"UNB! Network" Florida Sports Report
BROOKLYN, NY – The Orlando Magic on Thursday with the 11th-overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft selected Domantas Sabonis.
But the big news of the night with the Magic was the Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic, league sources told Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Orlando will send Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and rights to Sabonis to the Thunder.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Peterson's 3 late RBIs lift Braves to 3-2 win in 10
MIAMI (AP) — Jace Peterson has not hit a lot of home runs in his brief career.
However, he has hit some memorable ones at Marlins Park.
Peterson hit a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning and a go-ahead RBI single in the 10th to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 3-2 victory over Miami on Tuesday night.
"It's funny because my first career home run was here and my first one this year was here as well," said Peterson, who has seven career homers. "I don't know if it's coincidence or what. It definitely feels good to get another one here."
Chris Withrow (2-0) got five outs to earn the win and Arodys Vizcaino picked up his eighth save in 10 chances for the Braves, who have won six straight.
"A big, big win again," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. "I loved the way the guys hung in there. I'm very happy for Jace."
David Phelps surrendered the home run to Peterson and Kyle Barraclough (3-2) took the loss for the Marlins, who spoiled an impressive start by Jose Fernandez.
Fernandez left with a 2-0 lead after allowing one hit through seven innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Fernandez drove in a run.
Ichiro Suzuki had two hits for the Marlins to give him 2,982 in his career.
The last-place Braves improved to 6-1 against their division foes.
"They've kind of had our number and they've had a few people's number lately, they're playing good," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "We just haven't been able to put them away."
Peterson hit the game-tying two-run homer with one out in the eighth. It was Peterson's first homer since Sept. 22, 2015, at the New York Mets.
"Just a cutter that didn't cut turns into a bad fastball," Phelps said. "I've had pretty good success against Jace in the past, but credit him. I made a bad pitch and he did what he's supposed to do with it."
Chase d'Arnaud walked to lead off the 10th, advanced to second on a sacrifice by Emilio Bonifacio, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a two-out single to left by Peterson.
"I wasn't trying to do too much with a runner on third and two outs," Peterson said. "I was just trying to get a hit and win the game. It worked out. He threw me a fastball caught a little bit of the plate and I put a good swing on it and we won the ball game."
Suzuki led off the bottom of the 10th with an infield hit off Vizcaino, who followed by walking Martin Prado.
Vizcaino settled down and struck out Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, and Chris Johnson to end the game.
Fernandez made his first start in 10 days after being skipped in the rotation for rest. Fernandez showed no ill effects from the extra time between starts. After giving up an infield single in the first and hitting a batter in the second, he retired 14 straight.
"First inning was a little rough, but this is the big leagues and you've got to make adjustments fast otherwise you're going to be in trouble," Fernandez said.
Fernandez struck out his final two batters, but was lifted in favor of Phelps after 99 pitches — 21 in the seventh.
"The seventh dictates the eighth so when the seventh is rough and he has to battle you could see he was at the end of his rope right there," Mattingly said. "If the seventh is quick then he gets a chance to go back out, but it wasn't and it was automatically Phelps."
Fernandez drove in a run in the second for an early lead. It was his third RBI of the season.
Adeiny Hechavarria's RBI single in the fourth gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead.
Braves starter Bud Norris allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings.
YELICH GETTING ON BASE
Yelich has reached base safely in 20 consecutive games joining Minnesota's Joe Mauer as the only players in the majors with multiple streaks of at least 20 games this season.
Yelich is batting .333 (26 of 78) during the recent span.
UP NEXT
Braves RHP John Gant (1-1, 4.37 ERA) will start Wednesday's afternoon finale against the Marlins. Gant will be making his third start of the season. He is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA as a starter.
Marlins LHP Adam Conley (3-4, 3.94) will take the mound looking for his first victory since May 16. Conley allowed one run and one hit over 5 2-3 innings in a no-decision against Colorado in his last start.
However, he has hit some memorable ones at Marlins Park.
Peterson hit a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning and a go-ahead RBI single in the 10th to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 3-2 victory over Miami on Tuesday night.
"It's funny because my first career home run was here and my first one this year was here as well," said Peterson, who has seven career homers. "I don't know if it's coincidence or what. It definitely feels good to get another one here."
Chris Withrow (2-0) got five outs to earn the win and Arodys Vizcaino picked up his eighth save in 10 chances for the Braves, who have won six straight.
