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Four paths Blue Jays could take in high-stakes summer

Fri, 05/10/2024 - 07:12

TORONTO — The baseball calendar forces several natural decision points, and the one looming ahead of the July 30 trade deadline is particularly fraught for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Though 77 per cent of their schedule remains, a stretch of 10 losses in 14 outings that left them 17-20 highlighted just how much is at stake this summer.

With 17 players set to reach free agency over the next two winters and a farm system ranked 23rd by FanGraphs and 24th by both Baseball America and MLB.com, the Blue Jays’ window of opportunity appears to be shrinking. As a result, each and every streak, hot or cold, seems destined to amplify emotions about what comes next.

To help frame the spectrum of possibilities, consider these two extremes: the 2015 Blue Jays and the 2016 New York Yankees.

On July 27, 2015, the Blue Jays were 50-50 when former GM Alex Anthopoulos began a wild week of addition. They finished the season 43-19, rallied to win the American League East and went to the ALCS in consecutive seasons.

“The guys in that clubhouse, they deserve it,” Anthopoulos said after trading for left-hander David Price from the Tigers that July 30. “They’ve played extremely well — I think we all feel like we’re better than what we’ve shown so far. And this is a move that makes the club stronger.”

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On the flip side, the Yankees were 50-48 on July 25, 2016, when GM Brian Cashman decided against holding on in the hopes of contending, or even buying to bolster a push, instead beginning a sell-off by sending Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs.

Deals for Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova followed, returning a significant prospect haul fronted by Gleyber Torres. It was a stunning retreat — one taken with no regret.

“You don’t want to double down when things are going bad, in my opinion,” Cashman said during an interview with Sportsnet in May 2017. “We needed to improve the foundation and relieve ourselves of some obligations at the same time, so move older players and the contracts committed to them, which makes room for younger players, gives us financial flexibility and then the prospects we get back, too. We’re adding to the foundation, which hopefully plays well for the future.”

It very much did, as the Yankees returned to the playoffs in 2017, the first in a run of six straight post-season trips that ended last year.

A key factor in both of the above decisions was run-differential. In 2015, when the Blue Jays were 50-50, they were plus-95 and had an expected won-loss record of 59-41, signalling they were underperforming their talent. In 2016, when the Yankees were 50-48, they were minus-25 with an expected record of 46-52, suggesting they were overperforming their ability.

The 2024 Blue Jays – currently at minus-44 – have plenty of runway left before decision time arrives, and access to a wide range of possibilities between those two buy-sell extremes, but tough decisions are coming either way.

Let’s take an early look at some potential approaches:

At the Letters

Ben Nicholson-Smith is Sportsnet’s baseball editor. Arden Zwelling is a senior writer. Together, they bring you the most in-depth Blue Jays podcast in the league, covering off all the latest news with opinion and analysis, as well as interviews with other insiders and team members.

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Play it out

It’s early May. The Blue Jays are three games under .500. It’s been tough, but there are worse places to be with 125 games to go and three wild cards up for grabs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and George Springer are likely to put up numbers. The bullpen should stabilize and the rotation is strong enough to consistently put this team in position to win. Plus, there’s the possibility of help from the farm from the likes of Orelvis Martinez, Spencer Horwitz, Addison Barger and, once healthy, Ricky Tiedemann.

THE CASE FOR: If things play out, you give your players a chance to turn it around without closing off possibilities later in the summer. As flawed as this group may look, Springer, Guerrero and Bichette have extended track records suggesting better things are ahead for this lineup, even if it never becomes a powerhouse like the 2021-22 groups.

Ultimately, the goal is to win, and selling shouldn’t be Plan A for a team coming off consecutive playoff appearances. Plus, six teams per league make the playoffs, so you don’t have to be an elite club to qualify. As last year’s Diamondbacks showed, even middling regular-season teams can go on memorable runs.

If you give up now, you close yourself off to those possibilities — and to what end? Even if the Blue Jays do end up selling, they can get just as much back in July, or maybe even more than if they were to try to force buyers into action in May.

THE CASE AGAINST: Let’s say the Blue Jays are 53-55 at the trade deadline, decide to hold and then miss the playoffs. They’d miss chances to restock the farm system by dealing pending free agents, especially someone such as Yimi Garcia, who would be in high demand in late July but isn’t a candidate to receive a qualifying offer and set up a future draft pick, like Yusei Kikuchi might.

In some ways, that’s the worst-case scenario, one that would be more bearable if their farm system was more flush with prospects waiting to emerge. No post-season and no infusion of prospects or high draft picks becomes a double penalty.

Adding to the risk is the possibility that a pending free agent suffers an injury that sends their value to zero, another nightmare scenario that could undercut both the current club and the chance to recoup prospect capital if a pivot is necessary.

At the same time, trade markets rarely develop this early, and with the exception of A.J. Preller, San Diego’s relentless and unpredictable GM, executives aren’t typically forcing the issue so early in the year.

VERDICT: The Blue Jays’ most logical option is to stay the course for now while making additions to the edges of the roster whenever possible. That approach keeps all options open. But as viable a pathway as it is with so much schedule left, it’s also an incredibly risky move to wait all summer without choosing a direction. As they learn more about their record, performance and health, the Blue Jays must be ready to shift, even if it’s uncomfortable.

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The assumption going into the season was that the Blue Jays would be buyers, just as they have been ahead of each of the last four deadlines. Ideally, the big-league team would play well enough to justify this approach once again. Win, buy, win more — sounds like a dream summer for GM Ross Atkins, but that’s not where the Blue Jays are, either.

If they do decide to add, it’s easy to see where they could upgrade. Relief help and starting-pitching depth are always on the table for contenders, and the Blue Jays could consider left fielders, second basemen and third basemen as they explore offensive upgrades. They could look at longer-term pieces such as Brent Rooker, Ryan McMahon and Gavin Sheets or rental types such as Starling Marte, Tommy Pham and Jesse Winker.

On paper, it’s simple enough, but the big questions here would be how soon to add and how much to give up.

THE CASE FOR: In 2021, the Blue Jays waited too long to fix a dreadful bullpen, and several blown leads in May and June that summer ended up costing them in a big way when they missed the playoffs by one measly game. The sooner they bolster this group, the longer they have to leverage the impact.

If you’re going to go for it, then, really go for it. Most prospects don’t pan out, as evidenced by win-now deals the front office pulled off for the likes of Jose Berrios, Matt Chapman and Robbie Ray. Does anyone still miss Austin Martin, Gunnar Hoglund or Travis Bergen? Plus, adding now would send an important message to players in the clubhouse about the organizational confidence in this group.

Worst case, if you go for it now and realize in eight weeks that it was a mistake, you can always flip players at the deadline. It’s not ideal, but as the Padres showed with their Juan Soto trades, difference-making players are always in demand.

