Predators Skate By Ducks in Game 5

May 20, 2017

Pontus Aberg scored the game-winning goal with just under 9 minutes left in the 3rd period, and the Predators defeated the Ducks 3-1 in game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Nashville has a 3-2 series lead, one game away from eliminating the Ducks and moving on to the Stanley Cup Final.

Aberg dove across the crease to swat home a rebound on a shot by Filip Forsberg, which was his first-career playoff goal. Aberg face planted on the play, lost a tooth, and was taken off the ice for medical evaluation. However, he was ok and the decisive goal pushed the Ducks to the brink of elimination.

Austin Watson added an empty-netter with 48 seconds left to play. Moments earlier Jakob Silfverberg broke his stick, allowing Watson to shoot the puck from his own end, down the ice into the empty cage.

Both teams were plagued by injuries to key players. The Predators overcame the absence of top scorer Ryan Johansen and captain Mike Fisher. The Ducks were missing two of their top scorers in Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves. They also lost goaltender John Gibson after the 1st period, after he left with a lower body injury.

Gibson was replaced by Jonathan Bernier, who stopped 16 shots in relief. On the other side, Pekka Rinne made 32 saves for Nashville, which has won 5 of their last 7 playoff games in Anaheim.

After a scoreless 1st period, both teams exchanged goals in the 2nd period. Chris Wagner scored on a rebound from a shot by Brandon Montour. It was Wagner’s 2nd career playoff goal.

Nashville got even with 40 seconds left in the 2nd. Colin Wilson pounced on a rebound in front of Bernier, which game came on the power play.

Game 6 of the series will be Monday night in Nashville. The Ducks will try to avoid being eliminated by the Predators for the 2nd year in a row, and eliminated from the conference finals for the 2nd time in the last 3 years.

Marlins Rough Up Urias & Dodgers

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May 20, 2017

Giancarlo Stanton had 3 doubles and 3 RBI, as the Marlins took down the Dodgers 10-6 on Saturday night at Chavez Ravine.

It was a rough start for Dodger pitcher Julio Urias (0-2), who gave up 7 runs (6 earned) on 7 hits in just 2 1/3 innings of work. He took the loss, while walking 3 batters, and throwing only 71 pitches.

J.T. Riddle also had 3 hits for Miami, including a homer and 4 runs batted in. The Marlins came into the game losers of 10 of their last 11 games.

Dan Straily (2-3) picked up the win and gave the Dodgers a lot of trouble in the early going. He went 5 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits. He struck out 8 batters, and walked 3.

The Dodgers did not generate a hit off of Straily until the 5th inning, when Kike Hernandez connected on a solo homer with two outs in the 5th. At that point the Dodgers trailed 10-1.

LA would try to rally over the next two innings. An RBI double from Yasmani Grandal in the 6th, along with home runs from Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger in the 7th got the Dodgers within 4 runs. However, that’s as close as they would come.

Even the Dodger bullpen, which is usually reliable, gave up 3 runs in an extended 7+ innings of work on the night.

Bellinger became the fastest Dodger to hit 9 home runs in franchise history. It took the rookie just 24 games. His teammate Yasiel Puig took 44 games to hit 9 home runs in 2013.

Puig was held out of the lineup on Saturday as a precautionary measure after tweaking his side during an at-bat on Friday.

The Dodgers will try to make it 3 out of 4 against the Marlins in the series finale on Sunday at the Ravine. Brandon McCarthy (3-1; 4.15 ERA) will be on the mound for LA, while the Marlins go with Vance Worley, who will be making his Marlins debut after being recalled from Triple-A New Orleans.

Halos Rally Falls Short Against Mets

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May 20, 2017

Jose Reyes had 3 hits and 2 RBI, as the Mets defeated the Angels 7-5 on Saturday night at Citi Field, despite a furious 9th inning rally by the Angels that fell short.

The Mets took a 7-2 lead into the 9th inning, but the Angels got 3 runs before substitute closer Addison Reed struck out Danny Espinosa with the bases-loaded to end the game.

The Angels loaded the based with nobody out in the 9th inning. That’s when Reed came in to replace Neil Ramirez. A walk to Cameron Maybin, an RBI single by Kole Calhoun, and sacrifice fly by Mike Trout pulled the Angels within 7-5. However, Luis Valbuena fouled out to the catcher, and after an Andrelton Simmons walk, Espinosa’s strikeout ended it.

The Mets took a 4-0 lead against Angels’ starter Alex Meyer after 5 innings of play. An RBI fielder’s choice by Neil Walker, a sacrifice fly by Jay Bruce, another RBI single from Walker, and a sac fly from T.J. Rivera accounted for the damage.

