Fiers pitched six effective innings, Matt Olson and Khris Davis hit consecutive homers, and the Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays (Tampa Bay Buccaneers championship rings for sale) 4-3 on Tuesday night. Oakland, at 34-34, is three games behind Texas for the second AL wild card. "Obviously the record right now doesn't show how good we really are," Fiers said. "It's a long season. You can't look too far ahead or how far ahead some of the teams are ahead of us. We've got to come play every day and just battle every day." Fiers (6-3) allowed two runs and three hits, and is 4-0 in seven starts beginning with his no-hitter against Cincinnati on May 7. Liam Hendriks, Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen, who gave up Willy Adames' RBI single in the ninth en route to his 15th save, combined to strike out six and complete the four-hitter.
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"We really haven't hit our stride yet," Oakland (custom Oakland Athletics championship rings) manager Bob Melvin said. "It's been a little of a fight and battle for us to this point but I think at some point we'll get past it." Tommy Pham homered for the Rays, who are 16 games over .500 despite an 18-15 record at home. "Kind of quiet at the plate," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "We didn't do many things wrong, we were just pitched really, really tough." The Rays are tied for first in the AL East with the New York Yankees, who split a day-night doubleheader with the Mets. After Matt Chapman reached on shortstop Adames' throwing error in the sixth, Olson hit a two-run homer and Davis then went deep two pitches later off Emilio Pagan (1-1) as Oakland took a 4-2 lead.
Pagan, acquired by Tampa Bay (championship sports rings) from the Athletics in a three-team trade in December, had allowed just one run over 19 innings in his previous 18 appearances. "No one likes doing bad," Pagan said. "Doesn't make me any more upset than it would anybody else." Pham put the Rays up 1-0 on a first-inning homer. He had been 1 for 17 in five games since returning June 6 from lower right leg injury. Adames walked with two outs in the fourth, went to third on Kevin Kiermaier's single and scored to make it 2-0 on a double steal.
Oakland (mlb championship rings for sale) got to 2-1 on Chad Pinder's RBI single in the fifth.
Athletics: SS Marcus Semien played in his 150th consecutive game, dating to last June 28. "He's as durable a player as I've ever had, so at this point in time I don't see a day off for him," Melvin said. Semien extended his hitting streak to nine games (16 for 39) after leading off the game with a double.
Rays: DH Austin Meadows finished his at-bat in the eighth after fouling a ball off his lower right leg. Soreness in the leg will likely keep him out of Wednesday's lineup. ... INF Joey Wendle (fractured right wrist) could be back Thursday.
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06/12/2019
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On the eve of Game 3 of the NBA (nba championship rings for sale) Finals, Kyle Lowry declared he was going to do two things: be more aggressive, and stay out of foul trouble. He followed through on his promise Wednesday night, and, as a result, the Toronto Raptors have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. "Because I know how I am," Lowry told ESPN after finishing with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, a steal and a block in 43 minutes in Toronto's 123-109 win over the Golden State Warriors. "I know what type of basketball player I am. I understand that these situations are never going to be easy. I understand that we know it's a hostile environment that we're going to be in, and I've got to be that guy, that confidence builder, that confident type of basketball player." Lowry was all of those things, and then some, for the Raptors. He shot 8-for-16 from the field, including 5-for-9 from 3-point range, while committing only three turnovers. Perhaps more important, he committed only three fouls.
Lowry fouled out of Game 2 with 3:52 remaining in the fourth quarter after committing a careless reach-in foul on Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins 92 feet from Golden State's basket. Lowry, who was 6-for-20 entering Game 3, admitted Tuesday that it was a "frustration foul," as he allowed himself to let the struggles he had shooting the ball through the first two games of this series cloud his mind. During Tuesday's practice, though, Raptors coach Nick Nurse had his video coordinators cue up footage of a team-wide epidemic of bad fouls that Toronto had been committing through the first two games. "We showed our team all the dumb fouls we took yesterday," Nurse told ESPN. "All of them. And we said we have to stop f---ing doing them. And he was one of many, but he was a very important one of many. "He took that like he should've, like a leader, and did a much better job."
In a game that was full of fouls on both sides -- Toronto committed 22, and Golden State (cheap Golden State Warriors championship rings) 21 -- the Raptors didn't completely get away from the problem. But Lowry, after picking up two fouls late in the first half to go into halftime with three, didn't get another the rest of the game, allowing him to remain on the court and in charge of the team. "I was a dumb fouler," he told ESPN. "We were putting our hands up, man. We still gave up, what, 30 free throws? Steph [Curry] had 14 again, but we put ourselves in better positions and put myself in a better position to stay on the floor."