THE CASE AGAINST: If this season really isn’t going to end with a playoff berth, there’s power in realizing that sooner than later instead of spending more prospect capital on a bet that’s just not working. Some incremental gains to a .500 team isn’t going to fundamentally transform things, after all.

Most importantly, you save your prospect inventory. The Blue Jays have invested heavily in their player development infrastructure. Trust it and allow the young talent already in-house to augment the big-league team, rather than depleting it further for short-term external help.

VERDICT: Within a month, the Blue Jays will have a much clearer sense of where they fit in the post-season picture. If they climb back to relevance, that clears the path to becoming buyers for the fifth year in a row. But there’s also a ton of risk in surrendering young talent if the playoff probability isn’t higher than the current 26 per cent. So far, this team hasn’t played well enough to justify giving up top prospects.

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If it becomes apparent that 2024 isn’t going to be the Blue Jays’ year, the front office must explore ways to turn pending free agents into players who can help in 2025 and beyond. That means listening with genuine openness on the likes of Kikuchi, Garcia, Danny Jansen, Justin Turner and Kevin Kiermaier, all of whom are in the final years of their deals.

A partial reset would likely make the Blue Jays a worse team down the stretch in 2024, but if they target players close to big-league readiness, they wouldn’t necessarily be waving a total white flag. Case in point, the Tigers and Pirates were both above .500 after last year’s trade deadline despite selling.

By holding onto core players like Guerrero Jr. and Bichette, the Blue Jays would still position themselves to contend in 2025, when they could combine this group with their trade returns plus free agents from a class headlined by Juan Soto that also includes Alex Bregman, Willy Adames, Teoscar Hernandez and the players they’d trade.

If such a scenario were to occur, team president and CEO Mark Shapiro would also need to decide if Atkins is the right person to make such a pivot. Atkins has done this once before, selling off pieces from the 2015-16 teams and returning a handful of big-leaguers, highlighted by Hernandez, but should he get another chance? Further complicating the situation is that Shapiro’s contract expires after the 2025 season, while Atkins’ runs through 2026.

THE CASE FOR: Kikuchi looks like someone who should start playoff games, and the way Garcia is pitching, he could record the final outs of a post-season series. If the Blue Jays do end up selling, they’d be among the top pitchers available — maybe even the top starting pitcher and the top reliever on the market.

Think back to last year, when the Royals got Cole Ragans from the Rangers for Aroldis Chapman. Or even the trade the Blue Jays made with the Cardinals for Jordan Hicks, sending prospects Adam Kloffenstein (5.35 ERA at triple-A) and Sem Robberse (2.81 ERA at triple-A) to St. Louis. A return along those lines should be on the table for Garcia.

As for Kikuchi, starting pitching is consistently in demand in late July, putting the Blue Jays in a powerful position. But they’d need to do better than they did the last time they sold a coveted left-handed starter, dealing J.A. Happ to the Yankees for Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney in 2018. Better to draw inspiration from the 2017 deal that brought in Teoscar Hernandez for Francisco Liriano.

Either way, any return should be greater than the compensatory pick the Blue Jays would get if Kikuchi declines a qualifying offer and signs elsewhere this off-season. Plus, if the Blue Jays go down this path, they’d open up playing time to learn more about their own players Barger, Horwitz and Martinez while taking flyers on interesting newcomers via trade and waivers.

And while Garcia and Kikuchi fit on any contender and would likely be the Blue Jays’ most coveted players, it would make sense to also listen on Jansen, Turner and Kiermaier, as any infusion of contractually controlled talent strengthens their base for 2025 and beyond.

As Cashman showed with the Yankees, the right short-term pivot can pay off for years as opposed to taking a low-percentage chance at a wild-card spot.

“Listen, we’re about championships. You can see the flags all over for all the titles,” Cashman said during that 2017 interview, pointing to the banners on the façade ringing the stands at Yankee Stadium. “We don’t hang wild cards up here. We don’t hang division titles up here. We hang the 27 championship titles around the ballpark.”

THE CASE AGAINST: Giving up on a season is a gutting decision. Depending on their record, selling could be unpopular in the clubhouse. Let’s say the Blue Jays are five games under .500 at the deadline, for instance. That could lead to disappointment for players, many of whom are veterans with few remaining chances to win it all.

At the same time, there’s a solution to that: play better, and this team will be buying rather than selling. Ultimately, the path ahead can’t be dictated by clubhouse vibes but there are other potential downsides even beyond questions of morale.

For instance, re-signing Kikuchi might be harder once you trade him elsewhere. The Blue Jays could be viewed as a less attractive landing spot in free agency next year and it would create even more pressure heading into 2025.

And a sell-off could badly impact attendance over the final two months of the season and advance sales into next year, which isn’t ideal immediately after completing a $400-million stadium renovation.

VERDICT: Despite the downside, if the Blue Jays are more than a few games under .500 and several games out of a playoff spot at the trade deadline, they should sell with a view toward 2025 and beyond. That would likely mean dealing Kikuchi, Garcia and any other pending free agents who bring real prospects in return. It would be painful but necessary.

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There’s also the option no one wants — a total rebuild. To be clear, there’s no indication from leadership that this kind of course change is being considered. Publicly, Blue Jays decision-makers continue expressing optimism about the current window.

But, for argument’s sake, let’s consider what this might look like. Along with deals for their pending free agents, the Blue Jays would generate lots of trade interest in players with more team control, too.

Among the 2025 free agents on this roster are Bichette, Guerrero Jr., Jordan Romano, Chris Bassitt, Erik Swanson, Chad Green, Cavan Biggio, Tim Mayza and Genesis Cabrera. That’s a lot of talent — not the kind of group you move off because you’re a few games under .500 in May, or surrender if you think you can make another run in 2025.

But just as we’ve considered best-case scenarios above, there are extremes on the other side. Players with term are highly coveted at the trade deadline. If nothing else, the Blue Jays could gauge the market for their 2025-26 free agent class and use the information before July 30, next off-season, or before the 2025 trade deadline.

Shapiro is too judicious and methodical to act impulsively, so taking this course would likely mean things have gone so poorly this year that the Blue Jays’ chances next year have also been submarined. Imagine multiple injuries that carry over into 2025. Or a near roster-wide collapse in performance.

And, again, if the Blue Jays went this route, they’d have to decide who oversees the process.

THE CASE FOR: If executed well, this is a way to fast-track a rebuild by completely bolstering the farm system’s foundation, while setting up a couple of early-round drafts. Opening up roster spots also allows the organization to audition several of the upper-level prospects currently in-house to see if any core pieces emerge from the likes of Horwitz, Barger, Martinez, Damiano Palmegiani, Alan Roden, Josh Kasevich and others.

Given how few sellers are out there, particularly ones with the type of talent the Blue Jays could potentially make available, they would very much be in control of the market, able to leverage buyers against one another to maximize their return.

At the same time, they could redirect their newfound financial flexibility back into the free agent market for players to augment their developing group, the way they did coming out of the 2019 season when they signed Hyun Jin Ryu.

