Posts

Posted on

Sharks Rookies Combine For 9 Points; Celebrini Has 3G 2A, Smith 1G 4A, Wild Win 8-7 In OT

Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber (7) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with forward Joel Eriksson Ek (14) during the first period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Joel Eriksson-Ek scored four goals in his return from injury, and Macklin Celebrini's five points made him the highest-scoring rookie in San Jose Sharks history in the 8-7 loss.

Eriksson-Ek and Kirill Kaprizov returned from long-term injury absences to lead the Wild to a big win in their playoff push. Kaprizov had two goals. They also got goals from Marcus Johansson and Brock Faber. Marc-Andre Fleury made his final home start for the Wild and stopped 24 shots.

Celebrini had three goals and two assists for the Sharks. Tyler Toffoli, Nikolai Kovalenko, and Carl Grundstrom also scored for San Jose. Will Smith had a goal and three assists, and Alexandar Georgiev had 36 saves.

San Jose did not have a power play in the game to the Wild's four. Mario Ferraro left the game with a lower-body injury at the end of the 

Toffoli gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 12:09 of the first period after William Eklund fed him from behind the net to the high slot.

Johansson tied the game 1-1 at 14:16 with a wrist-shot over Georgiev's glove from the high slot.

Faber put the Wild up 2-1 at 18:48 with a wrist shot by Georgiev's glove.

Celebrini ties the game 2-2 at 7:29 of the second period with a patient move around Fleury.

Eriksson-Ek quickly put the Wild back in front 3-2 19 seconds later.

Grundstrom again tied the game with a mad scramble in front at 8:36 to make it 3-3.

Celebrini scored his second goal of the game at 12:26 to give the Sharks a 4-3 lead.

Kaprizov tied the game 4-4 on a four-on-three power play with a shot over Georgiev's blocker.

Eriksson-Ek scored his second goal of the game with a stuff attempt with 11.9 seconds left in the period.

Eriksson-Ek completed the hat trick on the power-play.

He then added his fourth goal of the game.

Nikolai Kovalenko made it 7-5 off a great feed from Celebrini.

Celebrini finished off his hat-trick with a stuff in front of the net with 9:58 left.

Smith tied the game with under a minute to go.

Kaprizov won it in overtime.

Latest On THN's San Jose Sharks site

Sharks Send Prospect Down; Couture Drama Shouldn't Mean Anything

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks/latest-news/sharks-send-prospect-down-couture-drama-shouldnt-mean-anything

Sharks' Ryan Warsofsky Named Team USA Head Coach At 2025 Worlds

Sharks Goalie Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

Stay updated with the most interesting Sharks stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Follow Max on Twitter: @Real_Max_Miller

Posted on

Rangers on brink of elimination after 8-5 loss to Flyers

NEW YORK (AP) — Tyson Foerster scored a hat trick and rookie Aleksei Kolosov made 24 saves as the Philadelphia Flyers downed the New York Rangers 8-5 on Wednesday night to put the Rangers on the brink of elimination from the playoff race.

After Sean Couturier scored at 11:55 of the third to put the Flyers ahead 5-4, Foerster scored his second and third goals of the game to cement the win. Garnet Hathaway, Travis Sanheim, Jakob Pelletier and Owen Tippett also scored for Philadelphia.

Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin, Jonny Brodzinski, J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider scored for the Rangers, who trail Montreal by eight points for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers and Canadiens each have four games left.

Mika Zibanejad had four assists for New York.

Miller gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead at 7:01 of the third, but Pelletier knotted the contest a minute later before Couturier scored. Foerster’s second of the night came with 4:27 left. He completed his first career hat trick with an empty net goal with 55 seconds remaining.

Tippett also scored into an empty net at 43 seconds later.

Jonathan Quick made 21 saves in defeat.

Takeaways

The Rangers fell to 18-19-3 at Madison Square Garden, where they were 30-11-0 last season.

Philadelphia won for the first time in seven road games. The Flyers are 5-11-1 since March 4.

