Monthly Archives: June 2017

Clippers Re-Sign Blake Griffin

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Monday Morning Coffee

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June 26, 2017

The Lakers have announced their plan. That plan sounds a lot like the old plan, but with a few key differences. Mostly that it’s being executed by Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. Generally, trading away a productive young player like D’Angelo Russell just to get rid of a bad contract isn’t good business. However, Magic and Pelinka didn’t join the Lakers to wait five years to win. They can afford to take risks. The Lakers plan on coming to the free agent bargaining table with room for two max free agent next summer. That’s something the previous regime did only once in the last four summers, and it was last summer when they were coming off their worst year. Magic and Pelinka also know how to play the back room game with free agents, interacting with player agents year round. Ultimately, the success of the plan will depend on whether or not Lebron, Paul George, or Russell Westbrook will sign here in 2018. In any case, the Lakers’ real championship aspirations will depend on whether or not Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram can become superstars. Lonzo can’t go wrong when he looks like……

The big story surrounding the Clippers is the fact that they were shopping DeAndre Jordan. Everyone seems to be under the impression that this was done because they might be looking to rebuild, or blow up the core. What all those nerdy salary cap experts realize is that they were doing this to see how they might be able to gain more financial flexibility to sign Lebron James in 2018. That’s probably why Chris Paul will re-sign, along with 205 million other reasons. In the meantime though, Paul is going to act like that girl who just became single for the first time in a few years, flirting with every guy at every bar and restaurant, acting like she’s got serious game. Only when the fun of the flirtation is over, she’ll end up back with her ex-boyfriend.

As for other NBA news that broke last week, Dwight Howard has changed teams again! This guy is getting passed around the NBA more than a Kardashian. At this rate he’s going to be finishing his career in the WNBA. Hawks’ General Manager Travis Schlenk said they had other offers for Dwight but that was the best offer. The best offer? You had to acquire one of the worst contracts in the NBA to get rid of Dwight. What were the other offers? To be physically abused? The incompetence of some NBA organizations is amazing. The Cavs have made the finals for three straight years, then they decided to fire their General Manager and try to replace him with somebody that doesn’t have experience. Then there’s Phil Jackson who has found a way to make the Knicks an even bigger joke than they were. You have to wonder if he’s actually drinking on the job, or smoking weed. We know he’s sleeping on the job according to a top 15 prospect who worked out in front of him. Check out the latest update to his Wiki page…..

The Dodgers are on fire right now. It’s starting to feel like not even Andrew Friedman’s mistakes can stop them these days. However, they did get some horrible news last week. Julio Urias, the organization’s most promising young pitcher, ruptured the anterior capsule in his left shoulder. He will undergo surgery and miss not only the rest of 2017, but most of 2018 as well. This is much worse than Tommy John surgery folks. The sample of pitchers who have undergone this surgery is very small, and those who have had it have been finished with baseball career shortly after. Sadly, the Dodgers will have to assume that he will not be a part of their future plans unless a pleasant surprise occurs. Urias had the potential to be the frontline starter the Dodgers needed behind Clayton Kershaw come October. As great as Alex Wood and Brandon McCarthy look now, come playoff time, I wouldn’t trust them to tell me what they wanted on their pizza. Unfortunately, the Dodgers will have no choice but to trust them if they have World Series aspirations.

As for the Angels, the fact they are still in the Wild Card Race is impressive. They haven’t had Mike Trout for weeks, and they haven’t had a pitching staff all season. Somehow they have the 6th best ERA in the American League, mostly due to an overachieving bullpen. Apparently when Mike Trout signed his last contract in 2014, he sought a lifetime contract from the Halos. At that point Arte Moreno declined, but one has to wonder if Moreno would re-consider at this point. That depends how Moreno wants to run his franchise. If the Angels aren’t ready to win by 2020, when Trout is a free agent, then they would be wise to reboot the franchise with a boat load of prospects, rather than commit to Trout until he is 40 years old. However, if Moreno is primarily interested in just filling the seats and getting 3 million people coming to the ballpark every year, which it seems is his only goal, then sign him up to the lifetime deal. As great as Mike Trout is, one player in baseball only takes you so far.