It was good he did, too, because he had things going offensively in a way he didn't the first two games. He was far from alone, though, as Toronto finished the game shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 17-for-38 (44.7 percent) from 3-point range, with 11 of those makes coming from Lowry and Danny Green (6-for-9) alone. Someone on the Raptors wrote "Let it rip" on the whiteboard in the locker room pregame -- a mantra the team took to heart throughout Game 3, and to great effect. "We haven't really had a good team shooting night, and I knew eventually, at some point, we were due for one," Green said. "So, luckily, we got one tonight, but we still have to do a better job defensively on that end of the floor to limit those guys better so we don't have to rely on our offense, or our shooting, to win games for us."
Green has a point, especially with the looming possibility of Golden State's (cheap championship rings) two injured sharpshooters, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, potentially coming back in Game 4 after sitting out Wednesday night with injuries. The Warriors besides Curry -- who finished with 47 points, eight rebounds and seven assists -- shot just 6-for-22 from 3-point range. It stands to reason those numbers will improve if Thompson and/or Durant are on the floor. For the Raptors, though, the focus has to be on themselves. Toronto is two wins away from its first NBA title, a journey it has made, largely, because of the brilliance of Kawhi Leonard.
But while Leonard was brilliant again in Game 3 -- finishing with 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks in 38 minutes -- the Raptors are a far different team when his supporting cast plays like it did in Games 1 and 3 of this series. Not coincidentally, those are the two games Toronto has won. And if Lowry is able to keep playing like he did in Game 3, the Raptors will feel good about their chances of getting those two more wins they need to win this series -- and the title. "I expected him to get going here," Nurse told ESPN. "I just thought the opportunities were there for him to get going. Sometimes we can't get him a shot. But there were opportunities for him to drive it, shoot it, and he stepped up and took them today."
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06/06/2019
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An early offensive punch from Robinson Chirinos, a solid effort by Houston's (cheap Houston Astros championship rings) bullpen and another baffling play by Seattle's defense helped the Astros keep rolling. Chirinos homered to cap a three-run first inning, Houston's bullpen pitched six shutout innings and the Astros beat the Mariners 4-2 on Monday night for their sixth win in seven games.
Chirinos' eighth home run capped a first inning in which Seattle's decision to use Cory Gearrin as an opener backfired. Gearrin (0-2) gave up an RBI triple to Josh Reddick, a run scoring groundout to Yuli Gurriel and Chirinos' long homer to cap his one inning of work before handing off to Wade LeBlanc. Chirinos was guessing he'd get a first-pitch fastball and was correct. "My plan was to swing early. He's a guy that likes to throw his fastball first pitch and after that he starts to use his slider," Chirinos said.
Houston (championship rings for sale) tacked on another run in the sixth when Seattle's defensive problems resurfaced. With runners at the corners and one out, Gurriel hit a grounder to shortstop Dylan Moore. Alex Bregman broke from third to try and score and Moore threw to the plate, but catcher Omar Narvaez had taken several steps up the first base line believing Moore was going to try and turn a double play. The throw was on target and beat Bregman easily, but instead bounced to the backstop as a fielders' choice and the fourth run for Houston. Seattle manager Scott Servais said Narvaez was at fault.
"When the ball is hit the first thing you are thinking is it's a double play, and Dylan actually made the right read. He wasn't going to be able to turn a double play on that," Servais said. "He made a very athletic throw to the plate, and Omar just vacated too early. You got to make sure he is committed to going to second before you trail the play to go back it up."
Houston (mlb championship rings) starter Corbin Martin was pulled after just three innings, but relievers Framber Valez (2-2) and Chris Devenski worked five scoreless innings. Ryan Pressly pitched the ninth for his third save. Martin has not been able to finish four innings in his last three starts. "I was falling behind in the count. I wasn't as aggressive as I needed to be and throwing 30 pitches in the first inning that kind of slows down the rest of my outing," Martin said. Seattle got solo home runs from Mallex Smith and Edwin Encarnacion in the third inning, but the Mariners were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, leaving runners at either second or third base in each of the first five innings. Jake Marisnick saved a run in the eighth with a diving catch of Moore's liner to end the inning.
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06/04/2019
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Eddie Rosario hit a tiebreaking two-run single off Adam Kolarek in the ninth inning after a pair of batters were hit by pitches, and the Twins (Minnesota Twins championship rings for sale) beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Friday night in a matchup of two of the major leagues' hottest teams. Minnesota, a big league-best 38-18, overcame a 3-1 fifth-inning deficit and won for the 13th time in 16 games. The Twins opened a season-high 10 1/2-game lead in the AL Central.