THE CASE AGAINST: Do you remember the misery of that 95-loss 2019? Rebuilds really suck, especially when they follow an unfulfilled competitive window. And they don’t always work, either. Think about how long the Tigers and Royals have been in purgatory, showing signs of turning the corner only recently. The Rockies and Marlins seem destined to never escape. So, you risk alienating your fanbase for an uncertain future that may or may not bear fruit. Yikes.

Then, let’s remember that other teams aren’t in a rush to surrender their top prospects. Every once in a while you get a Fernando Tatis Jr. for James Shields or Yordan Alvarez for Josh Fields or Hernandez for Liriano. But, generally, buying teams are trying to keep the prospects they truly believe in, and trade those they deem less likely to succeed in the majors. That further complicates the situation for sellers. Getting these deals right is really hard.

And then your players may not be worth all that you think they are. Salaries can limit a player’s market, as buyers are loath to both surrender prospect capital and take on big money. Shorter periods of control mean smaller returns, too. Buyers don’t always make off like bandits and all that remains is pain.

VERDICT: This scenario looks extremely unlikely. The Blue Jays front office has built up to this moment for years, and giving up on the final season of Guerrero Jr. and Bichette, especially now that the stadium renovation is completed, seems counterintuitive. As things stand now, it appears to be a very last resort.

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Toronto awarded WNBA expansion team for 2026 season

Fri, 05/10/2024 - 06:46

The WNBA will expand internationally for the first time after selecting Toronto to be the home of its next team, Sportsnet can confirm.

CBC’s Shireen Ahmed was the first to report the agreement. An official announcement is expected later this month, according to Ahmed.

The Toronto WNBA team will be owned by Kilmer Sports Inc., which is led by MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum. The team is expected to enter the league in two years, in May of 2026, according to Ahmed.

Toronto will be the 14th franchise in the WNBA. The 13th team, based in San Francisco, will enter the league next season.

Toronto hosted a WNBA pre-season game in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,923 at Scotiabank Arena last May. Last week, the WNBA returned to Canada for a pre-season game in Edmonton with more than 16,000 tickets sold.

Interest in the WNBA is growing at an accelerated rate and will further be boosted by an infusion of rookie star power this season, headlined by Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese. Last week, the WNBA announced it would be providing full-time charter flights to all its teams for the first time, a sign that the business of women’s basketball has never been stronger.

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Playoff Takeaways: Heiskanen steps up as Stars even up series with Avalanche

Fri, 05/10/2024 - 00:30

This time they managed to hang on.

Barely.

Despite a late third-period scare that saw the Colorado Avalanche get within a goal of erasing a four-goal deficit, the Dallas Stars preserved a 5-3 win Thursday night to tie the series 1-1.

They won the special teams battle, their goaltender was better, and the game’s star defenceman was someone other than Cale Makar.

Two nights after seeing a 3-0 first-period lead turn into a 4-3 overtime loss blamed largely on first-round fatigue, the Stars came up with an impressive response that saw them lead 4-0 heading into the third.

Some takeaways from a 5-3 Stars win that was very much in question until Esa Lindell found the empty net from 199 feet away:

STUD D-MAN STEPS UP

Often lauded as one of the top five blue liners in the game today, Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen scored a pair of power-play goals as part of his club’s stellar start.

The first saw him convert a brilliant cross from Roope Hintz he one-timed into the net.

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The second was a seeing-eye shot from the point that caught a piece of Andrew Cogliano’s stick on the way in.

The 24-year-old Finn, who finished seventh in Norris Trophy voting last season, has quietly gone about sitting fifth all-time in points per game amongst NHL defencemen under age 25 at .71 PPG.

The four ahead of him: Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, Makar and Sandis Ozolinsh.

BIG NIGHT FOR TOP CENTRE

If you had to wager on one man picking up four points in the game, you’d likely go with Nathan MacKinnon.

However, his six-game point streak actually came to an end, as did Mikko Rantanen’s, thanks to a steady diet of Chris Tanev all night.

It was, in fact, Roope Hintz who finally broke out offensively with a goal and three assists.

The Stars’ top-line centre had just a single goal to show for his previous eight games, demonstrating just how much depth Dallas counted on to get by the defending champion Golden Knights in Round 1.

Tyler Seguin also broke through with the eventual game-winner, which he scored shorthanded late in the second period to record his first goal of the postseason

“It added to the excitement on the bench,” said Jason Robertson.

“Those guys have been trying all playoffs to get one. Now I’m sure the momentum and confidence are going to keep going.”

HEAD SHOT CONTROVERSY?

A big moment of the game came when Jamie Benn caught Devon Toews with his head down behind the net, leveling the Avalanche defenceman with a high, heavy hit that prompted the defenceman to leave the game briefly.

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Originally whistled for a major penalty on the hit, a video review by the league reversed the call, suggesting the initial contact wasn’t to the head.

Avs coach Jared Bednar disagreed.

“Toews is fine. It’s a physical game, and it’s a physical player. I don’t know what to say. Does he catch a piece of his shoulder? Yes, I guess you could argue that, but the target is high and it’s at his head, and he makes contact with his head. I have seen many times guys get called for the headshot penalties with a lot less than that, but I guess they didn’t think so. This time of the year you have to play through some of that stuff. But, for me, it just makes me wonder, again, what the rule is. We will never probably figure it out, but it is what it is. You have to play through it, and I am glad he is OK. It’s a physical game this time of year, but I can’t understand how it’s not a penalty even if it isn’t a five (minute major).”

WHERE IT GOT AWAY

Bednar did well to explain how a 1-0 game got away from his club in the second period when the Stars scored three times on 15 shots and took over the game with a second power-play goal and a shorty.

“The second period, for me, is where it fell apart. Just not sharp. You can just go to the penalties alone, and it shows you’re not sharp. We had two too many men on the ice penalties and you get two over-the-glass penalties unforced, so it’s eight minutes of power play you are giving a really good power play team, and the rest of our execution and frustration keeps building from there. I did not like the second period at all. It just lasted too long. Too long of them dominating, too many odd-man rushes and gains. Just not disciplined and too stubborn with the puck, and it lacked the work needed to have success. Then, we turned around in the third and go to work, and that’s what happens.”

NHL RECORD IN SIGHT

With four minutes left, Valeri Nichushkin silenced the American Airlines Center by netting his ninth goal of this year’s playoffs.

Not only did it put the result in question, and tie him with Zach Hyman for the post-season lead, but it extended his playoff-opening goal streak to seven games, tying Pat LaFontaine (1992) for the longest playoff-opening goal streak in NHL lore.

The seven-game streak also ties him with Joe Sakic (1996) and

Claude Lemieux (1997) for the longest overall goal streak in franchise history.

Game 3 goes Saturday in Denver.