Many fans of Breaking Bad have been invested in Better Call Saul for the last three years. Spoiler alert if you plan on watching it so read no further if that is the case. If you loved Breaking Bad and haven’t taken the plunge into Better Call Saul, then you need to immediately. The show just finished its third season last week, and is all about the little nuances that are connected to Breaking Bad, which gives you an even greater appreciation for both shows. However, the one storyline that keeps us coming back for more is why did Jimmy end being the shady character that he turned out to be? Most of us have a feeling that is has to do with his brother’s death, Chuck, who we think just died in the last episode. The suspense of what happened to Kim Wexler is also killing everyone. Since there is no Kim Wexler in Breaking Bad, one of two things had to have happened: either she died, or Jimmy’s behavior destroyed her career so she moved away. Since this show is so dramatic, and since she started to display reckless behavior in season 3, I think we’re headed for a very sad death to end the show.

Finally, the Bachelorette was back last week, and get ready for another two episodes this week. It was only a matter of time before the producers brought race into this drama. Sure enough, Lee is clearly a racist, confronting Eric and now Kenny, trying to rat them out and get them kicked off the show. Of course leave it to Dean to call out Lee for his racism in the most classy way possible. Knowing Rachel though, she’ll probably cut Kenny for his inability to spell “champagne”, and Eric for his inability to spell “facade”. Dean and Peter seem like locks for the final four. How the hell is Iggy still on the show? That guy never talks to Rachel, other than to snitch on some other guys in the house. I guess Rachel likes white guys and guys that look like Shaka Zulu. Josiah is definitely growing on me. He’s got a chance after his spelling bee win.

Dodgers Rally To Sweep Rockies

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June 25, 2017

The Dodgers rallied for three runs in the 7th inning and Cody Bellinger hit two more homers, as LA beat the Rockies 12-6 on Sunday afternoon. The win gave the Dodgers a three-game sweep of their weekend series at Chavez Ravine.

Kenley Jansen recorded his 2nd career five-out save, as well as an RBI double in the 8th inning to put the cap on another big offensive day for LA.

The Boys in Blue have now won 10 in a row and 16 of their last 17 games. They also continue to hit the ball out of the park, connecting on at least one home run in each their last 17 games.

Trailing 6-4, the Dodgers rallied against Rockies’ reliever Jake McGee in the 7th. Justin Turner singled with one out and Logan Forsythe doubled with two outs. Adam Ottavino came in to pitch for the Rockies from there. After an Austin Barnes walk loaded the bases, Ottavino threw a pair of wild pitches that scored three Dodger runs to give them the lead. The first wild pitch allowed Justin Turner to come home, while the second scored both Forsythe and Barnes.

The Dodgers exploded for four more runs in the 8th. Two of them came off of two more wild pitches by Ottavino (1-2), who took the loss. Bellinger added a 2-run homer for his NL leading 24th of the season, and 2nd of the game. Bellinger now has 6 multi-home run games on the season, which is a Dodger rookie record. Jansen’s run-scoring double was the final blow in the 8th. A total of four of the Dodger runs coming courtesy of wild pitches.

The Rockies built a 5-0 lead against Dodgers’ starter Brandon McCarthy by the 3rd inning. McCarthy issued a leadoff walk to Mark Reynolds. After a pair of wild pitches to Raimel Tapia, Reynolds advanced to 3rd. Tapia walked and Reynolds would score on a third wild pitch. Ian Desmond reached on an infield single, allowing Tapia to get to 3rd. Then an errant throw by Yasmani Grandal trying to catch Demond stealing allowed Tapia to score. An RBI single from Tony Wolters later in the inning made it 3-0. The Rockies would get two more in the 3rd on an RBI single from Reynolds, and an RBI fielder’s choice from Tapia.

That was all for McCarthy. He lasted just 3 innings, giving up five runs (four of them earned) on four hits. He struck out two and walked two, but was victimized by the three wild pitches and a pair of fielding errors.

The Dodgers got four runs back in the bottom half of the third. After a Chris Taylor leadoff double, Kike Hernandez connected on his 8th homer of the season. That’s a career-high for Hernandez. Then a Justin Turner double set the stage for Bellinger, who ripped his 23rd homer of the season, and first of the game.