"We don't want our guys getting nicked up or anything, but sometimes you take the baserunners any way you can," Twins (world series rings) manager Rocco Baldelli said. "And sometimes it takes a base hit with men on base to kind of wake everyone up and get things going." Jose Berrios and Taylor Rogers (2-1) combined on a four-hitter and stopped a six-game winning streak by the Rays (35-20), their longest since last August. Tampa Bay won the series opener 14-3 and had allowed three runs or fewer in its previous nine games. "It's something we've seen this year. In the games that we have not played our best or lost, we've come back the day after and really pulled together and played good baseball," Baldelli said. "It's what we've come to expect. I think we have the type of guys that regardless of what happens today, they'll be ready to play tomorrow." Helped by $7.11 tickets, the Rays drew 14,375 to Tropicana Field after three straight days of crowds ranging from 5,786 to 8,076.
The Twins (championship rings for sale) have scored three or more runs in 24 straight games, matching the Minnesota record for a single season, set in 2006. They trailed 3-1 in the fifth before Polanco drove in a run with his second double and scored on a single by Willians Astudillo. Diego Castillo (1-4) hit Jonathan Schoop on the left shoulder with a slider leading off the ninth. Schoop was sacrificed to second and took third on a groundout. Polanco was intentionally walked, and Castillo plunked Astudillo on the left arm with a slider on a 1-2 count. Kolarek, a left-hander, relieved to face the left-handed hitting Rosario, and Rosario grounded an opposite-field single to left, past the spot vacated when third baseman Christian Arroyo shifted toward shortstop.
Rogers (2-1) retired his first six batters, allowed Daniel Robertson's two-out single in the ninth, then retired Mike Zunino on a groundout. Berrios struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and three hits. Rays opener Ryne Stanek gave up one run in two innings. Astudillo had an RBI single in the first, but Kevin Kiermaier's two-run homer in the second put the Rays ahead. Austin Meadows stole home in the third when with runners at the corners and two outs, Willy Adames got caught in a rundown while Meadows dashed home. The throw from Schoop at second was in the dirt and got away from Astudillo at the plate. Astudillo was thrown out at the plate by Kiermaier while trying to score on C.J. Cron's two-out double to center.
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06/01/2019
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Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson bumped into coach Craig Berube in the bathroom before the start of overtime and told him: "I just need one more." "He hit the post in the third there, and he just felt good about himself, obviously. Which he should have," Berube said. "I liked hearing it."
After clanging the potential winner off the post in the final two-minutes of regulation, Gunnarsson scored on a delayed penalty 3:51 into overtime to give St. Louis a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins (Boston Bruins championship rings) and tie the Stanley Cup Final at a game apiece. Jordan Binnington made 21 saves, and Robert Bortuzzo and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in regulation to send a game in the championship series to overtime for the first time since 2016. It was the Blues' first victory in the Stanley Cup Final in franchise history after 13 straight losses.
"I guess that's a little bonus and pretty cool if you think about it that way," Gunnarsson said. "We're pretty sure we're not going to stop here." Charlie Coyle and Joakim Nordstrom scored and Tuukka Rask made 33 saves for Boston (championship rings for sale), which won 4-2 in Game 1 on Monday night for their eighth straight postseason victory. Game 3 is Saturday night in St. Louis. Gunnarsson also assisted on Bortuzzo's first-period goal and then hit the post behind Rask with about 2 minutes left in regulation. In the final minute, Boston's David Pastrnak had a chance off a faceoff, but Binnington turned it away. "Would have loved to have it in the third, but who cares?" Gunnarsson said on the ice moments after the victory. "It's great, taking this home."
After a furious first period that ended in a 2-all tie, the teams went on defense in the second. Despite four penalties, including a high-sticking, blood-drawing double-minor against Boston's Connor Clifton, neither team was able to score. It stayed tied through a hard-hitting third period, with both teams failing to convert good scoring chances and avoid overtime. But after the break, it was all Blues.
Boston (nhl championship rings for sale) did not get off a shot in the overtime, and the Eastern Conference champs struggled to clear it out of their own zone. Alexander Steen drew a hooking penalty in front of the net, and the Blues pulled Binnington for an extra skater. Gunnarsson worked it around to the blue line, passed it to Oskar Sundqvist and then got it back for a rifle shot over Rask's stick side into the corner of the net. "He got a second chance at it and made the most of it," forward Brayden Schenn said. "The boys are happy for him." Gunnarsson also fed Bortuzzo midway through the first period for a shot that deflected off Matt Grzelcyk's stick past Rask to make it 1-1.