Meyer (2-2) took the loss after being charged with 4 runs (3 of them earned) on 3 hits. He struck out 7 and walked 4 after throwing 86 pitches.

“That’s just a poor ballgame on the defensive end. We let too many things get away from us,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “We’ve got to tighten that up. That’s the major reason we lost.”

The Angels got two runs back in the 6th inning after loading the bases, then Jefry Marte was hit by a pitch, scoring a run. Then Ben Revere added an RBI fielder’s choice.

However, the Mets extended the lead to 7-2 in the 8th. Wilmer Flores came through with an RBI double, and Jose Reyes delivered an RBI single.

Zack Wheeler (3-2) got the win. He went 5 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. He walked 5 and struck out 5.

The Angels will try to avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field. Jesse Chaves goes for the Halos, while the Mets give the ball to Tommy Milone.

Mets Shut Down Angels 3-0

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May 19, 2017

Jacob DeGrom pitched a 4-hit shutout in 7 innings of work, as the Mets blanked the Angels 3-0 on Friday night. The Angels’ loss snapped their four-game winning streak.

Ricky Nolasco (2-3) took the loss, despite giving up just 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits in 6 innings of work.

The Mets got an RBI double from Curtis Granderson in the 1st inning to take a quick 1-0 lead. It was an unearned run, resulting from a throwing error by C.J. Cron earlier in the inning.

T.J. Rivera delivered an RBI single in the 6th inning, and that made it 2-0 New York.

The other Mets’ run came in the 7th inning on a solo home run by Michael Conforto, which came off of Jose Alvarez.

DeGrom (3-1) got the win, and ended a 17-game stretch in which no Mets’ starters got an out in the seventh inning, tying a club record set in 2002.

“All night, we didn’t get too many good looks at him,” Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia said about DeGrom. “He pitched a good game for those guys, but when we did get a couple of looks, he made some pitches and got out of it.”

DeGrom also retired 13 straight before Kole Calhoun’s two-out single in the sixth. He gave up four hits, struck out nine and walked three.

Mike Trout singled twice on the evening, but the Halos couldn’t generate a whole lot of offense. Albert Pujols was not available to play because of a sore right hamstring. Scioscia said Pujols had an MRI, which showed tendinitis in the hamstring.

Game 2 of the series is on Saturday night at Citi Field. Alex Meyer (2-1, 5.59) will try to get another win for the Halos. He’ll be opposed by Mets righty Zack Wheeler (2-2, 3.76).

Alex Wood & Dodgers Beat Up Marlins

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May 19, 2017

Alex Wood pitched 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball and improved to 5-0, as the Dodgers defeated the Marlins 7-2 on Friday night at the Ravine. The game also included a bench-clearing incident between both sides in the 9th inning. Dodgers’ reliever Ross Stripling and bench coach Bob Geren, along with Marlins manager Don Mattingly were all ejected.

The benches cleared when Stripling threw a pitch behind Marlins’ slugger Giancarlo Stanton’s back. That appeared to be retaliation for an 8th inning incident in which Marlins’ reliever AJ Ramos hit Brett Eibner with a pitch. Ramos insisted afterward that the pitch just got away from him.

“If they have a problem with it, they can see me before the game, after the game, whenever they want to see me,” Ramos said. “It doesn’t have to be at the game.”

That 8th inning also featured a 2-run homer from Cody Bellinger. Chris Taylor connected on a solo homer in the 3rd, and Eibner, a 2-run shot in the 4th.

Bellinger’s eighth home run came in just his 23rd major league game, becoming the fastest Dodgers players to reach that mark.

Outfielder Yasiel Puig left the game in the five innings with lower back tightness.

Wood gave up just 6 hits in his 7+ innings of work. He walked 2 and struck out 4. It was his 3rd straight start without allowing a run.

The Dodgers and Marlins will do it again on Saturday night at the Ravine. Julio Urias will be on the mound for LA, while Miami counters with Dan Straily.

Dodgers Lose Turner But Beat Marlins

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May 18, 2017

Yasiel Puig hit a 2-run homer and Hyun-Jin Ryu picked up his 2nd win of the season as the Dodgers defeated the Marlins 7-2 on Tuesday night at the Ravine. The win came with some bad news for LA, which lost 3rd baseman Justin Turner to a hamstring injury.

Ryu (2-5) pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Dodgers, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits. He struck out 3, walked 1, and departed after throwing 79 pitches. Kenley Jansen recorded the last four outs of the game for his 8th save of the season.