"A big, big win again," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. "I loved the way the guys hung in there. I'm very happy for Jace."
David Phelps surrendered the home run to Peterson and Kyle Barraclough (3-2) took the loss for the Marlins, who spoiled an impressive start by Jose Fernandez.
Fernandez left with a 2-0 lead after allowing one hit through seven innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Fernandez drove in a run.
Ichiro Suzuki had two hits for the Marlins to give him 2,982 in his career.
The last-place Braves improved to 6-1 against their division foes.
"They've kind of had our number and they've had a few people's number lately, they're playing good," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "We just haven't been able to put them away."
Peterson hit the game-tying two-run homer with one out in the eighth. It was Peterson's first homer since Sept. 22, 2015, at the New York Mets.
"Just a cutter that didn't cut turns into a bad fastball," Phelps said. "I've had pretty good success against Jace in the past, but credit him. I made a bad pitch and he did what he's supposed to do with it."
Chase d'Arnaud walked to lead off the 10th, advanced to second on a sacrifice by Emilio Bonifacio, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a two-out single to left by Peterson.
"I wasn't trying to do too much with a runner on third and two outs," Peterson said. "I was just trying to get a hit and win the game. It worked out. He threw me a fastball caught a little bit of the plate and I put a good swing on it and we won the ball game."
Suzuki led off the bottom of the 10th with an infield hit off Vizcaino, who followed by walking Martin Prado.
Vizcaino settled down and struck out Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, and Chris Johnson to end the game.
Fernandez made his first start in 10 days after being skipped in the rotation for rest. Fernandez showed no ill effects from the extra time between starts. After giving up an infield single in the first and hitting a batter in the second, he retired 14 straight.
"First inning was a little rough, but this is the big leagues and you've got to make adjustments fast otherwise you're going to be in trouble," Fernandez said.
Fernandez struck out his final two batters, but was lifted in favor of Phelps after 99 pitches — 21 in the seventh.
"The seventh dictates the eighth so when the seventh is rough and he has to battle you could see he was at the end of his rope right there," Mattingly said. "If the seventh is quick then he gets a chance to go back out, but it wasn't and it was automatically Phelps."
Fernandez drove in a run in the second for an early lead. It was his third RBI of the season.
Adeiny Hechavarria's RBI single in the fourth gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead.
Braves starter Bud Norris allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings.
YELICH GETTING ON BASE
Yelich has reached base safely in 20 consecutive games joining Minnesota's Joe Mauer as the only players in the majors with multiple streaks of at least 20 games this season.
Yelich is batting .333 (26 of 78) during the recent span.
UP NEXT
Braves RHP John Gant (1-1, 4.37 ERA) will start Wednesday's afternoon finale against the Marlins. Gant will be making his third start of the season. He is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA as a starter.
Marlins LHP Adam Conley (3-4, 3.94) will take the mound looking for his first victory since May 16. Conley allowed one run and one hit over 5 2-3 innings in a no-decision against Colorado in his last start.
Kluber's 3-hitter leads Indians past Rays 6-0
CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber knew exactly what to do after one of the worst outings of his career.
"When that one's over you flush it and move on to the next one," he said after throwing a three-hitter as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
Kluber (7-7) bounced back from allowing a career-high eight runs and nine hits over five innings in Kansas City last Wednesday.
He took a one-hitter into the ninth against the Rays before Brad Miller and Evan Longoria singled with one out, but retired the final two hitters for his third career shutout.
Kluber, who struck out nine and walked two, felt strong when he went out for the ninth to finish his third complete game of the season, throwing 115 pitches.
"Until Tito (manager Terry Francona) tells me I'm done, I try to keep the mindset that I'm going to keep going back out there," he said. "I don't know what my pitch count was but I wasn't really concerned with it."
Rays manager Kevin Cash was Cleveland's bullpen coach for two seasons, including 2014 when Kluber won the AL Cy Young Award.
"Corey Kluber is pretty good, to say the least," Cash said. "Stating the obvious, he really had it going. There's not much to say after that because it was a quiet night with the bats."
Juan Uribe homered for the fourth straight game, a solo shot in the eighth. Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer, also in the eighth.
The AL Central-leading Indians won their 10th straight game at Progressive Field.
Jason Kipnis' RBI single, on a play in which Rays center fielder Desmond Jennings was charged with a three-base error when the ball hopped over his head, gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the third.