Key moment

Long-time Rangers television play-by-play voice Sam Rosen, who is retiring after a 40-year career in the booth, was joined by former partner John Davidson for one more broadcast on TNT.

Key stats

Panarin’s goal was the 300th of his career.

Up next

The Rangers visit the New York Islanders on Thursday. The Flyers host the Islanders on Saturday.

Posted on

Lakers star Luka Doncic scores 45 in emotional, winning return to Dallas

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic becomes emotional as he watches a video on the large video board that was a tribute to the former Dallas Mavericks player before an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Lakers guard Luka Doncic fights back tears as he watches a video tribute to him before the game in Dallas on Wednesday night. (LM Otero / Associated Press)

The Lakers fans and the Mavericks fans cheered. Because they were Luka Doncic fans.

The uniforms were Lakers purple and gold. They were Dallas navy and Mavericks retro green. They were from the Slovenian national team and a Spanish club.

All had the same name across the back.

They cheered when he touched the ball and erupted when he made his first shot. They booed when he traveled and stood and applauded when he checked out.

Even though he was now a visitor, the Mavericks crowd reminded Doncic at every opportunity that they felt this still should be home.

T-shirts that read "thanks for everything" in Slovenian to honor the return of Luka Doncic are placed on seats in the arena.
T-shirts were placed on every seat at American Airlines Arena that read "thanks for everything" in Slovenian to honor Luka Doncic's return Wednesday night. (LM Otero / Associated Press)

They showed it before Wednesday's game, lining the court to watch him go through his routine an hour before tipoff. They showed it during introductions, roaring as he was introduced as a Laker for the first time in Dallas after a two-minute tribute video.

And they showed it each time the Lakers went to the free-throw line early in the game by chanting “Fire Nico,” the words that have come to define the Mavericks' season after general manager Nico Harrison dealed Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick.

Doncic repaid the fans with the kind of show they’d seen countless times, scoring 31 of his 45 points in the first half of the Lakers’ 112-97 win. The victory assures the Lakers of a top-six seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

After his final basket, Dallas called time out and Doncic embraced his new teammates, falling into LeBron James’ arms for the biggest hug. The fans chanted “Luka” while Lakers players urged them on.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic attempts a reverse layup after driving past Mavericks forward Naji Marshall during the first half.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic attempts a reverse layup after driving past Mavericks forward Naji Marshall during the first half. (LM Otero / Associated Press)

It was the manifestation of what coach JJ Redick said the Lakers hoped to show Doncic, that they “got his back.”

Before the game fans held their phones up at American Airlines Center's giant scoreboard as the lights dimmed for a video of Doncic’s best moments with the Mavericks — a mix of big shots, magical passes and boyish charisma that enchanted the franchise’s fans. Doncic’s lip quivered as tears pooled in his eyes.

“I was, like, ‘There’s no way I’m playing this game,’” Doncic recalled thinking. “It was so many emotions and I just went out there and just played basketball.”

After featuring him as their primary offensive option for two quarters, the Lakers turned to defense and transition offense to take control in the third quarter. And while Dallas briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter, a Christie two-handed slam nudging the Mavericks ahead, Doncic and the Lakers closed them out by playing their best all-around basketball while another round of “Fire Nico” chants bounced through the arena.

As he checked out, Doncic got one last standing ovation, turning to show his appreciation to the crowd. For the night, everyone had gotten what they wanted.

Tomorrow he will be focused only on the Lakers.

“It's over,” Doncic recalled telling himself after he checked out. “We won and I had a great time.”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Posted on

Mets' Francisco Alvarez makes first rehab start for Single-A following hand surgery

Making his first rehab start since getting surgery on his left hand during spring training, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez went 1-for-3 and caught five innings for Single-A St. Lucie on Wednesday night.

In his return to action, Alvarez hit second in the order and after getting called out on strikes in his first at-bat, the 23-year-old singled to the opposite field to lead off the third. In his final appearance at the plate, the catcher grounded into a double play after a leadoff single by Jeremy Rodriguez.