Nordstrom scored just 40 seconds later to give Boston a 2-1 lead, but that lasted less than five minutes before Tarasenko took advantage of a mistake by Brad Marchand and lifted the puck over Rask with a second effort to tie the score again at 2. "It was kind of like a crazy first. We got the lead, tie, lead, tie, kind of bounced back and forth," Rask said. "It probably wasn't our best game today." Grzelcyk left with about two minutes left in the first period after taking an elbow to the back of the head from Sundqvist. He left the arena for a hospital; Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said he had no other update. The Bruins did not score on the ensuing power play. "They seemed to play with more urgency than they did in Game 1. We played with less. They were on top of us, tighter than in the first game. We didn't seem to win as many races as we did in Game 1," Cassidy said. "Some of that was self-inflicted. Some of that was how they played."
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05/30/2019
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Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays championship rings for sale) rookie Cavan Biggio grew up watching his Hall of Fame dad, Craig, hit home runs for the Houston Astros. On Sunday, father and son reversed roles. Biggio had three hits, including his first career home run, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had four hits and homered for the third straight game, and Toronto beat the San Diego Padres 10-1 Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep. With his famous father and more than 10 other friends and family watching from the stands, Biggio got his first hit with a ground ball single through the right side in the second. He hit a solo home run into the fourth deck off left-hander Matt Wisler in the fourth, then added an RBI single in Toronto's four-run fifth. "I've always wanted to do what my dad did, ever since a young age, and finally here we've kind of switched roles," the younger Biggio said. "He's in the seats now and I'm on the field. So that's pretty cool because it's everything I ever wanted."
Recalled from Triple-A Buffallo Friday slog with Gurriel Jr., Biggio had started 0 for 6 before his single. "After I got that first hit, I felt like I could finally exhale and finally just play the game," Biggio said. "It was a big relief." Biggio's big crowd was waiting for him as he left the clubhouse following the game, admiring a pair of souvenir balls from his milestone game.
Toronto's (cheap championship rings) Justin Smoak hit two home runs, a two-run blast off Luis Perdomo in the fifth and a three-run drive off Adam Warren in the eighth. The homers were his 10th and 11th of the season. The Blue Jays, who came in having lost four straight and 10 of 12 at home, finished with a season-high 17 hits. Toronto rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. snapped an 0 for 14 slump with a double in the first. He finished 3 for 5, the second three-hit game of his brief career.
Blue Jays (world series rings)manager Charlie Montoyo said he got chills watching Gurriel Jr. and Biggio go back-to-back in the fourth. Biggio, Gurriel Jr. and Guerrero Jr. combined to finish 10 for 13 with four RBI. "It felt like that's what's coming here," Montoyo said. "That's the future." BIggio also turned an unassisted double play in the seventh, catching Manuel Margot's liner and stepping on second base to retire Austin Allen, who had strayed too far off the bag. Gurriel Jr. had the first four-hit game of his career. He singled and scored in the second, homered off Wisler immediately before Biggio's blast in the fourth, doubled and scored in the fifth, and singled in the seventh. Right-hander Marcus Stroman (3-6) pitched five innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season. He allowed one run and five hits, walked one and struck out two.
Wil Myers hit a leadoff homer off Stroman in the fifth, his 10th, but that was all for the Padres, who scored 19 runs and hit a team-record seven homers Saturday. It was the first home run off Stroman by a right-handed batter since Boston's Xander Bogaerts hit one on July 15, 2018. "We kind of dug a hole we couldn't dig ourselves out of," manager Andy Green said. San Diego saw its five-game winning streak snapped, and lost an interleague game for the first time this season. The Padres are 4-1 against AL opponents. Left-hander Robbie Erlin started for San Diego in place of rookie right-hander Chris Paddack, who was scratched because of a stiff neck. Paddack's next start is expected to be Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.
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05/27/2019
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Days after New York's (New York Mets championship rings) front office declared support for its criticized, second-year skipper, Callaway's players rallied for another startling victory Thursday and a four-game sweep of the division-rival Nationals. Carlos Gomez slipped out of his shoe during an early dash, then hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning that helped the Mets overcome a comeback that started after Washington manager Dave Martinez's heated ejection for a 6-4 victory. Gomez bolted around the bases, smacking himself in the helmet and letting out a few joyous shouts after his two-out shot against Wander Suero (1-4). Players jumped out of the dugout and danced on the warning track while he rounded the bases, greeting him with flying handshakes and hugs.