Rookie left-hander Blake Snell (0-2), making third major league start, allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings. Tampa Bay has lost a season-high six straight.
Kipnis lined a hit to center with two outs in the third and Yan Gomes on second. Jennings charged the ball, but it took a bad hop and bounced over his glove as he jumped. Jennings chased the ball as it rolled to the warning track.
Kipnis was waved home and beat the relay throw to the plate with a head-first slide. The play was quickly ruled an RBI single and Jennings was given an error.
"It was kind of the perfect storm," Francona said. "It's like icing in hockey, nobody is there. The ball is ahead of everybody. That was a weird hop, I thought they could have given him a home run because it was such a weird hop."
Lonnie Chisenhall added an RBI single in the sixth.
Snell, rated Tampa Bay's No. 1 prospect, allowed seven hits, struck out three and walked three.
BIG BAT
Uribe has homered in four straight games for the first time in his career. He has six homers for the season after hitting two in his first 48 games.
Uribe's blast, which curled toward the foul pole in left field, followed Jose Ramirez's two-run homer, giving the Indians their first back-to-back home runs of the season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: RHP Ryan Webb (strained right pectoral) made his second rehab appearance at Triple-A Durham, striking out two in one perfect inning Monday.
Indians: OF Michael Brantley has been diagnosed with right biceps tendinitis and has been given a cortisone shot. He had surgery on his right shoulder in November.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Chris Archer was a fifth-round draft pick of the Indians in 2006. He is 0-4 with a 4.91 ERA in four career starts against Cleveland.
Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer has a 3-2 record with a 3.23 ERA in 10 starts after making his first six appearances of the season in relief.
"When that one's over you flush it and move on to the next one," he said after throwing a three-hitter as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
Kluber (7-7) bounced back from allowing a career-high eight runs and nine hits over five innings in Kansas City last Wednesday.
He took a one-hitter into the ninth against the Rays before Brad Miller and Evan Longoria singled with one out, but retired the final two hitters for his third career shutout.
Kluber, who struck out nine and walked two, felt strong when he went out for the ninth to finish his third complete game of the season, throwing 115 pitches.
"Until Tito (manager Terry Francona) tells me I'm done, I try to keep the mindset that I'm going to keep going back out there," he said. "I don't know what my pitch count was but I wasn't really concerned with it."
Rays manager Kevin Cash was Cleveland's bullpen coach for two seasons, including 2014 when Kluber won the AL Cy Young Award.
"Corey Kluber is pretty good, to say the least," Cash said. "Stating the obvious, he really had it going. There's not much to say after that because it was a quiet night with the bats."
Juan Uribe homered for the fourth straight game, a solo shot in the eighth. Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer, also in the eighth.
The AL Central-leading Indians won their 10th straight game at Progressive Field.
Jason Kipnis' RBI single, on a play in which Rays center fielder Desmond Jennings was charged with a three-base error when the ball hopped over his head, gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the third.
Rookie left-hander Blake Snell (0-2), making third major league start, allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings. Tampa Bay has lost a season-high six straight.
Kipnis lined a hit to center with two outs in the third and Yan Gomes on second. Jennings charged the ball, but it took a bad hop and bounced over his glove as he jumped. Jennings chased the ball as it rolled to the warning track.
Kipnis was waved home and beat the relay throw to the plate with a head-first slide. The play was quickly ruled an RBI single and Jennings was given an error.
"It was kind of the perfect storm," Francona said. "It's like icing in hockey, nobody is there. The ball is ahead of everybody. That was a weird hop, I thought they could have given him a home run because it was such a weird hop."
Lonnie Chisenhall added an RBI single in the sixth.
Snell, rated Tampa Bay's No. 1 prospect, allowed seven hits, struck out three and walked three.
BIG BAT
Uribe has homered in four straight games for the first time in his career. He has six homers for the season after hitting two in his first 48 games.
Uribe's blast, which curled toward the foul pole in left field, followed Jose Ramirez's two-run homer, giving the Indians their first back-to-back home runs of the season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: RHP Ryan Webb (strained right pectoral) made his second rehab appearance at Triple-A Durham, striking out two in one perfect inning Monday.
Indians: OF Michael Brantley has been diagnosed with right biceps tendinitis and has been given a cortisone shot. He had surgery on his right shoulder in November.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Chris Archer was a fifth-round draft pick of the Indians in 2006. He is 0-4 with a 4.91 ERA in four career starts against Cleveland.
Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer has a 3-2 record with a 3.23 ERA in 10 starts after making his first six appearances of the season in relief.
Monday, June 20, 2016
Belt homers, Giants finish sweep of Rays to win 8th straight
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The way the San Francisco Giants are playing lately, even a sloppy defensive performance couldn't cool off the NL West leaders.
Brandon Belt homered and Joe Panik snapped an eighth-inning tie with an RBI single, helping the Giants extend their winning streak to a season-best eight games with Sunday's 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
"We're just playing the way we play," pitcher Jake Peavy said.
"We just come out and play the best team game and have the best team approach. ... Don't get too high, don't get too low," Peavy added. "We've found a nice little run of consistency to be able to pull off some really tight ballgames."
Peavy pitched six solid innings and Derek Law (2-1) worked a scoreless seventh in completing a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field. Belt hit his team-leading 10th homer off Rays starter Jake Odorizzi, while Panik delivered in a key situation for the second straight day with his run-scoring single against Xavier Cedeno (3-2) during a four-run eighth.
Panik is just 2 for 14 through three games of a week-long road trip, but both have broken late-inning ties. His three-run, ninth-inning homer was the big blow in Saturday's 6-4 win over Tampa Bay, which has lost four straight.
The Giants matched their longest winning streak of the season. The NL West leaders are a major league-leading 27-8 since May 11, the day they began their other eight-game run.
But Sunday wasn't all pretty.
The Giants looked like a team playing a game that started a little after 10 a.m. San Francisco time — committing three errors in the first two innings, with one of the miscues — Peavy's errant pickoff throw — allowing Tampa Bay's only run to score.
The Rays weren't able to fully take advantage of the sloppy play, however, going 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position through three innings. Belt's second homer in three days wiped out a 1-0 deficit in the fourth, and Peavy kept the game close by retiring 12 of the last 13 batters he faced after giving up a leadoff single to Evan Longoria in the third.
"We made Jake work pretty hard the first three innings," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "For him the one run was really impressive considering all that happened behind him."
A nine-game homestand that saw the Rays go 4-5 couldn't end quick enough for them.
"It's good to be getting out of here," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "That was kind of a series of us just not getting it done. The big hit eluded us. We had baserunners all over the place the first two innings. To come out of that with one run, especially in the first, we've got to be able to capitalize on that."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: RHP Sergio Romo (right flexor strain), who's on a rehab assignment with Class A San Jose, could return during a five-game homestand that begins next Friday. . C Buster Posey was given a break from defensive play for the second consecutive game and was the designated hitter.
Rays: RHP Ryan Webb (right pectoral strain) made his second rehab appearance Saturday, allowing one run and two hits over one inning for Triple-A Durham.
NEW IRONMAN
With Baltimore's Manny Machado beginning a four-game suspension Sunday, Giants 3B Matt Duffy now has baseball's longest active streak for consecutive games played. Duffy appeared in his 188th straight game, which is about 15 years short of the record of 2,632 set by Cal Ripken Jr. "That blows my mind. That's a long time," Duffy said of streaks compiled by Ripken and Lou Gehrig (2,130). "For me, it kind of drives home how good those two guys were for so long."
Duffy was removed from the game in the seventh inning with a sore left Achilles tendon. Manager Bruce Bochy said he was injured running the bases and is day to day, adding Duffy was bothered by the same thing during spring training.
"He hit the bag, it flared up on him," Bochy said.
"If it's something that I can push through and deal with, I'm going to," Duffy said. "I guess I'm not overly concerned. It's just very sore."
UP NEXT
Giants: Madison Bumgarner (8-2, 1.91 ERA) faces Jeff Locke (5-5, 5.92) in the opener of a four-game series at Pittsburgh. San Francisco hasn't lost a game Bumgarner started since April 20, a string of 10 appearances. The left-hander is 7-0 with a 1.27 ERA, 78 strikeouts and 18 walks during that span.
Rays: Begin a seven-game road trip to Cleveland and Baltimore, with Drew Smyly (2-7, 4.75) facing Indians RHP Josh Tomlin (8-1, 3.27) on Monday. The left-hander is 2-2 with a 3.93 in 14 career appearances against Cleveland, including four starts. It's only the second time Smyly will face the Indians with Tampa Bay.
Brandon Belt homered and Joe Panik snapped an eighth-inning tie with an RBI single, helping the Giants extend their winning streak to a season-best eight games with Sunday's 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
"We're just playing the way we play," pitcher Jake Peavy said.