Behind the plate, Alvarez began the night by catching RHP Raimon Gomez who went 2.1 innings and allowed a run on one hit and two walks while striking out three. RHP Juan Arnaud didn't fare as well, giving up six hits, four runs (three earned) and striking out one in 1.1 innings.

Alvarez struggled to control the running game in his first game since March 7 as the Lakeland Flying Tigers ran wild, stealing four bases against him.

However, the youngster did manage to win an ABS challenge in the third inning on a pitch that was initially called a ball but was overturned to a strike for a strikeout.

Posted on

Warriors' haunting loss to Spurs recalls shades of pre-Butler days

Warriors' haunting loss to Spurs recalls shades of pre-Butler days originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – The issue most responsible for the Warriors’ midseason mediocrity, patched masterfully for two months after the arrival of Jimmy Butler III, sustained its first tear Wednesday night.

For the first time since Butler arrived, the Warriors fumbled a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter when San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes drained a game-winning 3-pointer that sent the Warriors trudging into the locker room with a 114-111 loss to the Spurs that could haunt them the rest of the season.

The loss, the Warriors’ second in three games, dropped them from sixth place to seventh in the Western Conference standings with a 47-33 record. They are squarely in the pit they hoped to avoid: NBA play-in tournament quicksand.

“We know where we at,” Stephen Curry said. “We know that every game is important. It’s been important about the last two weeks, and we’ve done a lot to give ourselves a chance to climb pretty high considering where we were before trade deadline. And [losing] these last two home games sucks, like for different reasons.”

It quickly became apparent that another obstacle to victory that Butler had nullified suddenly resurfaced. When Curry sat, leads evaporated. It happened in the second quarter, when a nine-point lead disappeared in three minutes. It happened again in the fourth, when that 12-point lead was trimmed to four in less than three minutes.

“Couldn’t get a stop,” Draymond Green said. “Couldn’t get into nothing good offensively, couldn’t get a stop.”

Curry sat for six minutes in the first half and five minutes in the second half, and San Antonio was plus-16 over those 11 minutes.

“That was key to the game, top of the second, top of the fourth,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We played two great quarters, first quarter and third quarter. And then both of those quarters, top second, top four, they blitzed us.”

The Spurs in the fourth quarter torched Golden State’s defense for 38 points, on 72.2-percent shooting from the field, including 70 percent beyond the arc. Three turnovers in the final 2:11 gave San Antonio enough opportunity to close it out.

“It didn’t happen in the fourth quarter,” said Green, who committed two of the late turnovers. “It happened in the second quarter. End of the first quarter, second quarter we just started giving up straight-line drives. They found a rhythm; that’s what happened. We found a way to get the lead back but we never 
 don’t mess around with games.”

Curry finished with a game-high 30 points, with Butler right behind him with 28 points – his highest total as a Warrior – with 13 coming in the fourth quarter. Golden State’s offense was satisfactory enough, but its defense did not hold up.

This was a particularly painful setback, as it came against a 13th-place Spurs team relegated to playing spoiler after losing eight of its last nine games. Moreover, the Warriors took a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter before being clobbered 38-23 over the final 12 minutes.

The last time the Warriors kicked away a similar lead was on Feb. 5 – three days before Butler’s debut – when they lost an 11-point lead to the Jazz in less than three minutes in Utah. Both losses can be attributed to Golden State’s defensive shortcomings.

Mind you, the Warriors have been the league’s best defense since Butler came aboard.

“When you’re up 12 on to the fourth, your defense is really going to be the difference in maintaining that separation,” Curry said. “Who cares if you make or miss shots? You just can’t give a team life and give up 38 points.”

The Warriors still can lock up a top-six seed in the West by winning their final two games. If Minnesota wins at Memphis on Thursday, the Warriors move back into sixth place. If the Grizzlies win, Golden State is one game back of Memphis but holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Grizzlies then go to Denver to face the Nuggets on Friday on Part II of a back-to-back set.

