Clippers Force Game 7

April 28, 2017

The Clippers forced a 7th and decisive game with the Jazz by defeating Utah on Friday night 98-93 in Salt Lake City.

Chris Paul led the way with 29 points and 8 assists, and held off a late Utah rally to force the 7th and deciding game of the best-of-7 series on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center. The winner will play the Golden State Warriors in the 2nd round.

Doc Rivers said game 6 was all about CP3. “It’s just Chris,” Rivers said. “He is as competitive as a human being as I’ve ever been around. When you put that with the talent and the will, that’s why he has performances like this in big games.

The Clippers began to pull away late in the 4th quarter, and went on a 9-2 run which was capped by an Austin Rivers 3-pointer with 3:58 remaining. That gave the Clippers a 91-77 lead.

After another Rivers 3-pointer, the Clippers opened up a 96-86 lead with 90 seconds left to play, but the Jazz weren’t done fighting. Gordon Hayward would score seven straight points to pull Utah within 96-93. The Jazz had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but Joe Johnson’s 3-pointer missed. Paul made two free throws to put the game away.

Hayward led the Jazz with 31 points, George Hill added 22 and Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn’t enough.

“We had to dig down on defense,” DeAndre Jordan said. “We had some big stops on defense. And then guys like Austin, CP, Jamal, they made big shots. But they made big shots because of our defense.”

Now the Clippers will have an overwhelming advantage in game 7 at Staples Center. 80% of home teams in NBA history have won game 7. The Clips are 3-3 all-time in game 7’s.

Maeda Sharp In Dodgers Win Over Phillies

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April 28, 2017

Kenta Maeda put together his best start in a while for the Dodgers, pitching 7 strong innings on Friday night, as the Dodgers beat the Phillies at the Ravine.

Maeda (2-2) had not gone past the 6th inning in any of this previous four starts this season. However, he struck out a season-high eight and limited Philadelphia to five hits, a walk and two runs as Los Angeles snapped the Phillies’ six-game winning streak.

“It was a great day for me,” Maeda said through a translator. “I’ve had a string of bad outings and I felt the pressure going into the game. I knew I had to pitch well or something could happen. We have a lot of great pitchers.”

The only two runs of the game Maeda allowed came on a 3rd inning 2-run double from Freddy Galvez. That extended his hit streak to 10 straight games. The Dodgers tied the game at 2-2 after a wild pitch that scored Andrew Toles in the 3rd inning, followed by a Kike Hernandez RBI double in the 4th.

A Yasmani Grandal sacrifice fly in the 5th, and then a Justin Turner RBI double in the 6th extended the lead to 5-2. Turner extended his career-long hitting streak to 14 games — the longest active hitting streak in the majors — with a first-inning single. He had 3 hits on the night.

Jerad Eickhoff (0-2) took the loss, and gave up nine hits and five runs. The Phillies managed to get a run on a sacrifice fly in the 8th inning off the Dodgers bullpen but they wouldn’t get any closer.

Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the 9th inning for his 6th save of the season.

The Dodgers learned after the game that they might be getting 3 injures players back next week: 2nd baseman Logan Forsythe, center fielder Joc Pederson, and left fielder Franklin Gutierrez. Outfielder Andre Ethier won’t be back until June at the earliest.

The Dodgers and Phillies will be back at it tomorrow night at the Ravine. Brandon McCarthy (3-0; 2.25 ERA) will get the start for LA, and the Phillies will send Zach Eflin (0-0; 1.50 ERA) to the hill.

Angels Make it 5 Straight

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April 28, 2017

Yunel Escobar, Mike Trout, and Albert Pujols hit home runs, and Tyler Skaggs pitched strong 5 innings as the Angels defeated the Rangers 6-3 in Arlington on Friday night. It was the Halo’s 5th straight victory, and moved them 1 game over .500 on the season.

Escobar went deep on the first pitch of the game to give the Angels a quick 1-0 lead. The Rangers tied the game in their half of the 1st on a sac fly from Carlos Gomez.

It stayed that way until the 6th inning, when Trout went deep with Kole Calhoun aboard, and the Angels had a 3-1 lead. However, an RBI double from Elvis Andrus and a Mike Napoli run-scoring single tied the game again 3-3.

In the 8th, the Rangers would not allow Trout to beat them again, intentionally walking the Angels slugger. That put two on for Pujols, who made the Rangers pay with a 3-run shot.

“We weren’t giving into Trout at all,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “Look, there was a situation there, he had hit the ball hard a couple of times, and we were not going to give in there. Move on to Pujols.”

Deolis Guerra (1-1) got credit for the win, and Jose Alvarez pitched the 9th to get his 1st save of the season.

The only bad news for the Angels was that they lost several players to injury. CJ Cron fouled a pitch off his foot, and will be placed on the 10-day DL. The same for Tyler Skaggs, who left after throwing 76 pitches due to an injury in his right oblique.

Game 2 of the 3 game set will be on Saturday night. Jesse Chavez (2-3; 3.96 ERA) is on the mount for the Angels, while the Rangers will go with Yu Darvish (2-2; 2.91 ERA).