With the score tied 1-1 in the 2nd, Puig connected on an 0-1 pitch, driving it into the left center field pavilion, with Joc Pederson aboard. Chase Utley would add an RBI single, making it 4-1 Dodgers.

The Marlins only offense came courtesy of a pair of solo home runs. Justin Bour hit one in the 2nd and Christian Yelich in the 3rd.

Adrian Gonzales came off the disabled listed and delivered and RBI single in the 3rd inning, scoring Turner.

Edinson Volquez (0-6) took the loss for Miami. He gave up 5 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings of work.

Turner was injured in the 7th inning trying to score on a single by Yasmani Grandal. He was thrown out and came up limping on the play.

The Dodgers would add two more in the 8th inning on a sacrifice fly by Chase Utley, and a bases loaded walk by Chris Taylor, who came into the game for Turner.

Chris Hatcher, Luis Avilan, and Josh Fields pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. They did not allow a hit.

Game 2 of the series will be on Friday night at the Ravine. Alex Wood (4-0, 2.27 ERA) goes for the Dodgers, while the Marlins counter with Justin Nicolino (0-0, 1.50 ERA)

Ducks Beat Preds In OT To Tie Series

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May 18, 2017

Corey Perry scored the game-winning goal with 10:25 remaining in OT, and the Ducks defeated the Predators 3-2 in game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Anaheim has now tied the best-of-seven series at 2-2 after Thursday night’s game at Bridgestone Arena.

Perry sent the puck towards the net, from near the goal line, which initially appeared to bounce off of Nate Thompson and into the net. The goal was initially credited to Thompson. However, upon further review, the puck bounced off of P.K. Subban’s stick and past Pekka Rinne for the game-winning goal.

The Ducks got the win despite a nightmare 3rd period. Trailing 2-1 with 1:51 remaining, Rinne went to the bench in favor of an extra attacker, giving the Predators a 6-on-5 advantage. With 36 seconds left, Filip Forsberg knocked in a rebound past John Gibson to tie the game, ultimately sending the game into OT.

Anaheim began to melt down late in the 3rd period. With a little over 5 minutes left, Kevin Bieska took a high sticking penalty, giving the Predators a power play. With 4:38 left, Josh Manson took a slashing penalty, which gave Nashville a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:31. The Ducks managed to kill off the two-man disadvantage, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.

With 13:33 left Subban drilled a slap shot past Gibson, cutting the Anaheim lead in 2-1. The Ducks had managed to kill off an Ondrej Kase penalty moments earlier, but Nashville continued to gain momentum and eventually tie the game.

Gibson made 32 saves for the Ducks, who snapped the Predators’ 10-game home playoff winning streak.

The Ducks built a 2-0 lead on goals from Rickard Rakell and Nick Ritchie in each of the 1st two periods.

Rakell took a long pass from Cam Fowler while Nashville was in the middle of a line change. Before any of the Predators could get close enough to Rakell, he fired a slap shot by Rinne with 11:30 left in the 1st.

Ritchie beat Rinne with a wrist shot from the right circle that got past the Predators’ goalie, who was screened by his own defender on the play at the 10:22 mark.

With the series tied, this is essentially a best-of-three series. Game 5 will be back at the Honda Center on Saturday afternoon.

Angels Outslug White Sox

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May 17, 2017

Mike Trout homered for the 5th time in 6 games, as the Angels rallied from a 4-run deficit to beat the White Sox 12-8. The Halos completed a 3-game sweep with the win, and moved one game over .500.

The Sox jumped out to a quick lead on a 2-run homer by Jose Abreu, and by the 2nd inning they held what appeared to be a comfortable 4-0 lead.

The Halos got the four runs right back in the bottom half of the 2nd, capped off by a 2-run single by Albert Pujols.

in the 6th, the Angels would get four more runs. Martin Maldonado delivered an RBI single, followed by Trout’s 3-run homer.

Another four-run Angel explosion took place in the 7th. RBI singles by CJ Cron, Danny Espinosa, and Maldonado accounted for 3 of the runs.

Matt Shoemaker (3-2) picked up the win after pitching 6 1/3 innings. He gave up 4 runs (3 of them earned) on 9 hits. He struck out 9 and walked 1.

The Sox got 3 runs in the 8th against Jose Alvarez, and 1 in the 9th against Keynan Middleton, but it wasn’t enough.

Miguel Gonzales (3-4) took the loss for the Sox. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits.