Callaway was already hoarse Thursday morning when he met with reporters. After Gomez's stunner, he could hardly get his pipes working. "Sorry for the voice," he said. "I've been screaming and yelling (through) these crazy games." Gomez delivered his first homer of the season in his seventh game. The 13-year major league veteran opened the year with Triple-A Syracuse, hoping to extend his playing days at Citi Field after breaking into the majors with the Mets as a 21-year-old in 2007. "I'm blessed," Gomez said. "Came back here in this situation and play the way that we're playing right now with a lot of energy, you know, I'm enjoying every single time. You guys can notice when I'm in the dugout or playing defense like a little kid. I'm enjoying every single moment."
It was the third straight game New York (cheap championship rings) beat Washington in its final turn at-bat. The Nationals seemed as if they'd snapped from their funk after Martinez's ejection in the eighth. Plate umpire Bruce Dreckman rang up Washington's Howie Kendrick for a strikeout as he tried to check his swing leading off, then tossed the veteran infielder. Martinez charged from the dugout, spiked his hat and kicked dirt on home plate while barking relentlessly at Dreckman. "I just didn't think he swung," Martinez said. "We just got into it. All I did was tell him to ask for help. That's why the first base umpire is there. He didn't like it."
Juan Soto then walked against Robert Gsellman (1-0), Victor Robles singled, and Yan Gomes brought in Soto with a double. Gerardo Parra followed with a pinch-hit, two-run single for a 4-3 Washington lead. The Nationals have lost five straight and six of seven. Washington dropped to 19-31, a record better than only the Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals. Hardly the kind of start expected from an NL playoff hopeful. "You can't put a blame on one thing," Martinez said when asked where culpability fell. "You really can't. This is a team thing."
The Mets (world series rings) swept the Nationals/Expos franchise over four games for the first time since July 1-4, 1991. It was the first four-game home sweep by New York in the series since May 15-18, 1972. New York is 18-13 against the NL East and 24-25 overall. The Mets enter a three-game series against Detroit hoping to climb over .500 for the first time since May 2. "Now we're winning ballgames, there's definitely a different air because of that," Callaway said. "But these guys have not quit one time. They're tremendous. That's an unbelievable comeback right there." Edwin Diaz retired the side in order in the ninth for his 12th save. Mets starter Steven Matz allowed 10 hits over six innings of one-run ball. Washington starter Stephen Strasburg allowed two runs and five hits over seven innings. Starting with an unusual 12:10 p.m. first pitch, both teams looked short on caffeine. New York had two errors, Washington had one and both teams had players thrown out on the bases.
SHOE FLY DON'T BOTHER
Gomez stole second in the fifth inning and took third on catcher Gomes' throwing error, and his left shoe flew off in the process. Gomez never broke stride and scored two batters later on Juan Lagares' sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.
IT'LL BE ALL RIGHT
New York placed infielders Robinson Cano (left quad strain) and Jeff McNeil (tight left hamstring) on the injured list prior to the game, leaving the team without two regular position players. The Mets went with an all right-handed lineup against a right-handed starting pitcher for the second time in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
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05/24/2019
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Experience bred confidence for the Golden State Warriors (Golden State Warriors championship rings), even when challenged by the upstart Portland Trail Blazers. No matter how far they were down, they've been through too much to ever think they're out. "We just really understand what we're capable of on both sides of the basketball," Draymond Green said. "We're never out of the fight. That's just always our mindset."
The Warriors swept their way to a fifth straight NBA Finals, getting triple-doubles from Stephen Curry and Green in a 119-117 overtime victory on Monday night. The two-time defending champions overcame a double-digit deficit for the third straight game against the Blazers, back in the conference finals for the first time since 2000. Green had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, and made a key 3-pointer in overtime. Curry added 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. They became the first teammates to have triple-doubles in the same playoff game.
The Warriors will face the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Toronto and Milwaukee. The Bucks lead that series 2-1 with Game 4 on Tuesday night in Canada. The Warriors came back from 17 down after erasing an 18-point deficit in Game 3 and a 17-point hole in Game 2. "We've been here before. We've seen everything, every experience you can imagine. So we relied on that," Curry said. Playing without Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and DeMarcus Cousins, the Warriors became the first team to reach five straight finals since the Boston Celtics went to 10 in a row from 1957-66. Damian Lillard, playing with separated ribs, had 28 points and 12 assists for Portland. He missed a 3-point attempt as time ran out in the extra period. Meyers Leonard added a career-high 30 points along with 12 rebounds.