"We just come out and play the best team game and have the best team approach. ... Don't get too high, don't get too low," Peavy added. "We've found a nice little run of consistency to be able to pull off some really tight ballgames."
Peavy pitched six solid innings and Derek Law (2-1) worked a scoreless seventh in completing a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field. Belt hit his team-leading 10th homer off Rays starter Jake Odorizzi, while Panik delivered in a key situation for the second straight day with his run-scoring single against Xavier Cedeno (3-2) during a four-run eighth.
Panik is just 2 for 14 through three games of a week-long road trip, but both have broken late-inning ties. His three-run, ninth-inning homer was the big blow in Saturday's 6-4 win over Tampa Bay, which has lost four straight.
The Giants matched their longest winning streak of the season. The NL West leaders are a major league-leading 27-8 since May 11, the day they began their other eight-game run.
But Sunday wasn't all pretty.
The Giants looked like a team playing a game that started a little after 10 a.m. San Francisco time — committing three errors in the first two innings, with one of the miscues — Peavy's errant pickoff throw — allowing Tampa Bay's only run to score.
The Rays weren't able to fully take advantage of the sloppy play, however, going 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position through three innings. Belt's second homer in three days wiped out a 1-0 deficit in the fourth, and Peavy kept the game close by retiring 12 of the last 13 batters he faced after giving up a leadoff single to Evan Longoria in the third.
"We made Jake work pretty hard the first three innings," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "For him the one run was really impressive considering all that happened behind him."
A nine-game homestand that saw the Rays go 4-5 couldn't end quick enough for them.
"It's good to be getting out of here," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "That was kind of a series of us just not getting it done. The big hit eluded us. We had baserunners all over the place the first two innings. To come out of that with one run, especially in the first, we've got to be able to capitalize on that."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: RHP Sergio Romo (right flexor strain), who's on a rehab assignment with Class A San Jose, could return during a five-game homestand that begins next Friday. . C Buster Posey was given a break from defensive play for the second consecutive game and was the designated hitter.
Rays: RHP Ryan Webb (right pectoral strain) made his second rehab appearance Saturday, allowing one run and two hits over one inning for Triple-A Durham.
NEW IRONMAN
With Baltimore's Manny Machado beginning a four-game suspension Sunday, Giants 3B Matt Duffy now has baseball's longest active streak for consecutive games played. Duffy appeared in his 188th straight game, which is about 15 years short of the record of 2,632 set by Cal Ripken Jr. "That blows my mind. That's a long time," Duffy said of streaks compiled by Ripken and Lou Gehrig (2,130). "For me, it kind of drives home how good those two guys were for so long."
Duffy was removed from the game in the seventh inning with a sore left Achilles tendon. Manager Bruce Bochy said he was injured running the bases and is day to day, adding Duffy was bothered by the same thing during spring training.
"He hit the bag, it flared up on him," Bochy said.
"If it's something that I can push through and deal with, I'm going to," Duffy said. "I guess I'm not overly concerned. It's just very sore."
UP NEXT
Giants: Madison Bumgarner (8-2, 1.91 ERA) faces Jeff Locke (5-5, 5.92) in the opener of a four-game series at Pittsburgh. San Francisco hasn't lost a game Bumgarner started since April 20, a string of 10 appearances. The left-hander is 7-0 with a 1.27 ERA, 78 strikeouts and 18 walks during that span.
Rays: Begin a seven-game road trip to Cleveland and Baltimore, with Drew Smyly (2-7, 4.75) facing Indians RHP Josh Tomlin (8-1, 3.27) on Monday. The left-hander is 2-2 with a 3.93 in 14 career appearances against Cleveland, including four starts. It's only the second time Smyly will face the Indians with Tampa Bay.
Koehler goes 6 innings to help Marlins blank Rockies 3-0
MIAMI (AP) — After pitching around six walks in six scoreless innings, Tom Koehler was ready to turn the game over to Miami's bullpen. His faith was not misplaced.
Three relievers completed a two-hitter by combining for three perfect innings, and the Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies for the third day in a row Sunday, 3-0.
The only runs came on one swing — Marcell Ozuna's 13th homer in the sixth inning. That was shortly after Koehler had exited without protest for a pinch hitter, even though he had thrown just 92 pitches.