Beating the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and the Los Angeles Clippers would allow the Warriors to finish the season at 49-33. They would finish ahead of the Timberwolves, who already have 34 losses, and they would jump Memphis if its drops one of its last three games.

The Warriors no longer have full control of their destiny. They put themselves right where they don’t want to be, hoping someone above them tumbles back below.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

Like father, like daughter: four-year-old Poppy McIlroy sinks putt at Augusta

  • Rory McIlroy enjoys ‘very cool’ moment in Par Three
  • Nico Echavarria wins family-friendly tournament

Rory McIlroy’s four-year-old daughter, Poppy, sank a monster putt in the Par Three Tournament to delight the Augusta crowd on the eve of the 89th Masters.

The Northern Irishman helped his daughter make the long birdie putt on the final hole in the family-friendly pre-Masters event, describing the moment as “very cool”.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Rory McIlroy’s four-year-old daughter Poppy sinks putt at Augusta – video

Rory McIlroy's four-year-old daughter Poppy has stolen the show at the Masters Par Three Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, sinking an incredible putt alongside her father. The remarkable shot sparked heartwarming celebrations from McIlroy and his family, as well as playing partner Shane Lowry. The traditional Masters curtain-raiser gives golfers the chance to play on the famous course with their families.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Harper and Alvarado fired up after Phillies finish off another close win

Harper and Alvarado fired up after Phillies finish off another close win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ATLANTA — Raisel Iglesias’ fifth pitch of the ninth inning Wednesday night was an 84 mph slider, smack-dab in the middle of the plate.

It didn’t move.

It was exactly what Trea Turner needed to see and he didn’t miss it, demolishing it 402 feet to left field against the Braves’ top reliever to give the Phillies a 4-3 win.

Two innings earlier, Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer off left-hander Dylan Lee to briefly put the Phillies ahead, only for the Braves to fight back quickly with an Austin Riley solo shot off Joe Ross.

Another tight affair from start to finish. The Phils can’t stop playing close games.

“You’ve got to win the tough ones, right? Win the ones that you’re supposed to and then win games like that,” Harper said. “I thought we let the game go yesterday and getting 1-1 there with (Spencer) Schwellenbach tomorrow. Big win right there.”

Wednesday made it six Phillies games in a row decided one or two runs and that already matters because of how taxed the bullpen has been. The Phillies’ series opener at Truist Park began a stretch of 16 straight days with a game, meaning the starters won’t get any extra days and the relievers will be used plenty.

Through 11 games, Matt Strahm and Jose Alvarado have pitched six times and Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano have made five appearances apiece. Those were the Phillies’ core four leverage relievers entering the season but Romano’s early struggles seem to have already altered the bullpen picture, at least temporarily.

Manager Rob Thomson used three relievers for more than an inning Wednesday. The first was Jose Ruiz, who recorded four outs to get the ball from the fifth inning to the seventh. Ross pitched the seventh and retired the first two hitters he faced to bring up Riley, who tied the game with a homer after popping up with two outs and the bases loaded twice earlier.

Ross picked up five outs and Jose Alvarado secured the final four to finish the game, striking out Sean Murphy with runners on the corners for the 27th out.

“I feel so great, man. I feel great,” Alvarado said. “I changed my routine. The plan I have right now in the fifth inning, it’s good. I need to keep it up like that. I don’t need to change anything.”

It’s helped Alvarado that he firmly knows what his role is this season. He knows he will either be the lefty closing out the game or the lefty used in the seventh or eighth inning if the opponent’s best chance to score has come up. There were times last season when he was fourth, fifth, sixth in the hierarchy.

“Before, you know, it’s hard when you don’t know what’s going on with you because everybody after the fifth or sixth inning, the phone call, everybody panics, ‘Oh, that’s not me,'” he said. “Now everybody’s got a role. You know, today it’s me. Tomorrow, Romano. Everybody needs to be ready. The team is in a good spot. We need to keep it up like that.