The Warriors (cheap championship rings) were up 114-113 in the extra period after Green missed the first of a pair of free throws. CJ McCollum's jumper from out front briefly gave Portland the lead but Alfonzo McKinnie's basket put Golden State back ahead and Green made a 3-pointer to push it to 199-115 with 39 seconds left. Lillard made a layup and Curry missed a jumper to give Portland back the ball. Facing stifling defense from both Green and Klay Thompson, Lillard couldn't get off a shot but the ball went out of bounds in the scramble. The Blazers got it back with 3.3 seconds left but Lillard's final shot didn't fall. Blazers coach Terry Stotts was asked if he was expecting another buzzer-beating winner from Lillard, who had a memorable 3-pointer at the buzzer to clinch the first-round series against Oklahoma City. "Yeah, I did. I thought it was going to -- kind of meant to be," Stotts said. "When he shot it, it had a good arc. I thought it had a chance."
The Blazers (Portland Trail Blazers championship rings) stretched the lead to 17 points in the third quarter, but the Warriors went on a 12-0 run to close within 95-90 early in the final period. Green's long baseline jumper gave the Warriors a 108-106 lead with 3:30 left. Lillard's 3-pointer put the Blazers back ahead and Leonard's dunk extended it to 111-108 with just under 2 minutes to go. After Thompson's 3-pointer tied it up again both Curry and Lillard missed 3s. Curry made a 3 from the corner with 10.7 seconds left but he was called for traveling first and it didn't count. Lillard's layup bounced around the rim and out and the game went to overtime. Iguodala was out because of a sore left calf. The veteran swingman, who is averaging 10.1 points in the playoffs, was hurt in the second half of Saturday's Game 3 victory. It was not known how long he'd be out, but the Warriors said an MRI Sunday was clear.
Golden State was already missing Durant because of a sore right calf. It's unknown when the two-time NBA (cheap nba championship rings) Finals MVP will return. Also sitting is Cousins, who injured his left quadriceps in the opening round. "We've had guys step up all along this entire time and we're going to look forward to those guys continuing to step up, no matter what happens with the injuries that we have," Green said. "You know, we're trying to go win this thing. Never the goal is just to get there." Lillard separated his ribs in Game 2 but was playing through the pain. He averaged 33 points in the first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City but struggled against Golden State's defensive focus on him.
Playing with urgency in an elimination game, Portland pulled in front 30-28 in the opening quarter on CJ McCollum's layup and free throw, but Curry answered on the other end with a step-back 3-pointer. Portland went ahead 59-50 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Leonard, who finished with five 3s in the first half. Curry hit a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left in the half to close the Warriors within 69-65 at the break. Portland pushed the lead to 83-72 on McCollum's 3-pointer. After he made another 3 to push the lead to 91-78, he gestured to the crowd to make noise. McCollum finished with 26 points.
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05/21/2019
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The struggling outfielder hit an RBI single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning Wednesday night, rallying the Reds (custom Cincinnati Reds championship rings) to a 6-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs. He tossed his bat away in celebration and got soaked with ice water by teammates. "I finally made contact," Puig said. "That was amazing." Puig's had a mostly disappointing debut with the Reds, who got him in an offseason trade with the Dodgers. He was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts when he came to bat in the 10th against Brad Brach (3-1). The bases were loaded and the Cubs used five infielders, hoping for a groundball. Instead, Puig drove the ball to center -- it smacked off the base of the wall -- and flipped his bat away in celebration. Puig is batting only .212. "He brings a lot of energy," manager David Bell said. "He absolutely wanted to be up there in that spot. He saw it as an opportunity. He wasn't defensive." Amir Garrett (3-1) escaped a two-on threat in the 10th inning.
The Cubs' (championship rings) stingy bullpen let a solid start by Yu Darvish go to waste. Darvish fanned 11 and Addison Russell hit a two-run homer -- his first since returning from a 40-game suspension for domestic violence -- to help the Cubs to a 5-3 lead. Eugenio Suarez's homer off Carl Edwards Jr. tied it in the eighth, only the fourth time the Cubs have blown such a late lead. The Cubs were encouraged by Darvish's best performance of the season. He allowed five hits and a pair of runs in 5 1/3 innings at the ballpark where his 2018 season ended. The right-hander made only eight starts in his first year with the Cubs. He got a 6-1 win at Great American Ball Park on May 20 and missed the rest of the season with triceps and elbow problems, leading to surgery on Sept. 12.