Rockies’ starter Tyler Anderson didn’t last long either. He went 2 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on five hits. He departed after just 55 pitches, leaving with a knee injury after an extensive discussion with the training staff.

The Dodgers loaded the bases in the 5th inning after a single from Joc Pederson and a pair of walks to Enrique Hernandez and Justin Turner. With two outs, Cody Bellinger had a chance to give the Dodgers the lead, but flied out deep to left field to end the threat.

The Rockies would add another run to make it 6-4 in the 5th. Desmond produced an RBI single to center against Ross Stripling, which scored Nolan Arenado.

Pedro Baez (2-0) got credit for the win after pitching a scoreless 7th. The only bad news for the Dodgers was that Kenley Jansen gave up his first walk of the season after 32 innings. The game was the longest nine-inning game in Dodger Stadium history, lasting 4 hours and 19 minutes.

The Dodgers will now open a four-game series with the Angels beginning Monday night at the Ravine. The first two games of the series will be at Dodger Stadium while the next two will be at the Big A. Rich Hill (4-3, 4.73 ERA) gets the ball in game 1 for the Boys in Blue. The Halos will counter with Ricky Nolasco (2-9, 5.23 ERA).

Halos Take 2 of 3 From Sox

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June 25, 2017

Parker Bridwell pitched a strong 6 2/3 innings and the Angels scored three big runs after an overturned call to beat the Red Sox 4-2 on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.

In the 2nd inning, the Angels challenged the ruling on Danny Espinosa’s 3-6-3 double play. The call was overturned, and Espinosa was safe and credited with an RBI fielder’s choice, giving the Angels a 1-0 lead.

Kaleb Cowart followed with an RBI double, which was followed by a run scoring single from Juan Graterol. That gave the Angels a 3-0 lead. Cowart was recalled before the game, while reliever Eduardo Paredes was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Mitch Moreland put the Red Sox on the board in the bottom half of the inning with his 11th homer of the season. Jackie Bradley added another solo shot in the 5th inning to make it 3-2.

Bridwell gave up just the two homers among seven hits. He struck out four and did not walk a batter while making 75 pitches.

The Halos would add an insurance run in the 9th inning when Cowart delivered an RBI single. Yusmeiro Petit pitched the final two innings to earn his first save of the season.

Doug Fister got his first start of the year for the Red Sox. He was released by the Angels earlier in the week. Fister (0-1) took the loss but pitched reasonably well. He went six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked three.

The win moved the Angels one game over .500 with a record of 40-39. It also kept them in the thick of the AL Wild Card race.

The Angels now begin a four-game series with the Dodgers beginning Monday night at the Ravine. The first two games will be in LA, while the next two will shift down the freeway to the Big A. Game 1 will be Ricky Nolasco (2-9, 5.23 ERA) on the hill for the Halos. He’s lost his last seven decisions. He’ll be opposed by Rich Hill (4-3, 4.73 ERA).

Ramirez Leads Angels Past Sox

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June 24, 2017

JC Ramirez pitched six strong innings for the Halos on Saturday night at Fenway Park, as the Angels knocked off the Red Sox 6-3.

Ramirez allowed one run and four hits with five strikeouts. He improved his record to 7-5 on the season.

Martin Malonado gave the Angels a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the 1st, but Mitch Moreland tied the game at 1-1 with a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning.

Eric Young Jr. delivered an RBI double in the 4th to give the Angels the lead again. Luis Valbuena contributed a sac fly in the 6th, then Cameron Maybin doubled in Cliff Pennington in the 7th. Maybin would score on Fernando Abad’s balk.

Red Sox manager John Farrell was ejected by third-base umpire and crew chief Bill Miller for arguing Abad’s walk.

The Red Sox would get a pair of runs in the 9th off of Cam Bedrosian, but it wasn’t enough. Blake Parker came in to record the final out of the game for his 1st save of the season.

David Price (2-2) started for the Sox. He gave up three runs (two of them earned) on six hits. He struck out five and walked one while taking the loss.

The rubber game of the three-game set will be on Sunday afternoon at Fenway. Parker Bridwell (1-0, 3.07 ERA) gets the start for the Halos. Doug Fister makes his first start of the season for the Sox after getting waived by the Angels.