“When you have that role, you need to be prepared for that situation. Four outs or maybe save the game or win the game and get ready for the next day back-to-back. I’m so happy they gave me the opportunity tonight to get four outs.”

This was an important game for both Turner and Harper.

Turner had been searching for his stroke. He entered the night with one extra-base hit and a rate of hard-hit balls (19%) that was less than half his career mark (41%).

He reached three times with a walk, single and homer. He’s been walking more so far this season with six in nine games, and he adjusted within the game Wednesday night after chasing three breaking balls in a first-inning strikeout vs. Grant Holmes.

“My swing’s been feeling really good and my work has been really good,” he said. “I feel like I’m getting myself in good counts but just really not getting a lot of pitches to hit. Yesterday, I got some pitches to hit for the first time in a while and just kind of fouled them off, took great swings, just fouled them off. I felt like if I keep swinging at those, and getting myself in those good counts, then it’ll come.”

Harper’s two-run shot was his biggest at-bat in the early going, and he also made a crucial defensive play in the bottom of the eighth. Bryan De La Cruz singled off Ross to start the inning and Jarred Kelenic laid down a bunt, which Harper charged aggressively before firing to second base to nab the lead runner in a tie game.

It was the first time Harper has ever made that play and he was fired up about it postgame, as much if not more so than his bomb.

“I was more excited about that than the homer just because I did it, first time during the game,” he said. “It’s a tough play getting around and getting it in the glove. Felt like I was playing third base again when I was younger.

“You see a lot of first basemen do it from (Matt) Olson to Ryan Zimmerman and who else. 
 I thought besides the homer, I thought that was the coolest play of the game because I’ve never done it.”

The Phillies are 8-3 and try for a fourth straight series win on Thursday night behind Jesus Luzardo.

Posted on

Kings must play ‘right way' in final stretch with NBA play-in looming

Kings must play ‘right way' in final stretch with NBA play-in looming originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – All the math and calculations are over.

The Kings are locked into the No. 9 vs. No. 10 seed game and will be facing the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA play-in tournament bracket. The only question remaining is whether the game will be played in California at Golden 1 Center or in Texas at American Airlines Center.

While Sacramento has two games left on the regular-season schedule, interim coach Doug Christie had an inkling that this would be the way things played out, so he sent assistant coach Will Scott to scout Dallas last week.

The Kings already had a good read on the Mavericks, having won all three head-to-head matchups between the two teams this season. That gives Sacramento the tie-breaking advantage should it come down to that.

It probably won’t.

The Kings finish the regular season with home games against the playoff-bound Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns, who have been in roll-over-and-play-dead mode for a while now.

Dallas closes out against a sub-.500 team in the Toronto Raptors before going on the road to play a hungry Memphis Grizzlies squad trying to improve its own playoff positioning.

Barring a complete meltdown, the Kings will play host to the Mavericks in that 9-10 showdown on April 16 at G1C.

While Christie has his staff already doing some advanced scouting, Zach LaVine said it’s important that the Kings focus more on themselves right now before turning their attention to the Mavericks.

“We understand we‘re going to play them, but we’re more worried about ourselves on how we can get in the right rhythm and continue to play good basketball,” LaVine told NBC Sports California after the Kings’ 124-116 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. “Even tonight with the loss, we played good basketball, gave ourselves a chance. We’re going to see [the Mavericks], we’re going to play them, but these next couple of games, let’s make sure we play the right way.”

In spite of Wednesday’s loss, the Kings left G1C with a fairly positive vibe.

After a rocky first half when it fell behind 66-58, committed six turnovers and allowed Denver to shoot nearly 47 percent from the floor, Sacramento got going after halftime and made the Nuggets sweat out the final few minutes of the night.

“That was a tough one,” Christie said. “We’re gonna have to lick our wounds and come back and be ready to get it it because the Clippers are going to be coming.”

Christie lamented the Kings’ inability to sustain their attack against the Nuggets, so he didn’t get overly excited about Sacramento’s surge in the final minutes.