He has struggled with his control this season. Back in Cincinnati, Darvish had his first 10-strikeout game since 2017. He didn't walk a batter while throwing 102 pitches and using a nasty slider. "Obviously I'm trying to find my way," Darvish said. "I'm trying a lot of things." The Cubs (cheap Chicago Cubs championship rings) knew Darvish would need some time to get back in form after having most of 2018 wiped out. "In each start, you're seeing something different that you can take away as a positive," catcher Taylor Davis said. "Everything is starting to pinwheel into putting everything together." Russell and Albert Almora Jr. connected off Sonny Gray, who came to the Reds in an offseason trade with the Yankees and has yet to win in nine starts for the team he rooted for as a youth. Kyle Schwarber also homered .
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: 1B Anthony Rizzo hit in the batting cage but was out of the lineup for the third straight game with a stiff back. Manager Joe Maddon said he'd likely be out of the lineup again Thursday, but return for a weekend series in Washington.
Reds (mlb championship rings): Left-hander Alex Wood could start throwing next week. He hurt his back during spring training and has had several setbacks during rehabilitation, preventing him from pitching. The last time Darvish fanned 10 batters was Aug. 10, 2017, at Arizona with the Dodgers. It was the 35th 10-strikeout game of his career.
STREAKING
Kris Bryant singled in the 10th, extending his streak to 24 consecutive games reaching safely. It's the longest active streak in the majors and the longest by a Cub since Ben Zobrist reached in 25 straight games in 2017. Javier Baez singled in the 10th, extending his career-best hitting streak to 13 games.
SOLID CONTACT
Darvish singled for his first hit of the season and only the sixth of his career. In the first two games of the series, Cubs starters have four hits. Kyle Hendricks had a career-high three hits in a 3-1 win on Tuesday.
Posted to Generalna
05/16/2019
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Daniel Norris rediscovered his rhythm, Nicholas Castellanos maintained his and the Detroit Tigers (Detroit Tigers championship rings for sale) left Minnesota with a series split. Norris turned in his longest outing since 2017 and, backed by Castellanos' three hits, led the Tigers to a 5-3 victory over the Twins on Sunday in the finale of a four-game set. "I guess I re-found the delivery I was using in the spring," Norris said, "and it kind of got me back over my front side and kind of finished the ball better." Castellanos, who hit a two-run homer, was a triple shy of the cycle. He and Brandon Dixon both homered early to back Norris (2-1), who went 6 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked one. It was the left-hander's longest start since also pitching 6 1/3 innings on May 24, 2017. "That delivery I found in the spring helped uptick my velocity a little bit more," Norris said. "I'm not really sure why I got away from that."
Ehire Adrianza homered and had two hits for the Twins (championship rings for sale), but designated hitter Nelson Cruz exited early with a left wrist injury. Cruz's final plate appearance came in the sixth inning and he was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh. Cruz said he will have an MRI on Monday. Castellanos and Dixon both homered into the second deck in left field off Martin Perez (5-1) to give the Tigers an early 3-0 lead. Detroit has hit seven homers in its last three games. Five came during Saturday's doubleheader split. "It's huge," Dixon said. "It's a tough series on the road, playing four games in three days. To get two, especially the way we did, I think we really battled and came through."
Perez gave up three runs and four hits in five innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. He was reinstated from the paternity list prior to the game following the birth of his son on Thursday. Perez left in the sixth after being hit in the left foot by a line drive off Castellanos' bat. The Twins said he has a bruised left foot and is day to day. Perez said he'll be ready for his next start. "I think it was a great game," he added. "We hit, but we didn't score so many runs. That happens. It's part of the game. We'll stay focused and move forwards and just come back tomorrow." Niko Goodrum added a sacrifice fly and Miguel Cabrera had an RBI single in the seventh for the Tigers. "I still would like to put up 10 runs and not have these two-run games, one-run games all the time," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I hope, when the weather gets a little bit better, we'll put some better swings. We did early in the game today, put some really nice swings out there, and that's fun to see." Castellanos has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games. He's batting .318 (21 for 66) with four doubles, two triples, three homers and eight RBI in that stretch. Sunday was his 10th multihit game of the season.
Adrianza's solo homer came in the seventh, when Minnesota scored three times to cut Detroit's (mlb world series championship rings) lead to 5-3 and left the bases loaded. It took the combination of Norris and relievers Victor Alcantara, Daniel Stumpf and Buck Farmer to get the Tigers out of the inning. Shane Greene pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 15 attempts. Byron Buxton had a season-high three hits for Minnesota, including an RBI single in the seventh.