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Avalanche coach Bednar doesn’t get why Stars’ Benn wasn’t penalized

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 23:44

Jared Bednar isn’t sure he understands some NHL rules.

The Colorado Avalanche coach can’t figure out why Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn wasn’t sent to the penalty box after his high, hard hit on Avs defenceman Devon Toews early in the second period of Game 2 of their second-round series on Thursday.

Benn’s shoulder appeared initially to made contact with Toews in the upper shoulder or neck area, perhaps just below the head at first on the hit behind the Colorado net. Toews’ head snapped back and hit Dallas forward Wyatt Johnston in the chest.

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The play originally was not called a penalty, but referees Francis Charron and Frederick L’Ecuyer then huddled and called a major penalty and said it would be reviewed.

After a quick chat with the replay centre, the major call was reversed. Bednar, whose team was trailing 2-0 at the time, made his displeasure known on the bench.

“Does he catch a piece of his shoulder? Yeah, I guess you can argue that. But the target is high. It’s at his head, it makes contact with the head,” Bednar said following Colorado’s 5-3 loss.

“I’ve seen many times guys get called for the headshot penalty with a lot less than that. But I guess they didn’t think so and this time of the year, you’ve got to play through some of that stuff. But for me, it makes me wonder again what rules I know and don’t know and will never probably figure out.

“It is what it is, you’ve got to play through it and I’m glad he’s OK. It’s a physical game this time of year. But I can’t understand how it wasn’t (at least) a penalty, even if it wasn’t a five.”

A trainer came out to attend to Toews, who exited briefly before returning to the game.

Rule 48.1 in the NHL rulebook focuses on illegal checks to the head. Part of it states: the refs must consider “whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponent’s body and the head was not picked as a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach, or unnecessary extension of the body upward or outward” when determining whether head contact was avoidable.

The series is now tied at 1-1.

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Is player change on the horizon for Maple Leafs this off-season?

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 23:28

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NBA Game 2 Highlights: Mavericks 119, Thunder 110

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 23:00

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NHL Game 2 Highlights: Stars 5, Avalanche 3

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 22:54

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Doncic scores 29 points as Mavericks top Thunder to even series

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 22:37

OKLAHOMA CITY — Luka Doncic limped around the court, often grimacing as he played through a sprained right knee and a bloodied left knee.

His shooting stroke was unaffected. He had 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to help the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-110 on Thursday night and even the Western Conference semifinals at one win apiece.

“I think that was one of the hardest games I’ve had to play,” Doncic said. “I’m battling out there trying to do my best to help the team win.”

The Thunder held Doncic to 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting in Game 1. He made 11 of 21 field goals in Game 2. Throughout, he had frequent conversations with the officials — enough to draw the ire of Thunder fans, who booed him and directed chants his way.

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“That’s great for me,” he said. “I love it.”

P.J. Washington added 29 points and 11 rebounds and made 7 of 11 3-pointers for the Mavericks. He averaged 12.9 points in the regular season.

“I thought P.J. set the tone,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “We played through him a little bit in the post and I think that sparked him. He was big for us tonight.”

Kyrie Irving added nine points and 11 assists for the No. 5-seeded Mavericks, who host Game 3 on Saturday after taking home-court advantage from the top-seeded Thunder.

Doncic expects the Thunder to be prepared.

“They have great players,” Doncic said. “They have great chemistry, great team. And it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be a fight till the end. So, just much respect to Oklahoma (City), but it’s big time we won this game.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and Jalen Williams added 20 points for the Thunder, who lost for the first time in the postseason and allowed more than 100 points for the first time in their six playoff games.

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The Mavericks played with desperation, just like they did in the first round when they beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2 and took home court from them.

“I feel like it was a must-win game for us,” Washington said. “And those games, I feel like are where we play our best.”

Doncic made his first three shots and scored eight points in the first three minutes to help Dallas take a 13-2 lead. He scored 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the first quarter, but the Thunder had the play of the quarter. Oklahoma City inbounded from under the Dallas goal with 1.4 seconds left. Jaylin Williams threw it long for Chet Holmgren, who caught the ball while defended by two Mavericks in traffic, turned around and hit a long 2-point jumper to cut Dallas’ lead to 36-32.

Dallas led 68-62 at halftime. Both teams made 25 of 47 shots before the break, but Dallas made 12 3s to Oklahoma City’s six.

Oklahoma City tied it at 70 on a baseline jumper by Gilgeous-Alexander two minutes into the second half. Aaron Wiggins, who started the second half in place of Josh Giddey, scored from in close to give the Thunder a 72-71 lead, their first advantage of the game.

Dallas rallied, largely with Doncic resting. After he returned, his lob for a dunk by Derrick Jones Jr. put the Mavericks up 99-85 late in the third quarter, and they took a 99-89 lead into the fourth.

A powerful two-handed putback dunk by Williams cut Dallas’ lead to 99-95, but the Mavericks responded. Doncic took advantage of a screen by Dereck Lively II and hit a 3-pointer to put Dallas up 104-95 with nine minutes remaining. The Thunder never got closer than five points the rest of the way.

“We’ve got a really good opponent that played really well tonight,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We tried to scrap back into it. I thought our effort was really good tonight. I thought we tried to gear it up a couple different times. I thought where we left something to be desired was execution.”

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Playoff Takeaways: Rangers stay unbeaten in post-season, take 3-0 stranglehold on Hurricanes

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 21:05

The New York Rangers took a stranglehold on the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-0 lead in their second-round series thanks to a 3-2 overtime win on Thursday night.

It was an absolute heartbreaker for the Hurricanes, who tied things up with 1:36 to go in the third period, to the absolute delight of their raucous home crowd in Raleigh. But fewer than two minutes into overtime, Artemi Panarin deflected one in to give New York the win, sucking the air out of PNC Arena.

This is the seventh straight win for New York, who are perfect these playoffs after sweeping Washington in Round 1.

Carolina badly outshot New York for the third straight game, and got nothing in return for its efforts. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin was again his team’s best player.

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Here are our takeaways from New York’s incredible seventh straight playoff win:

Good start for the Canes, Guentzel heating up

This game felt promising for Carolina early on, and it was Jake Guentzel who gave the Hurricanes the 1-0 lead midway through the first, tipping in a Dmitry Orlov point shot.

The Caniac fans lost it and the smoke machines went off after that, and PNC Arena was rocking.

The 29-year-old Guentzel is heating up, as he’s been known to do this time of year, with three goals in the last two games. He now has 65 points in 65 career playoff games.

Bad blood

There was a bit of an on-ice rumble late in the first, and it resulted in four penalties — two for each team.

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It started when Rangers centre Barclay Goodrow skated in hard and gave Hurricanes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov a poke on the glove, and that set everybody off. Jimmy Vesey went after Orlov. Goodrow starting yapping at the Hurricanes bench, who had plenty to say back. A bunch of skirmishes went on, and then Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Vesey threw their gloves down to fight, but the refs quickly broke that up.