It basically was lipstick on a pig, and Christie knows it won’t be good enough in the postseason no matter who the Kings line up against.

“There is a level that I’m going to demand that we play at,” Christie said. “The consistency at which you play at that level in this league determines the altitude, how high you fly in this league. If you’re up and down constantly, you’re probably going to take a lot of losses. If you do not reach that level, you’re going to get the hell beat out of you.

“We’re not here for that.”

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast

Posted on

Winnipeg Jets Trend Upward On The Ice And In The Stands, But There's More To Prove

Alex Iafallo and Mark Scheifele (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)

At this time last season, the Winnipeg Jets faced adversity on and off the ice. 

At the box office, Jets owner Mark Chipman told media that a drop in attendance to just under 9,500 season-ticket holders had to be addressed. On the ice, the Jets followed up a season in which they finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference by getting drummed out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in a five-game series loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

This year, though, the Jets look to be having much more success, both in attendance and competitively, setting the stage for a crucial playoffs.

They’ve built the NHL’s best record at 53-21-4, and they’ve averaged 14,322 fans in the 15,225-seat Canada Life Centre – a 94.1 percent seating capacity. Their last six home games are sellouts. In sum, things are going about as well for the Jets as can be hoped.

Winnipeg handed the red-hot St. Louis Blues their first loss in 13 games. Barring a collapse in their final four regular-season games, the Jets will enter the playoffs as the West’s best team and likely the Presidents' Trophy winners. 

But don’t take that to mean Winnipeg doesn’t have a ton to prove in the post-season.

To the contrary – as a team and as individuals, the Jets must demonstrate they’re capable of doing big things because their past tells you that people are right to be skeptical of what they can do when it counts.

For instance, Jets left winger Nikolaj Ehlers is a pending UFA this summer, and he’s posted 24 goals and 63 points in 67 games this season – one point away from matching his career high in points. 

However, Ehlers only had a pair of assists in five playoff games last year. And in 37 career playoff games, he’s generated just four goals and 14 points. If the 29-year-old Denmark native wants a big payday starting next season, he must show he can step up when the games matter most.

Similarly, superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck has been the NHL’s very best netminder this season, putting up a 44-12-3 record, a 2.02 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage – his best numbers in both those categories. But in five playoff games last spring, Hellebuyck posted a 5.23 GAA and an .870 SP. Hellebuyck must demonstrate he can succeed in the post-season or be stuck with the loser label for another year.

To be sure, the challenge for the Jets is clear – nothing less than a lengthy playoff run will be considered a success. If they can’t deliver on that front, Winnipeg fans may again be skeptical about the squad. It could be a vicious cycle for the Jets, and that’s why the stakes are so high for the franchise to build on this positive momentum.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Posted on

Dodgers snap three-game losing streak behind early burst, seventh-inning rally

Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani hits a single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits a single to lead off the game Wednesday against the Nationals. He would score on a triple by Tommy Edman. (John McDonnell / Associated Press)

Dave Roberts had a feeling as he walked around the clubhouse on Wednesday afternoon.

Over the previous five days, his once-unbeaten Dodgers team had lost four times. The night before, they did so embarrassingly on a frigid night in the country’s capital, striking out 15 times in a six-run loss to the rebuilding Washington Nationals.

In that defeat, Roberts was particularly perturbed by the club’s quality of at-bats — or lack thereof.

“The at-bats collectively haven’t been ‘team’ at-bats, and the results are showing,” Roberts said Tuesday night.

"I just don’t think 15 strikeouts with our ballclub should happen,” he reiterated in his pregame media scrum Wednesday.

Read more:Without Blake Snell, Dodgers' highly touted pitching depth falters in loss to Nationals

By then, however, Roberts had noticed a renewed intensity from the group in their afternoon preparation — hopeful that Tuesday’s blowout, and an overall frustrating first trip in which they’d already clinched back-to-back series losses, would serve as the catalyst for a much-needed getaway day win.