"We had our opportunities and weren't able to put runs across early," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "We continued at it and had good at-bats late in the game and gave ourselves a chance to tie and maybe win the game. We had chances. It just wasn't our day." Ana Mercedes Astudillo, the mother of Twins catcher Willians Astudillo, threw out the first pitch. Willians Astudillo, who is from Venezuela, was reinstated from the 10-day injured list before the game. He batted leadoff and started behind the plate.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: RHP Tyson Ross (1-5, 6.11 ERA) is headed to the injured list with right elbow ulnar neuritis. . INF Harold Castro will be optioned to Triple-A Toledo. . INF Josh Harrison (bruised left shoulder) will be activated from the injured list before Monday's game against the Astros. Harrison was 2 for 3 with a walk in a rehab game at Class A Lakeland on Saturday night. Twins: Astudillo missed the previous 14 games with a left hamstring strain. To make room on the roster for him and Perez, Minnesota (cheap Minnesota Twins championship rings) optioned RHPs Fernando Romero and Kohl Stewart to Triple-A Rochester.
Posted to Generalna
05/13/2019
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Damian Lillard had 32 points, including 17 in the third quarter, and the Portland Trail Blazers (cheap Portland Trail Blazers championship rings) staved off elimination to force a decisive Game 7 in their series with Denver with a 119-108 victory on Thursday night.
The Nuggets head home with a chance to make it to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2009. Denver has been to the conference finals three times in franchise history.
The winner of Sunday's game will face the winner of the series between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. The defending NBA champion (custom nba championship rings) Warriors have a 3-2 advantage in the series after a 104-99 victory on Wednesday night. Game 6 is set for Friday in Houston.
CJ McCollum added 30 points for the Blazers, who haven't advanced to the conference finals since the 2000 playoffs. Rodney Hood came off the bench with a career playoff-high 25 points and fans at the Moda Center drowned out his postgame on-court interview by chanting "Rodney! Rodney!"
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Jamal Murray added 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Seth Curry's 3-pointer gave the Blazers a 101-88 lead with 7:24 left. Things got heated midway through the final period after Jokic was called for an offensive foul and the players got into a shoving match and had to be separated. After a review, there were offsetting technicals involving Denver's Will Barton and Torrey Craig, and Curry and Zach Collins for Portland.
Lillard hit an off-balance jumper that put Portland up 106-93. The Nuggets got within 113-103 with 1:04 left, but Craig and Jokic fouled out and Portland closed out the win.
The Nuggets were in this situation before: They lost on the road to San Antonio in Game 6 in the opening round, forcing that series to return to Denver for the deciding game.
After Portland (championship sports rings) won the quadruple-overtime marathon of Game 3, Denver beat Portland at home to even the series. Then Paul Millsap had 24 points to spark Denver's 124-98 blowout of the Blazers on Tuesday night -- and put Portland on the verge of elimination.
Maurice Harkless dunked to start the game and the crowd at the Moda Center booed each time Jokic got the ball. But the Nuggets built an early 16-7 lead after Murray's 3-pointer.
Denver extended the lead to as many as 10 points in the opening quarter but Portland went on an 11-4 run to start the second quarter that closed the gap to 38-37.
The Blazers tied it at 45 but Jokic's basket held them at bay until Lillard's 3-pointer gave Portland the lead. Lillard added a layup to extend it and Portland led 58-54 at halftime after outscoring the Nuggets 32-20.
Torrey Craig's 3-pointer tied the game at 69-all midway through the third quarter, but the Nuggets were unable to pull back in front until Jokic 3-pointer made it 76-75. Lillard answered with his own 3 to reclaim the lead.
Lillard's sixth 3-pointer of the game put Portland up 83-78. He had 17 points in the third quarter alone and the Blazers led 87-80 going into the fourth.
Jokic collected his fourth foul with just over two minutes left in the third quarter and headed to the bench.
Nuggets: Denver won the regular-season series against the Blazers 3-1. ... Jokic led all scorers with 16 points in the first half. ... Gary Harris has scored in double figures for nine straight games.
Trail Blazers: Portland went to the playoffs for 21 straight seasons from 1983-2003. ... The Blazers team that last made the conference finals included Scottie Pippen and Arvydas Sabonis. Mike Dunleavy was the coach. Portland won its lone NBA title in 1977. ... Jusuf Nurkic, the Blazers' big man who was injured late in the season, watched from Portland's bench in the second half.
TAKING A BREAK: The Nuggets took Wednesday night off, and coach Michael Malone and his assistants found a local brewery.
"Enjoyed some of Portland's beer, and just sitting outside and just talking about our team and talking about what's going on back home," Malone said. "Sometimes you have to force yourself to get away from it. It can't be just all the time, you have to find ways to have balance in your life. "
Posted to Generalna
05/10/2019
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Posted to Generalna
05/10/2019
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