels right fielder. Luis Valbuena struck out, but that set the stage for Simmons heroics.

Bud Norris (1-1) picked up the win after pitching a scoreless 9th inning. Devenski (2-2) took the loss for the Astros, after giving up the game-winning run in the 9th.

Both teams exchanged runs in the first two innings. Carlos Beltran doubled in Correa in the first inning, giving the Astros a 1-0 lead.

The Halos response in the 2nd after Cameron Maybin produced an RBI groundout, which scored Valbuena.

J.C. Ramirez did not factor in the decision, but had a strong start. He pitched 6 innings, giving up the lone run in the 1st inning, while yielding 8 hits, striking out 2 and walking 2. Blake Parker, David Hernandez, and Bud Norris combined to give up just 1 hit over the last 3 innings.

The Astros got 7 strong innings from Lance McCullers. He allowed just 1 run on on 2 hits, striking out 4 Angels, but did not factor into the decision either.

Mike Trout was a late scratch in this one with a tight hamstring. The Angels improved their record to 16-16 on the season.

The rubber game of the 3-game set will be on Sunday afternoon at the Big A. Matt Shoemaker (1-1; 4.78 ERA) goes to the mound for the Halos, while the Astros will counter with Mike Fiers (0-1; 5.68 ERA).

Ducks Pull Off Stunning Comeback In Game 5

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May 5, 2017

The Ducks pulled off the unthinkable on Friday night at the Honda Center. Trailing 3-0 with about three minutes left, Anaheim rallied to score three goals to tie the game. Then Corey Perry scored the game-winner in double OT to defeat the Oilers 4-3 in the pivotal game 5 of their second round series. Anaheim now has a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Perry took a centering pass from Ryan Getzlaf at the 6:57 mark of the 2nd OT, and slid the puck past Cam Talbot, completing the miraculous comeback.

“Right to the net,” Perry said. “He had eyes up, and he had time, and I was yelling for that puck the whole way.”

The Ducks became the first team in Stanley Cup playoff history to force overtime or win a playoff game after trailing by three goals with less than four minutes left in regulation.

Anaheim pulled goaltender John Gibson with under four minutes to go in regulation, providing the Ducks with a 6-on-5 man advantage. Getzlaf got the Ducks on the board with a slap shot from the blue line with 3:16 left. Cam Fowler scored 35 seconds later with wrist shot from the blue line, which found the back of the net after getting past numerous bodies in front of the net. Finally, Rikard Rakell put a backhand shot past Talbot, which got through another pile up of bodies in front of Talbot.

“That’s will,” said Getzlaf. “We willed it through, and did whatever we had to do. We scratched and clawed at the end and found a way to get ourselves back in that game and give ourselves an opportunity.”

After a scoreless 1st period, the Oilers began to take control in the 2nd period. Leon Draisatl scored 15 seconds into the 2nd period, which was his 8th goal in the last 10 games against Anaheim. Connor McDavid made it 2-0 on a 2-man advantage at the 2:55 mark, batting the puck past Gibson after taking a pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Drake Caggiula made it 3-0 after scoring on a 4-on-1 break.

Talbot made 60 saves on the evening for the Oilers, including a pair of big saves on Getzlaf early on. The Ducks captain also missed high on a penalty shot in the 1st period.

Gibson made 35 saves for the Ducks, who have now won three straight games after losing the first two of the series at home.

The Ducks will try to close out the series on Sunday afternoon in Edmonton. A win will send the Ducks into the Western Conference Finals, where they would play either the Nashville Predators or the St. Louis Blues.

Bellinger Still Hot As Dodgers Top Padres

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May 5, 2017

Dodger rookie Cody Bellinger had his 2nd two-homer game in the last 7 days, and the Dodgers beat up the Padres 8-2 on Friday night at Petco Park.

Bellinger started at 1st base after the Dodgers put Adrian Gonzales on the disabled list for the first time in his 14-year career. Bellinger delivered a solo homer in the 4th inning, and a 3-run homer in the 9th, which highlighted LA’s victory.