"Normally with 90 pitches, you're fighting to go back out there," Koehler said. "This is one that probably felt closer to 120. Today was a grind from the beginning. Not the best I've thrown, but I was able to make some big pitches when I needed to."
While Koehler (6-6) labored with a career-high walk total, the bullpen breezed through the Colorado lineup again. Miami relievers have allowed one hit in 13 scoreless innings in the first three games of the series.
"Those guys have been throwing the ball tremendously, and I don't see any reason why that would stop," Koehler said. "We've got a lot of good arms down there."
The Marlins (37-32) climbed five games above .500 for the first time since May 8, 2014, and moved ahead of the New York Mets into second place in the NL East. They'll try for a four-game sweep Monday.
"We can enjoy this one for a few minutes," manager Don Mattingly said, "but if you get three, you have to get greedy."
Left-hander Tyler Anderson (0-1), making his second career start, matched zeroes with Koehler until the sixth. After Derek Dietrich walked and Martin Prado singled, Ozuna greeted right-hander Miguel Castro with a homer for his third hit.
Rockies manager Walt Weiss didn't second-guess his decision to bring in Castro to face Ozuna.
"That's a matchup I'm looking at before the inning starts," Weiss said. "I'm certainly not going to let Ozuna face a lefty; he mauls left-handers. Castro got into a bad count and threw a flat fastball that was center cut."
After the Rockies stranded seven runners against Koehler, they failed to reach base against the Marlins' bullpen. A.J. Ramos pitched the ninth for his 31st save in a row, including 22 this year.
The Rockies, who began the series leading the NL in batting, have totaled 11 hits and no homers in the series. They managed only one hit Friday.
"We'll get it right offensively," Weiss said. "We've struggled here historically scoring runs, and that has certainly been the case in this series."
Charlie Blackmon is 0 for 12, DJ LeMahieu is 1 for 11, Mark Reynolds is 0 for 8 and Trevor Story is 1 for 9.
SOLID KOEHLER
Koehler pitched at least six innings for the fifth start in a row. He has an ERA of 2.59 over his past nine starts, lowering his ERA for the season to 3.92.
Koehler lowered his ERA in five career starts against Colorado to 1.59.
CATCHER'S GEM
A third strike bounced away from Marlins catcher Jeff Mathis to start the ninth, and he scrambled and threw from his knees to retire Story at first.
"That was not only a good play, it was a big play," Ramos said. "If that guy gets on, a lot of things can happen."
STANTON UPDATE
Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton went 1 for 4 and has six hits in the series — all singles — to hike his average to .211.
UP NEXT
Marlins RHP Paul Clemens, recalled Sunday from Triple-A New Orleans, will pitch in the majors for the first time since 2014 when he starts Monday against Colorado LHP Jorge De La Rosa (3-4, 7.61 ERA).
Three relievers completed a two-hitter by combining for three perfect innings, and the Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies for the third day in a row Sunday, 3-0.
The only runs came on one swing — Marcell Ozuna's 13th homer in the sixth inning. That was shortly after Koehler had exited without protest for a pinch hitter, even though he had thrown just 92 pitches.
"Normally with 90 pitches, you're fighting to go back out there," Koehler said. "This is one that probably felt closer to 120. Today was a grind from the beginning. Not the best I've thrown, but I was able to make some big pitches when I needed to."
While Koehler (6-6) labored with a career-high walk total, the bullpen breezed through the Colorado lineup again. Miami relievers have allowed one hit in 13 scoreless innings in the first three games of the series.
"Those guys have been throwing the ball tremendously, and I don't see any reason why that would stop," Koehler said. "We've got a lot of good arms down there."
The Marlins (37-32) climbed five games above .500 for the first time since May 8, 2014, and moved ahead of the New York Mets into second place in the NL East. They'll try for a four-game sweep Monday.
"We can enjoy this one for a few minutes," manager Don Mattingly said, "but if you get three, you have to get greedy."
Left-hander Tyler Anderson (0-1), making his second career start, matched zeroes with Koehler until the sixth. After Derek Dietrich walked and Martin Prado singled, Ozuna greeted right-hander Miguel Castro with a homer for his third hit.
Rockies manager Walt Weiss didn't second-guess his decision to bring in Castro to face Ozuna.
"That's a matchup I'm looking at before the inning starts," Weiss said. "I'm certainly not going to let Ozuna face a lefty; he mauls left-handers. Castro got into a bad count and threw a flat fastball that was center cut."