“You don’t want to get swept by these guys. That wouldn’t be a good thing,” Roberts said, with the Dodgers having already lost twice this week at Nationals Park. “I think our guys have a good look today. There’s a sense of pride 
 I think you’ll see a different focus today. I expect us to perform today.”

In a 6-5 win over the Nationals, the Dodgers performed just enough; building, then blowing, an early four-run lead before finally prevailing behind a go-ahead seventh-inning rally.

With the sun finally out, and this week’s freezing East Coast temperatures finally warming up, the Dodgers got off to a blistering start Wednesday.

Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff single. Mookie Betts put two aboard with a walk. Tommy Edman drove them both in with a triple into the right-field corner. Then Teoscar HernĂĄndez left the yard for a two-run shot.

Four batters in, it was 4-0.

The lead, however, wouldn’t last.

Nationals starter Jake Irvin found a groove, retiring 18 of the 21 batters he faced the rest of the way in what turned into a decent six-inning start.

Dodgers starter Landon Knack, on the other hand, faltered in his return to the big-league roster, giving up three runs in the bottom of the first (it would have been more if not for an inning-ending play Betts made deep in the hole at shortstop) then two more while getting pulled in the third.

The Nationals’ 5-4 lead lasted until Irvin exited the game at the start of the seventh — opening the door for the Dodgers to finally answer back.

Andy Pages started the rally by whacking his second home run in two nights, busting out of his early-season slump with a game-tying drive to left in an 0-and-2 count.

Then, Ohtani reached on a booted grounder to second. Edman drew a two-out walk. And with runners on the corners, HernĂĄndez lifted a bloop single just over the head of second baseman Luis GarcĂ­a Jr. in shallow right field, plating the go-ahead run with his 16th RBI of the season (tied for most in the National League).

The Dodgers’ offense wouldn’t tack on again, finishing the day with nine more strikeouts.

But that was enough on a day the team’s lockdown bullpen combined for 6 ⅔ scoreless innings — avoiding what would have been their first three-game series sweep since last July, and validating Roberts’ pregame confidence.

Freddie Freeman expected back Friday

When the Dodgers return to Los Angeles for the start of a six-game homestand Friday, they’ll get an important boost to the lineup.

As was initially expected, injured first baseman Freddie Freeman is on track to be back on the field Friday night, after missing the team’s last nine games after re-aggravating his surgically repaired right ankle slipping in the shower earlier this month.

Read more:After 'honor' of White House visit, Shohei Ohtani picking up where he left off in 2024

Freeman stayed back in California during the team’s trip this week, taking live batting practice at-bats against minor-league pitchers the last several days. More encouraging, according to Roberts, has been the way Freeman looked in baserunning drills the major-league coaching staff watched via video.

"Just looking at his gait running yesterday, I would say that it's better than it was when he started the season,” Roberts said.

“If nothing changes, he'll be in the lineup on Friday."

Freeman has played just three games so far this season. He sat out during the team’s season-opening series in Tokyo after feeling discomfort in the same area of his ribs he suffered torn cartilage during last year’s playoffs. And even before his shower mishap, his right ankle had not yet returned to 100% from the severe sprain he played through last October; an injury that led to a December debridement surgery to remove loose bodies.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Posted on

Kvaratskhelia, PSG’s joyous throwback, delivers moment of old-school delight | Barney Ronay

PSG’s winger makes up his own moments – and he scored a beauty to set Luis Enrique’s side on course for victory

It took three minutes of the second half for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, perhaps the most watchable footballer in Europe right now, to confirm the way this game was going.

Unai Emery had sent on Axel Disasi for Matty Cash at the break, with the score 1-1 and PSG hugely dominant on every metric. Cash was effectively doomed in this game from the moment he was booked pulling Kvaratskhelia back, just trying to stop the pain on Aston Villa’s right side, and already facing a case of terminal neck-crick from staring down at those shuffling feet. That was Cash’s fourth foul with just 17 minutes gone. Tick tock.

Continue reading...