“I’ve said it before, him going on the DL, you never want to see it,” Bellinger said. “He’s been awesome to me. He’s been a guy that I looked up to growing up and he’s kind of taken me under his wing. A healthy Adrian is a scary Adrian for opposing pitchers.”

Kenta Maeda got the start for the Dodgers. He went 5 innings, giving up 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, while walking 3 and striking out 8. Sergio Romo (1-1) got credit for the win after getting the final two outs of the 6th with the based loaded. Josh Fields threw 1 1/3 innings for his first save of the season. Maeda and 5 relievers combined on four-hitter.

After Bellinger put the Dodgers up 1-0 in the 4th, the Padres tied it in their half of the 4th after Cory Spangenberg came through with a leadoff double, which was the Friars first hit of the night off Maeda. Yangervis Solarte walked and Ryan Schimpf delivered an RBI single, knotting the game at 1-1. Solarte was thrown out by Yasiel Puig on the play.

San Diego actually took a 2-1 lead in the 5th inning after Manuel Margot had a sacrifice fly, which was an unearned run. The Padres took advantage of a Bellinger throwing error on a sacrifice bunt by Jhoulys Chacin just before Margot’s sac fly.

Chacin allowed just one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Jose Torres (1-2) took the loss for San Diego after allowing a 2-run double by Andrew Toles in the 7th inning, which put the Dodgers back in front 3-2.

LA would add to the lead in the 8th inning on an infield single from Chris Taylor, which scored Puig. Yasmani Grandal made it 4-2 in the 9th, which another infield single, scoring Corey Seager. Then it was Bellinger delivering the big 3-run blow to make it 8-2.

Even after Gonzales is healthy enough to return, the veteran 1st baseman feels that there still could be a place for Bellinger. “If he keeps playing well, obviously there should be a spot in the lineup for him,” Gonzalez said.

The Dodgers and Padres will be back at it on Saturday evening at Petco Park. It will be a pair of Clayton’s going at it. LA will give the ball to their ace, Clayton Kershaw (4-2; 2.61 ERA), while the Padres go with Clayton Richard (2-3; 4.29 ERA).

Angels Rally But Astros Win In 10

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May 5, 2017

The Angels have had some big comebacks in the 1st month of the baseball season. They had another one on Friday night at the Big A, but this one fell short, with the Astros winning 7-6 in 10 innings.

Houston blew a 4-run lead in the 9th inning, but Carlos Correa singled home Jose Altuve in the 10th inning, which was the decisive run in the Astros victory.

The Angels trailed 6-2 heading into the 9th inning. However, three straight singles chased Houston starter Dallas Keuchel. That forced the Astros to bring in Ken Giles to face Mike Trout with the bases loaded and nobody out. Trout singled to make it 6-3. After an Albert Pujols strikeout, pinch-hitter Luis Valbuena had an RBI groundout, pulling the Angels within 2 runs. An Andrelton Simmons infield single, followed by a pinch-hit single to right from Kole Calhoun would tie the score 6-6. The Halos had a chance to win it, but Ben Revere flied out to left, which sent the game to extra innings.

“We’ve been coming from behind all year,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We put together a great inning in the ninth, great at-bats all the way around. We just couldn’t get that last hit to push us through.”

Giles (1-1) was charged with one of the four runs in the 9th, but still got credit for the win. Chris Devenski retired the Angels in order in the 10th inning to pick up his 2nd save of the season.

Keuchel came into the game with a 5-0 record, and was pitching well until the 9th inning. He ended up getting charged with 7 hits and 5 runs, but the AL Pitcher of the Month of April remained undefeated.

Things looked good for the Angels earlier in the game when Albert Pujols hit his 595th career homer to give the Halos a 1-0 lead in the 4th.

The Astros tied it at 1-1 in the 3rd when Josh Reddick countered with a solo shot of his own, his 3rd long ball of the season.

Martin Maldonado put the Angels back in front with solo home run to center field, but the Angels 2-1 lead wouldn’t last long.

Brian McCann would connect on a 3-run homer in the 7th inning, then Reddick and McCann delivered run-scoring singles in the 8th and 9th inning, which made it 6-2.