Chargers Draft Clemson’s Mike Williams

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April 27, 2017

The Chargers surprised many in the 1st round of the NFL Draft on Thursday in Philadelphia by selecting Clemson Wide Receiver Mike Williams with the #7 pick.

Williams was a part of Clemson’s national championship team last season. He had 98 receptions for 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns. During the Tigers’ win over Alabama in the National Championship Game, Williams caught 8 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.

“I love the pick,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. “We put in a lot of work, we like him, he was No. 1 on our board.”

Most pundits thought the Bolts would select a defensive player with their first round pick. In fact, General Manager Tom Telesco recently suggested that the overall talent in this year’s draft was better on the defensive side of the ball, rather than the offensive.

Ironically, 7 of the first 10 1st round picks on Thursday night were offensive players.

Williams was not in attendance on Thursday night. He was back in Vance, South Carolina watching on television with his family and friends.

As for the Rams, they do not have a draft pick until the 2nd round, which starts on Friday. The Rams traded their 2017 1st round pick to the Titans in order to acquire Jared Goff last year.

Halos Get Back To .500

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April 27, 2017

The Angels made it four in a row on Thursday at the Big A, with a 2-1 victory over the A’s. The Halos completed a three-game sweep of Oakland, and evened their record at 12-12 on the season.

Ricky Nolasco pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 4 and walking 2. He improved his record to 2-2 on the season. Bud Norris earned the save, his 4th of the season.

In the 6th inning, Nolasco got Jaff Decker to pop out and Matt Joyce to groundout. However, Jed Lowrie and Khris Davis walked, then Yonder Alonso reach on an error by Cliff Pennington. That loaded the bases for Ryon Healy. Mike Scioscia brought in Blake Parker, who struck out Healy, which ended the threat.

Kendall Graveman (2-1) took the loss for the A’s. He pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits, while striking out 4.

Both Angel runs came in the 1st inning. Albert Pujols singled home Mike Trout, and CJ Cron doubled in Pujols, and that was all the offense the Angels needed.

The only Oakland run came in the 4th inning came on an RBI single from Yonder Alonso. That was just 1 of 3 hits the A’s generated on the night.

Blake Parker, David Hernandez, Jose Alvarez, and Norris did not allow a single run or hit in 3 1/3 innings of work.

The Angels now travel to Texas to open a 3-game series with the Rangers on Friday. Daniel Wright will be in the hill for the Halos, while the Rangers will go with Nick Martinez.

Dodgers Beat Giants In 10

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April 27, 2017

The Dodgers exploded for 4 runs in the 10th inning on Thursday afternoon at AT&T park and defeated the Giants 4-1. LA split their four games series with San Francisco, with each team winning two games each.

Julio Urias made his 2017 debut, allowing just 1 run in 5 2/3 innings for LA, despite receiving a no-decision. Urias allowed four hits, walked four and struck out four.

Kenley Jansen (1-0) got credit for the victory. He pitched the 9th inning, and struck out the side.

“I felt good, I felt confident,” Urias said. “I felt like what I did last year was able to help me build confidence for this year.”

Giants starter Matt Moore allowed one run and two hits in seven innings, walking three and striking out eight. Corey Gearrin (0-1) took the loss for San Francisco.

The Dodgers got off to a strong start on a solo homer from Corey Seager in the 1st inning. However, the Giants would tie things up in the 6th inning when Christian Arroyo delivered an RBI single that scored Brandon Belt, which tied the game at 1-1.

After losing to the Giants in 10 innings on Wednesday night, the Dodgers turned the tables less than 24 hours later in the 10th inning Thursday afternoon. Andrew Toles drove in pinch-runner Ross Stripling with the bases-loaded, which broke the tie. Kike Hernandez followed with a sacrifice fly, and after an intentional walk to Corey Seager, Justin Turner delivered an RBI single. Chris Taylor capped the rally with a based-loaded walk.

The Dodgers return home on Friday to begin a 3-game set with the Phillies. Kenta Maeda will be on the hill for LA (1-2; 8.05 ERA), while the Phillies will go with Jerad Eickhoff (0-1; 2.55 ERA).

Giants Rally To Beat Dodgers

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April 26, 2017

The Dodgers had a 3-0 lead on Wednesday night at AT&T Park, but gave it all back and lost to the Giants 4-3.

Hunter Pence hit a sacrifice fly with the bases-loaded in the 10th inning to complete the Giants rally. San Francisco avoided matching their worst 22-game start in franchise history.

Gorkys Hernandez singled off of Ross Stripling to open the 10th, then stole 2nd base. Connor Gillaspie walked, then Nick Hundley sacrificed, which allowed Hernandez to beat Adrian Gonzales’ throw to 3rd base. That loaded the bases for Pence.

San Francisco didn’t record it’s first hit until the 6th inning. Alex Wood pitched 6 shutout innings for LA, yielding only that 1 hit.

However, the Giants would start their rally against Sergio Romo in the 7th. Christian Arroyo hit a 2-run shot to left center field to make it 3-2.

In the 8th, Mike Morse hit a pinch-hit home run against Pedro Baez, and the game was tied 3-3. That set the stage for Pence’s heroics.