During a TV timeout, Hurricanes defender Tony DeAngelo dropped his gloves while he was standing in front of his bench, yelling at a bunch of Rangers standing in front of their bench.

Tensions were high.

Big test for Kochetkov

After two straight losses to open this series, the Hurricanes opted to give Frederik Andersen a rest, and turned to Kochetkov.

It marked Kochetkov’s first game this post-season, and his second playoff start ever. The 24-year-old Russian netminder hadn’t started a game since April 14.

He wasn’t tested a whole lot early, but Kochetkov came up with some big saves in the game, including a beautiful poke-check on Filip Chytil, who returned to New York’s lineup after being out with an injury since January.

Kochetkov gave his team a chance to win on Thursday, and had 22 saves in the loss.

Shorty equalizer

As if the Hurricanes power play wasn’t woeful enough — 0-14 in this series so far — the Rangers tied things up in the second period while a man down.

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Off a broken play, Mika Zibanejad picked up the puck off the boards and headed up the left wing, while Chris Kreider drove to the net like a rocket. Zibanejad hit him with a nice little saucer pass, which Kreider deflected off his backhand to beat Kochetkov five-hole.

Kreider then launched himself into the glass in celebration — a 32-inch vertical, as measured by Sportsnet’s Hockey Central panel. None of the Carolina fans in those front rows liked that jump one bit.

Kreider now has three goals in the last two games.

Quick release go-ahead goal

Panarin fought off a check and managed to shovel a backhand pass over to Alexis Lafreniere, and the 22-year-old got his wrist shot off immediately, firing it through the legs of the defender, and into the top corner, glove side, to give the Rangers their first lead in this game, 6:25 into the third.

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It was Lafreniere’s third goal of the post-season, and he’s now riding a four-game point streak.

There were a few Rangers fans sitting in the front row, and they were all on their feet, and an amped-up Lafreniere skated over there during his celebration and yelled, “What’s up!” while he got hugs from his teammates.

What was up? The Rangers were, 2-1.

Svechnikov comes up huge

The game-tying goal came from just the guy you expected to pot it: Andrei Svechnikov.

The winger had been buzzing all game, creating opportunities with his size and speed and hands, and this one came after Carolina had pulled their goalie, with just 1:36 on the clock and fans on their feet.

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Svechnikov pounced on a rebound in the slot and beat Svechnikov on the blocker side, sending those fans into an absolute tizzy and eventually sending this game into overtime.

Breadman the OT hero

Last game’s hero in double-OT, Vincent Trochek, picked up a rim around the boards and dished it over to Panarin, and with a quick deflection, that was that. This one was over just 1:43 into overtime.

Panarin ran on the ice, then pretended to kick a field goal just before his teammates covered him with hugs.

Game 4 is Saturday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet at PNC Arena.

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Categories: Canada Sports News, Ontario Sports News, Pro Sports News

Boston goalie Frankel shines in OT win over Montreal in PWHL semifinal opener

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 20:46

LAVAL, Que. — Montreal dominated the play all night and appeared destined to leave its Professional Women’s Hockey League playoffs opener with a win.

Boston netminder Aerin Frankel had other plans.

Frankel made a PWHL-record 53 saves and Susanna Tapani scored in overtime as Boston stole a 2-1 win over Montreal in Game 1 of their best-of-five semifinal series on Thursday.

“Tremendous,” Boston head coach Courtney Kessel said of her goalie. “Just when you think everyone is beat on the ice, she comes flying across the net.”

Tapani pounced on a loose puck in the blue paint at 14:25 of the extra period for the first overtime goal in PWHL playoff history.

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Earlier in overtime, Frankel played hero with a desperation dive across the crease to deny Montreal’s Mélodie Daoust, who was on the doorstep with a gaping net.

“Frankel played really well, we had 54 shots, I think it’s the first time we’ve done that,” Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin said. “We just have to keep with it, keep throwing a lot of shots at the net, hinder her sight, putting traffic in front of her.”

Lexie Adzija scored in regulation for Boston. Defender Megan Keller led all skaters with 37:33 in time-on-ice.

The visitors entered the series with wins in four of their final five games, including a 4-3 victory over Montreal in the final game of the regular season to clinch a playoff berth.

Kristin O’Neill scored and Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 24 shots for Montreal before 9,135 towel-waving fans at Place Bell.

Despite the loss, Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie believes her team’s performance bodes well for the remainder of the series.

“We can’t dwell on it too much,” Cheverie said. “We had our opportunities to score, obviously need to put a couple of those in. It’s disappointing.

“But if I look at the game as a whole, I’m happy with what our group did, what they were able to achieve in this game and I think that gives us momentum moving forward.”

Montreal finished second in the PWHL regular season and six points ahead of third-place Boston. Game 2 in the series is Saturday in Laval.

“It’s a loss that hurts, you always want to win the first game,” Poulin said. “But that’s what’s fun, we can come back. It’s not over.”

The winner meets Toronto or Minnesota in a best-of-five final for the Walter Cup. Toronto leads the other semifinal 1-0.

Montreal, which caught fire on the power play late in the season, went 1-for-5 in a chippy game that could have seen many more penalties. Boston was 0-for-2.

Laura Stacey nearly ended the game on a breakaway 10 minutes into the extra period but missed high after chasing down a stretch pass from Daoust.

“Stace probably could have had about four goals tonight,” Cheverie said.

Keller then put Montreal on the power play by slashing the stick out of Stacey’s hands.

Montreal, however, couldn’t bury a winner past Frankel, who remained humble post-game despite snatching a crucial road win for her team.

“I had a couple lucky bounces,” Frankel said. “Someone told me the puck was in my pants at one point and then fell out. … We had a little bit of puck luck tonight.”

“ (54) is too many shots and we did get some puck luck tonight, but we’ll take it,” added Kessel. “This is playoffs.”

With Boston trailing 1-0, Sophie Shirley cut to the inside and ripped a shot that hit Adzija’s stick and beat Desbiens to tie the game 1:48 into the third period.

Stacey received a pass from Montreal Poulin while streaking down the wing, but couldn’t tuck her backhand past Frankel with six minutes left.

“At that point when you have so many shots on net and it’s not going in, the other team’s holding their stick a little tight,” Kessel said. “Being on home ice and in this atmosphere, it kind of sets in on the other team.”

Montreal led the shots 43-18 by the end of regulation, but Boston built some momentum late in the third and carried it into overtime for Tapani’s winner.

“Probably relief,” Tapani said about her emotions after the goal. “I had a pretty good feeling we were gonna score at some point.”

O’Neill opened the scoring with a power-play goal 1:07 into the second period. Stacey’s one-timer hit Frankel’s shoulder and fell on the goal line before O’Neill knocked it into the net.