Bud Norris (0-1) ended up taking the loss for the Angels, giving up the game-winning RBI single to Correa in the 10th inning. Jesse Chavez started for the Halos, going 6 1/3 innings, yielding 3 runs on 4 hits. He left in the 7th inning with two runners on, before Jose Alvarez surrendered McCann’s homer.

The Astros have the best record in the American League, and matched their best 30-game start in club history with the victory.

Game 2 of the series will be on Saturday night in Anaheim. JC Ramirez (3-2, 4.23 ERA) will make his 5th start of the season for the Angels, while the Astros will go with Lance McCullers Jr. (2-1, 4.08 ERA).

Mariners Dominate Angels

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May 4, 2017

Danny Valencia had four hits, including a home run, and the Mariners dominated the Angels on Thursday night 11-3 at Safeco Field.

Ariel Miranda (3-2) pitched seven strong innings for the Mariners, giving up just 2 runs on 7 hits to collect the win.

Alex Meyer (0-1) got roughed up in his first start of the year for the Halos. He went 4 innings, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits. Meyer made 90 pitches, consistently delivering his powerful 97-mph fastball, but struggled to command it.

“He showed flashes of why we’re excited about him,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said afterward. However, Scioscia wasn’t sure what Meyer can do to fulfill that potential. “Right now, that’s the $64,000 question,” he said.

It was a tough go for Meyer from the beginning. He hit the 1st batter he faced, walked the second, then allowed an RBI double to Nelson Cruz, all in the 1st inning.

Meyer gave up a leadoff walk in the 3rd, then struck out a pair of Mariners. Just when it started to look like he was settling down, Kyle Seager and Valencia delivered a couple of singles, and it was 2-0. Guillermo Heredia’s bloop single drove in another run. Seattle would tack on two more in the 4th inning, and it was 6-2.

“You gotta get ahead early,” Meyer said. “Here’s my fastball for a strike. Here’s my breaking ball. You’ve gotta pound the zone. Otherwise, it puts them in a position where they can swing the bat more comfortably.”

The Angels couldn’t generate much offense in this one either. Juan Graterol had a 2-run single in the 2nd inning, and Andrelton Simmons produced an RBI groundout in the 8th inning. Yunel Escobar had four hits on the night.

Mike Trout had the night off after Mike Scioscia said the slugger’s hamstring was a little tight.

The Angels will return home for a 3-game set with the Astros next over the weekend. Jesse Chavez (2-4, 4.50 ERA) starts for the Halos on Friday, opposed by Houston lefty Dallas Keuchel (5-0, 1.21 ERA).

Giants Get 3 in 11th to Beat Dodgers

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May 3, 2017

Brandon Belt and Gorkys Hernandez each had an RBI single in the 11th, and Hunter Pence added a sac fly, as the Giants defeated the Dodgers 4-1 on Wednesday night at Chavez Ravine. San Francisco won two of the three games in the series.

The Giants got a very strong start from Jeff Samardzija, who pitched 8 strong innings, giving up just 1 run on 3 hits, while striking out 11. He did not walk a batter.

Steven Okert (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings to get credit for the win. Mark Melancon earned his 6th save of the season after pitching in the 11th.

Grant Dayton (1-1) took the loss for LA, after giving up the 3 runs to the Giants in the 11th inning. Julio Urias started for the Dodgers and pitched well. He went 5 innings, giving up only 4 hits, and shutting out the San Francisco. Urias threw 88 pitches and did not factor in the decision.

The Dodgers only run of the game came on an RBI single from Chris Taylor in the bottom of the 6th inning, which scored Yasiel Puig.

However, the Giants tied the score in the 8th inning against Ross Stripling. Buster Posey had an RBI groundout to 2nd base, which scored Hunter Pence.

Before the game, Los Angeles inducted longtime broadcaster Vin Scully into the team’s ring of honor. Rather than retire a number for Scully, the Dodgers hung a sign with a microphone and Scully’s name.

The Dodgers now head to San Diego for a weekend series with the Padres. Kenta Maeda (2-2; 6.58 ERA) will get the start for LA on Friday. Jhoulys Chacin (3-3; 5.82 ERA) will be on the mound for the Padres.