“Up 3-0, we’ve got to close it out,” Skipper Dave Roberts said. “I liked the guys in the spots that they were in for the last nine outs of the game. It just didn’t work out.”

All the Dodger offense came in the 6th inning. Corey Seager hit a solo home run, Chase Utley provided an RBI single, and Andrew Toles hit into a fielder choice, scoring Yasmani Grandal.

The Dodgers will try to salvage a split of the four game series on Thursday afternoon at AT&T Park. Julio Urias will make his 2017 debut for LA, and Matt Moore will go for San Francisco (1-3; 5.87 ERA).

Ducks Rally But Oilers Win Game 1

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April 26, 2017

Adam Larsson scored the go-ahead goal with 4:40 left in the 3rd period, and the Oilers got by the Ducks in game 1 of their second round series at the Honda Center on Wednesday night. Edmonton now has a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Patrick Eaves and Jakob Silfverberg scored 3rd period goals for Anaheim to rally the Ducks from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game. Larsson’s game-winner was his 2nd goal of game. Leon Draisaitl added an empty-netter with 1:05 left to secure the victory.

The Oilers were 2 for 5 on the power play, getting a pair of goals from Mark Letestu. The first tied the game 1-1 at 6:22 of the 2nd period, and his 2nd gave Edmonton a 2-1 a little over 6 minutes into the 3rd.

After a scoreless first period, Ryan Getzlaf got the Ducks on the board 37 seconds into the 2nd period with a power play goal of his own. John Gibson made 27 saves on the night in a losing effort for Anaheim.

Cam Talbott made 33 saves for the Oilers, who are making their 1st playoff appearance since 2006.

Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm returned from injury for the Ducks, but Sami Vatanen sat out his 4th straight game with an upper-body injury.

Game 2 will be Friday night in Anaheim. The Ducks lost in regulation for the first time in 19 games. The last time that happened was March 10.

Matt Shoemaker Finally Gets First Win

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April 26, 2017

Matt Shoemaker pitched 5 solid innings for the Angels on the way to his first victory of the season, and the Halos defeated the A’s 8-5 on Wednesday night at the Big A.

“Wins are always great, but the satisfaction is that we won,” Shoemaker said. “It was a tight game up to that point. Just had to battle to get through five. Winning after that, that was the great thing right there.”

Bud Norris pitched a scoreless 9th inning to earn his 3rd save of the season.

Sean Manaea (1-2) got through just two innings before taking the loss. He allowing three runs before his night ended after only 34 pitches because of left shoulder tightness. Manaea retired the first three batters he faced, then allowed three runs on four hits in the second inning.

The Angels fell behind 2-0 in the 1st inning on a 2-run single from Yonder Alonso. However, a Danny Espinosa double, a Cameron Maybin RBI single, and an RBI double from Martin Maldonado put the Angels back in front 3-2. The Halos would tack on one more in the 5th when Albert Pujols delivered an RBI single to right, scoring Mike Trout.

A solo shot in the 6th inning by Yonder Alonso made it 4-3, however, the Angels produced a 4-run 7th inning to put the game out of reach. Former Angel Matt Joyce hit a 2-run homer in the 8th inning, but it wasn’t enough.

The Angels improved to 11-12 on the season. They’ll try to even their record at .500 on Thursday night at the Big A. Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 4.76 ERA) will oppose the Athletics’ Kendall Graveman (2-0, 2.00 ERA).

Hayward & Jazz Top Clippers in Game 5

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April 25, 2017

The Jazz shoved the Clippers to the bring of elimination of Tuesday night at Staples Center with a 96-92 victory in game 5 of their 1st round series. The Jazz have taken a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Gordon Hayward scored 27 points, Rodney Hood had 14, and Joe Johnson had a clutch 14 as Utah won it’s 2nd game on the road in the series.

Chris Paul tried to keep the Clippers in it with his 28 points and 9 assists, but it wasn’t enough. JJ Reddick also scored 26 for LA.

Neither team shot the ball well. The Jazz shot 43% and the Clippers only 42%. However, Utah dominated a number of other important categories.

The Jazz outscored the Clippers 34-28 in the paint, and outrebounded them 43-34. Utah’s bench also outscored LA 36-16, in what has become a familiar pattern in the series.

Utah took the game’s first double-digit lead early in the fourth on a 3-pointer by Hood that made it 69-58.

The Clippers rallied from an 11-point deficit to tie the game, but they could never take the lead. The Jazz countered with 8 straight points caped by Hayward’s 3-pointer.

Paul and Hayward were called for double technical fouls with 40 seconds to go. Paul had already pushed Hayward in the back after they got tied up scrambling for a rebound in front of Utah’s bench. Hayward made both shots for a 90-85 lead.

Joe Johnson’s step back jumper extended Utah’s lead to 92-87. That put the game out of reach, as the Clippers could never recover. Blake Griffin watched from the bench with his right foot encased in a black walking boot.

The Jazz will try to close things out on Friday night in Salt Lake City. A victory for Utah would send the Clippers home, and vault the Jazz into the 2nd round against the Warriors.