In the first period, Poulin danced around two Boston defenders on the rush before laying a pass to Stacey, but Frankel slid from post to post for an acrobatic toe save on the one-timer. Poulin hit the post from a tight angle on the rebound.

Tabin’s point shot in the final minute trickled through Frankel and rolled just wide of the net. Frankel then hooked Poulin to put Montreal on the power play — ultimately leading to O’Neill’s opener early in the second.

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MLB Roundup: Astros hold off Yankees to avoid series sweep

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 20:35

NEW YORK — Yordan Alvarez and Jon Singleton each hit long homers in the first inning for Houston who beat the New York to avoid being swept in the season series.

Alvarez hit a two-out solo shot off Marcus Stroman (2-2) into the second deck in right field measured at 116.8 mph. Two batters later, Singleton hit a two-run homer off the facade along the third deck clocked at 115.4 mph.

The Astros are the first team in the Statcast era (2015-present) to hit two homers measured at 115 mph off the bat in the same inning. The homers were the hardest-hit balls against the Yankees this season.

Jeremy Peña had two hits, including a fifth-inning RBI single, for the Astros, who were outscored 40-18 in the first six games this season — all losses — against the Yankees, whom they beat in the AL Championship Series in 2017, 2019 and 2022.

Houston has never gone winless against an opponent in a season series lasting longer than six games.

Anthony Volpe hit a two-run homer off Ronel Blanco (4-0) in the third, while Aaron Judge went deep off Ryan Pressly in the eighth for the Yankees before Josh Hader got the final four outs for his fourth save. It was the first time Hader recorded more than three outs in a save since Aug. 14, 2020.

DIAMONDBACKS 5, REDS 4

CINCINNATI — Slade Cecconi pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, Corbin Carroll drove in the game-winning run with an eighth-inning single as Arizona hung on to beat Cincinnati 5-4 on Thursday, capping a series sweep and extending the Reds’ losing skid to eight games.

Joc Pederson homered in the first inning for Arizona, which won its fourth straight. Five different players drove in runs.

Spencer Steer’s two-out single in the seventh inning tied the game for the struggling Reds, but Carroll’s two-out hit in the eighth brought home Tucker Barnhart and gave Arizona a lead that stuck.

Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald struck out Will Benson and Tyler Stephenson and got TJ Friedl on a ground ball to pick up his first save.

Cecconi (2-2) went 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run and three hits while striking out two. Kevin Ginkel (2-0) pitched a scoreless inning to get the win.

Reds starter Hunter Greene had his streak of 15 1/3 scoreless innings snapped on Pederson’s homer.

TWINS 11, MARINERS 1

MINNEAPOLIS — Manny Margot highlighted a five-run first inning for Minnesota with a three-run double off Seattle ace Logan Gilbert, and Minnesota coasted to a victory over Seattle to win their fifth consecutive series.

Pablo López (4-2) pitched into the seventh with a season-high 10 strikeouts to win his third straight start. Ryan Jeffers and Max Kepler each homered and drove in two runs, Jose Miranda scored three runs on two hits and Margot matched his career high with five RBIs for the Twins (22-15), who won for the 15th time in their last 17 games.

This matchup of premier American League starting pitchers didn’t materialize at all. Gilbert (3-1) ominously issued a leadoff walk and hit his previous season high of five hits allowed in just eight batters.

ROCKIES 9, GIANTS 1

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DENVER — Ezequiel Tovar had a triple and double and Brenton Doyle hit a three-run homer in a seven-run outburst in the fourth inning as Colorado snapped a four-game skid with a win over San Francisco.

Colorado, which entered the game with the worst record in the majors, won for just the ninth time and avoided being swept for the fourth time this season.

Charlie Blackmon drove in two runs and finished a homer shy of hitting for the cycle for Colorado. The 37-year-old Blackmon has 762 career RBIs, fourth on Colorado’s franchise list.

BREWERS 7, CARDINALS 1

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MILWAUKEE — Rhys Hoskins, Jake Bauers and Joey Ortiz each homered to cool Sonny Gray as Milwaukee defeated St. Louis.

It was the fifth straight loss for the Cardinals, who opened a four-game series with the NL Central-leading Brewers.

William Contreras and Christian Yelich each went 3 of 4 for the Brewers. Jared Koenig (4-1) earned the win after pitching two scoreless innings of relief and working his way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth.

Gray (4-2) has been one of the last-place Cardinals’ few bright spots since signing a three-year, $75 million contract in the off-season, but the 2023 AL Cy Young Award runner-up couldn’t stop St. Louis’ slide.

Through his first five starts, Gray allowed a total of six runs, and only three were earned. His 0.89 ERA was the lowest since 1910 by any Cardinals pitcher in his first five appearances with the organization.

WHITE SOX 3, GUARDIANS 2

CHICAGO — Erick Fedde worked six scoreless innings, Tommy Pham had two hits and an RBI and the Chicago White Sox held on to beat Cleveland Guardians 3-2.

Chicago won its second straight and for the fourth time in six games to improve to 10-28. The White Sox no longer have the worst record in the majors, moving ahead of the Colorado Rockies, who are 9-28.

José Ramírez and Josh Naylor launched back-to-back solo homers off Chicago reliever John Brebbia with two outs in the eighth inning as AL Central-leading Cleveland cut Chicago’s lead to 3-2.

The 36-year-old Pham, who doubled, is batting .313 in 12 games since joining the White Sox.

Andrew Vaughn and Paul DeJong added RBIs for Chicago.

Chicago rookie Bryan Ramos had a single and double in his sixth game since being recalled from Double-A Birmingham. He is 7 for 18 (.389) in his major league debut season. Eloy Jiménez had two hits, including a double to the base of the wall.

ROYALS 10, ANGELS 4

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Dairon Blanco had three hits, including a two-run homer in the third inning, Michael Wacha picked up his first win in over a month and Kansas City rolled to a victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Vinnie Pasquantino also had a two-run homer in the third and drove in three runs for the Royals, who have won three of four. Pasquantino has nine RBIs in his last five games.

Maikel Garcia added three hits, including a two-run double in the sixth.

The Angels had five hits and are 4-12 at The Big A, the worst home start in franchise history.

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NHL Game 3 Highlights: Rangers 3, Hurricanes 2 (OT)

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 20:34

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Panarin’s tipper gives Rangers the overtime win in Game 3

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 20:24

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Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan dominates in opener of OHL final

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 19:49

It didn’t take long for Easton Cowan to make a major impact on the OHL championship series.

The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect had a career-high five points (one goal, four assists) as his London Knights crushed the visiting Oshawa Generals 8-1 in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday.

It was the most points by a Knights player in a playoff game since 2016 when current Leafs star Mitch Marner and Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers each had five in a contest.

Named the OHL’s most outstanding player for the regular season, Cowan has continued his strong play in the playoffs.

Cowan now has eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points in 16 playoff games, putting him second in the post-season scoring race.