The Angels will now travel to New York for a 3-game series with the Mets beginning Friday. Ricky Nolasco (2-2; 4.34 ERA) takes the mound for the Halos in game 1, and Jacob DeGrom (2-1; 4.07 ERA) goes for New York.

Tempers Are Hot But Kershaw Is Cool

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May 17, 2017

Clayton Kershaw pitched 7 shutout innings on Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Park, and the Dodgers avoided getting swept with a 6-1 victory. The game featured a heated exchange between Yasmani Grandal and Johnny Cueto, resulting in both benches emptying in the 3rd inning.

Kershaw (7-2) allowed just 3 hits while throwing 89 pitches. It was his 9th career scoreless start against San Francisco,. The Dodgers snapped a 3-game losing skid, while their ace struck out five and walked none for his seventh win of the season, and third straight.

LA started quickly with a 2-run double from Grandal in the 1st inning. While the Dodger catcher was standing at 2nd base, he and Cueto exchanged words.

In the 3rd, Chase Utley and Corey Seager started things off with back-to-back singles. Justin Turner sacrificed to move Utley and Seager into scoring position. After Cody Bellinger lined out, Grandal came to the plate. On a 1-0 pitch, Cueto tried to pitch up and in to Grandal, but the ball sailed to the backstop. Utley scored on the play with Seager moving to 3rd, and it was 3-0 LA. However, the drama continued just after Grandal flied out to end the inning.

While Grandal was running back to the dugout and Cueto was coming off the mound, both continued their heated exchange. That prompted both benches to clear, although no physical altercation occurred between either side. Later, Cueto reveled that he was upset that Grandal was relaying signs to hitters when he was on base after his 1st inning double.

Afterwards, Turner explained that stealing signs happens all the time. “Their guys try to get pitches, the Rockies try to get pitches, every team does it,” he said.

Despite Cueto’s anger, the Dodgers apparently didn’t know what the Giants’ signs were. “We didn’t actually have the pitches,” Turner said. “We had no idea what his cadence was.”

LA would add to the lead in the 6th, when Yasiel Puig came through with a 2-run single, scoring Turner and Cody Bellinger.

In the 7th, Bellinger joined the party, driving in Seager with an RBI double. That made it 6-0, which was plenty of run support for Kershaw.

Kershaw improved to 20-9 in his career against the Giants with a 1.62 ERA. He is now tied for the MLB lead in wins with 7.

Pedro Baez pitched a scoreless 8th inning. Despite giving up a solo homer to Eduardo Nunez in the 9th, former Giant Sergio Romo recorded the final 3 outs of the game to secure the victory.

The Dodgers now leave San Francisco trailing the 1st place Rockies by 2.5 games in the NL West. Up next will be a four-game series with the Miami Marlins beginning Thursday night at Chavez Ravine. Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-5; 4.99 ERA) goes to the mound for LA, while the Edinson Volquez gets the ball for the Marlins.

Pujols Gives Angels Walk-Off Win

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May 16, 2017

Albert Pujols singled in the 11th inning, scoring Ben Revere, and the Angels beat the White Sox 7-6 on Tuesday night.

Pujols had a pair of hits and had 3 RBI on the night. The win moved the Angels back to .500 on the season at 21-21.

The Halos trailed 6-5 after Tim Anderson hit a solo home run in the 11th inning. However, Cameron Maybin delivered an RBI double, scoring Danny Espinosa to tie the game. After Mike Trout was intentionally walked, Pujols came through with the walk-off winner.

Yusmeiro Petit (1-0) got credit for the win, despite giving up the home run to Anderson. David Robertson (2-1) took the loss for the White Sox.

It was a rough night for the Angels bullpen, which had been fairly effective thus far this season. Bud Norris was unavailable to pitch after pitching for 3 straight days. The Angels took a 5-2 lead into the 9th inning and that’s when the collapse began.

David Hernandez came into the game, trying to close it out, but he gave up an RBI double to Leury Garcia, scoring Melky Cabrera. That made it 5-3. Todd Frazier’s infield single scored Jose Abreu and Garcia, and the game was tied 5-5.

Hernandez was charged with was charged with 3 earned runs, giving up 4 hits. He did not record an out, and was replaced by Petit.

JC Ramirez started for the Angels, and pitched well. He went 7 innings, giving just 2 earned runs on 5 hits.

White Sox starter Derek Holland also fared well. He went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits. He was removed from the game trailing 3-2.

The Angels and White Sox will do it again on Wednesday, with the Halos going for the sweep. Matt Shoemaker (2-2; 4.50 ERA) is on the mound for the Angels. Miguel Gonzales (3-3; 3.83 ERA) will get the ball for the Sox.