The Leafs picked the native of Mount Brydges, Ont., in the first round (28th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Oliver Bonk, son of ex-NHLer Radek Bonk and a first-round Philadelphia Flyers pick in 2023, and Ruslan Gazizov led the Knights with two goals apiece in Game 1.

The Knights host Game 2 against the Generals on Saturday.

The winner of the series goes to the Memorial Cup in Saginaw, Mich.

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Mitchell’s 29 points help Cavaliers blow out Celtics, tie series at 1-1

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 19:47

BOSTON — Donovan Mitchell banked in a 3-pointer from a few steps beyond the top of the arc and could only shrug as he backpedaled back on defence. He followed with two baskets in the lane to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 16-point lead.

“Sometimes you get lucky,” Mitchell said after scoring 29 points to help Cleveland beat Boston 118-94 on Thursday night. “Shooters shoot.”

Two nights after losing the opener by 25 points, the Cavaliers answered with a blowout of their own, beating the top-seeded Celtics in Boston to tie their Eastern Conference semifinal series at one game apiece. The teams now head to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.

“We expected them to play better and they did,” Celtics centre Al Horford said. “They responded and we didn’t.”

Mitchell scored 33 points in the opener but got little help. On Thursday, the Cavs All-Star took just six shots and scored six points in the first half, while handing out five assists. Mitchell had 16 points in the third quarter and hit three straight baskets to start the fourth, including the 28-footer off the glass.

“I hadn’t shot much, trying to find ways to get guys involved early, and picking my spots. I was just continuing to find ways to apply pressure on them,” said Mitchell, who finished with eight assists and seven rebounds.

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“In the second half it was scoring,” he said. “Sometimes it’s assists. Sometimes it’s rebounds. Whatever it takes. And when it was time to go, it’s time to go. I knew at some point I was going to have to start, obviously, shooting.”

Jayson Tatum scored 25 for Boston, and Jaylen Brown added 19 points. But Derrick White, whose 25 points in Game 1 helped the Celtics coast to a 120-95 win, managed just 10 points, missing seven of his eight 3-point tries.

With the win, the Cavaliers assured themselves of at least a fifth game back in Boston on Wednesday. And after finally getting their first road win in this postseason, they showed that they can win there.

“When we defend the way we defended and our shots fall, what we do travels,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “And we can win anywhere.”

Evan Mobley had 21 points and 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double, and his fifth of this postseason. Caris LeVert scored 21 off the bench for Cleveland, hitting a pull-up jumper midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Cavaliers a 20-point lead and started a parade of fans to the exits. Many of those who stayed began booing.

A minute later, after the Celtics missed another 3-pointer – they were 8 for 35 from long distance in all – LeVert made a layup and drew a flagrant foul from Tatum. It was a 25-point game, and Boston coach Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench.

Bickerstaff followed soon after, getting some rest for Mitchell, who played a game-high 37 minutes on Tuesday night but was on the bench for the 10-2 Celtics run to start the fourth that blew open the game.

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Mitchell hit four of his five 3-point attempts in the third quarter to help Cleveland extend its lead to as many as 14 points. And he remained in the game at the start of the fourth and until the game was put away, with Cleveland up 27 and four minutes left.

“At halftime I was just like, ’I don’t plan on coming out.’ That was the mindset,” Mitchell said. “He asked me if I needed (a break) and I was like, ‘I’m good.’”

According to ESPN, the 24-point win was the biggest in the playoffs by a double-digit underdog since 1991.

Celtics centre Kristaps Porzingis missed his third straight game with a strained calf muscle. Mobley started at centre in place of Jarrett Allen, who has missed five straight games with bruised ribs, and reached a career playoff high in points.

Mobley scored 11 in the first quarter, when the Cavaliers quickly fell behind by nine – giving the vibes of a second straight blowout. But Cleveland ran off 11 points in a row – eight from LeVert. Boston went ahead by eight in the second before the Cavs sent it into halftime tied.

Tatum had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists at the half, and Mobley had 15, seven, and five.

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Mike Trout decided having surgery was better option than being only a DH the rest of the season

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 19:04

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout decided that having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee was a better alternative than postponing the procedure and being a designated hitter the rest of the season.

“It was an option they put out there. It would have been just maintaining the pain level of it,” the Los Angeles Angels slugger said before Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. “The day I got the MRI and it showed that I was in a lot of pain. It would have been a tough road for the rest of the year to bear that.”

Trout has also struggled whenever he has been a designated hitter. In 1,518 career games, he has been the DH only 81 times and has a .214 batting average.

Trout — who is sidelined with a major injury for the fourth straight season — still doesn’t know when the latest one occurred. The knee soreness worsened during an April 29 game against the Philadelphia Phillies, and an MRI exam the next day revealed the tear. He underwent surgery last Friday, when the Angels began a six-game road trip.

“It wasn’t one particular play that did it. I felt a little ache and woke up the next day and couldn’t walk,” he said.

Baseball players who have had a similar injury and operation have an average recovery time of four to eight weeks, but Trout hasn’t had one set, as of yet. He said the only things he has been able to do post surgery is stretching and trying to strengthen the quadricep muscle and the area around it.

The three-time AL MVP led the majors with 10 home runs at the time of the injury. He also was batting .220 with 14 RBIs and six stolen bases.

“It’s tough because I felt real good (to begin the season), but things just happen. I’m doing everything I can to get back on the field,” Trout said. “I want to go as fast as I can, but I don’t want to push it.”

The Angels went into Thursday’s game with a 14-23 record after splitting their six-game road trip.

Manager Ron Washington was glad to see Trout still in an upbeat mood, but was more pleased to see him in the hitter’s meeting before the Angels took batting practice.

“No one is asking Mike to be in those meetings. Mike is at the ballpark because Mike wants to be around his teammates,” Washington said. “Any tidbits that he can give to them while he’s here, we welcome.”

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Oilers confident they can respond after Game 1 collapse

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 18:41

VANCOUVER — This is when you find out what your team is all about.

Game 2.

A roster full of players who didn’t play to anywhere near their potential in Game 1. A series that isn’t out of control – yet.

If your team is of championship calibre, they looked each other in eye in that post-game dressing room, said a few things, and they will deliver in Game 2.

“I’m not going to get into it,” Corey Perry said, “but there’s a few things — two minutes, maybe — last night after the game that we talked about. Then we moved on and everybody knows what that message means and what that message is.”

So, let’s talk about that message.

“It’s not about what guys say to each other. It’s more about what they do, how they act, how they play,” began Perry, who was brought into this Edmonton Oilers dressing room for one reason.

Because he’s a winner.

Olympic gold, Stanley Cups, World Junior gold … You can’t be part of all those teams, dress and play alongside all of those fantastic players, and not accrue the recipe to the secret sauce that all Stanley Cup-winning teams have.

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“I always go back to when we won the Cup in ’07 with that team at Anaheim,” began Perry. “We had Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Teemu Selanne. Those guys, when they had a tough night, you knew they were going to be beasts the next night. You could see it, you could feel it, you could sense it.”

On this team, those players are Connor McDavid (no shots in Game 1), Darnell Nurse (zero hits, minus-3) and if he can play, Leon Draisaitl, who skipped practice on Thursday with an unknown injury.

And of course, goaltender Stuart Skinner, who could have salvaged a win out of a so-so Oilers effort with a few more saves on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.

In a dressing room full of pros, nobody needs to remind anyone about a poor performance. In fact, an NHL dressing room is the polar opposite of what many might think. A place where blame is overwhelmed by the process of building teammates into the player they have to be for a team to win.

In a word, it is anti-social media.

“As teammates, you’re there to uplift teammates,:” said Zach Hyman. “You want to get the best out of them, and dwelling on the past performance doesn’t do any good. So it’s wake up, wash it, we’ve got to win four and they’ve got to win three. It’s not the end of the world.”

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Embroiled in their seventh playoff series in the last three springs, this is the one clear advantage the Oilers have over the Canucks: Experience.

They’ve lost five of those Game 1’s over the last three years, and went on to win three of those series. So they know the process, and have a road map that they’ve travelled successfully several times before.

“Guys understand how to flush it, how to be better, and how to get the best version of themselves,” Hyman said. “If you’re not able to respond, you’re probably not going be playing for very long.”

While the internet buries the Cody Ceci-Nurse pairing for being on the ice when some very suspect goals got past Skinner, there is zero finger-pointing inside the walls of Edmonton’s dressing or video rooms.

It has to be that way, on a healthy, proper NHL team.

“If the goalie is not seeing it properly, how can we help you? If the D aren’t breaking the puck out properly, how can we help you? If the forwards aren’t sustaining O-zone pressure, how can we help you?” listed Hyman. “It’s a collective question with regards to how can we help each other.

“This game is very much a team game, and even if there are individual mistakes, a lot of times people don’t notice it if the team is picking up for each other. So it’s about, how do we get the best version of each other?”

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These are the intangibles that many people on the outside scoff at, joined by nobody on the inside.

“It starts with being a brotherhood in this dressing room. Picking people up when they’re down,” instructs Perry. “You play 82 games with the same guys, over and over and over again. You’re bound to have a bad game here and there. But you’re looked upon to respond, and you’re judged on your response.”

So, there is judgment.

But not on a mistake, or a poor night. On how you respond.

That what separates good players — good teammates — from bad ones.

“I’ll keep going back to it: You’re judged on your response,” Perry promised. “You pretty much have to find a way to be better.

Last night we weren’t great. We were OK at points, but we weren’t great.

“We know that in the room. No one has to tell you.”

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Raucous crowd roars its approval for Caitlin Clark in her home debut with Fever

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 18:01

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark walked into her new home arena Thursday night with No. 22 shirts and jerseys peppered from floor to ceiling.

She left as a first-time WNBA winner.

A late-arriving but louder-than-usual crowd roared during her official introduction to Fever fans and again when Clark made her first basket, a layup with 7:00 left in the first quarter. The cheers grew when she completed a three-point play a few minutes later and hit a crescendo when she finally made a long 3-pointer from the edge of the fieldhouse logo late in the third quarter.

Yes, Clark successfully navigated the city’s most anticipated rookie debut since Peyton Manning played for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts in 1998 even though it wasn’t quite the start most expected.

In an 83-80 pre-season victory over the Atlanta Dream, Clark had 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and six turnovers, going 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 9 on 3s in 31 minutes.

“It was a lot of fun, I thought they were loud, I thought they were into it. It was fun to see,” Clark said following her home debut. “This is a pre-season game on a Thursday night and there’s 13,000 people here. I think that just shows you what it’s going to be like for us all season. It’s going to help us.”

The crowd certainly made a difference Thursday as Clark helped the Fever rally from an early double-digit deficit following last week’s pre-season-opening loss at Dallas.

One girl held a sign that read “Welcome to Indy Caitlin! — Caitlin M.”

Officially, the attendance came in at 13,028 — nearly three times larger than the slightly more than 4,000 per game Indiana averaged for its 20 regular-season home games in 2023. Afterward, Clark found close friend and former college teammate Gabbie Marshall and the two took a photo together.

Most of the fans came to see Clark — even for a rescheduled contest.

Indiana was initially scheduled to play Friday but moved the game when the NBA announced the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks would play Game 3 of their best-of-seven series in that time slot.

For Clark, the WNBA’s overall No. 1 draft pick, it’s been a quick transition from playing college ball a month ago to the pro style. And this game didn’t come with as much pomp and circumstance as might have been expected.

Clark went through her pregame warmups quietly and focused as music blared and the stands started filling up. But once the game started, Clark & Co. were all business.

“I don’t think I was that effective, honestly,” Clark said. “I thought more than anything I did a really good job of passing the ball, finding my teammates. Obviously, I would have liked to have made a couple more 3s, but sometimes that’s how you shoot it.”

The fault didn’t fall entirely on Clark’s shoulders.

Opponents are naturally game-planning to slow down the top scorer in NCAA Division I history. Atlanta’s ploy was to challenge Clark with hard closeouts, multiple defenders forcing the ball out of her hands and physical play intended to get Clark off her spot.

The result: Clark struggled early as the Fever fell behind, and her teammates struggled to convert her crisp passes into points. But they also got a glimpse into what this season could be.

“She pushes the pace for us, she gets the ball where it needs to be, if you run the floor you’ve got to look up because the ball is coming,” said Nalyssa Smith, who had a game-high 21 points. “She can spread the floor, everybody can score and she’s looking to pass the ball.”

Through it all Clark was both a big hit and a welcome change for a franchise in search of a turnaround. She’s generated more interest and attention in women’s basketball than most of her predecessors, giving her a platform few others possess and she’s taking full advantage of it.

Her presence, coupled with others in perhaps the most heralded rookie class in WNBA history, prompted league commissioner Cathy Engelbert to announce earlier this week she’s poised to spend $50 million on charter flights over the next two seasons.

Meanwhile, the curiosity surrounding Clark has some opponents moving games to larger venues to accommodate ticket sales and a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2016 will now have 36 of its 40 regular-season games on national television.

For Clark, playing in front of a full arena has become the norm. For her teammates and coaches, this could be the start of something bigger than they could have imagined. Especially when it comes to a generational-type player such as Clark, who has fully embraced her new home city.

“For me, this is the best part of it,” Clark said. “You’ve got to go out and compete every single night and if one night is not good for us, you have an opportunity to come back a couple days later and respond. I think this group will be ready (for the regular season) and everybody’s excited.”

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Yankees’ Judge belts mammoth 473-foot homer vs. Astros

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 17:50

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Leafs did ‘bare minimum’ in firing Keefe, but is more change needed?

Thu, 05/09/2024 - 17:29

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