After the Rockies stranded seven runners against Koehler, they failed to reach base against the Marlins' bullpen. A.J. Ramos pitched the ninth for his 31st save in a row, including 22 this year.
The Rockies, who began the series leading the NL in batting, have totaled 11 hits and no homers in the series. They managed only one hit Friday.
"We'll get it right offensively," Weiss said. "We've struggled here historically scoring runs, and that has certainly been the case in this series."
Charlie Blackmon is 0 for 12, DJ LeMahieu is 1 for 11, Mark Reynolds is 0 for 8 and Trevor Story is 1 for 9.
SOLID KOEHLER
Koehler pitched at least six innings for the fifth start in a row. He has an ERA of 2.59 over his past nine starts, lowering his ERA for the season to 3.92.
Koehler lowered his ERA in five career starts against Colorado to 1.59.
CATCHER'S GEM
A third strike bounced away from Marlins catcher Jeff Mathis to start the ninth, and he scrambled and threw from his knees to retire Story at first.
"That was not only a good play, it was a big play," Ramos said. "If that guy gets on, a lot of things can happen."
STANTON UPDATE
Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton went 1 for 4 and has six hits in the series — all singles — to hike his average to .211.
UP NEXT
Marlins RHP Paul Clemens, recalled Sunday from Triple-A New Orleans, will pitch in the majors for the first time since 2014 when he starts Monday against Colorado LHP Jorge De La Rosa (3-4, 7.61 ERA).
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Rays beat Mariners on bases-loaded walk in 13th
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Five days after his last start, the Tampa Bay Rays had Matt Andriese right where they needed him Wednesday night — in the bullpen.
Sent to the bullpen with a 5-0 record, the right-hander pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings to get the win in the Rays' 3-2, 13-inning win over the Seattle Mariners.
"Fortunately for us, him being down there won us a ballgame," said Rays manager Kevin Cash.
"I was very comfortable actually. I just went about it the same way I always do," said Andriese (6-0). "I think they were just going to ride me out because I was pretty fresh. I haven't started in four or five days so I wanted to just ride it out and see how many pitches I could throw."
Mike Montgomery walked Logan Morrison with the bases loaded in the 13th to bring in the winning run. Logan Forsythe tripled with one out and scored the winning run after Montgomery hit pinch-hitter Tim Beckham with a pitch and walked pinch-hitter Taylor Motter.
Montgomery (2-3) lost for the second straight night.
Nelson Cruz's 16th home run followed a leadoff single by Robinson Cano in the fourth inning, giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead against Rays starter Drew Smyly. They never scored again.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy," Cruz said after his fifth homer in nine games.
Smyly struck out a career-high 12 in 6 2/3 inning while giving up two runs on four hits. After giving up the home run to Cruz, the left-hander did not give up another hit and struck out six of the 11 batters he faced.
"I was happy to keep our team in it, but the story's the bullpen," Smyly said. "They held them scoreless for eight innings."
Corey Dickerson drove in the Rays' first two runs with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a two-out single in the sixth that tied it, 2-2. Dickerson has 10 of his 31 RBIs in five games against Seattle.
Steve Pearce tripled and doubled and reached base four times for the Rays, who won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Seattle starter Nathan Karns, who was acquired in a winter trade from the Rays, struck out eight in five innings, giving up two runs on four hits.
PINCH HITTING FOR LONGORIA . . .
Motter was pinch hitting in the 13th for Evan Longoria, who left the game with tightness in his left forearm after a check swing in the 11th. "It's something I've been dealing with, just sore," said Longoria, who doubled and walked twice. "It's a day-to-day thing."
MOVING DAY
The Rays designated LHP Dana Eveland for assignment and purchased the contract of OF Jaff Decker from Triple-A Durham. Cash didn't rule out Eveland, 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA in 21 games, from eventually joining Durham.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mariners: After leaving Tuesday night's game in the fourth inning with a strained tendon in his right foot, RHP Taijuan Walker is hopeful of not skipping his turn in the rotation. "He feels like it's not going to be a big issue, and he's on some medicine to kind of calm it down," reported manager Scott Servais.
Rays: Manager Kevin Cash said it should be known in the next day or two if RF Steven Souza Jr. (sore left hip) will need to go on the disabled list. "A little sore today," Souza said. "I don't have a whole lot (of news) right now." ... RHP Ryan Webb (right pectoral strain) allowed one run, two hits, one walk and struck out two over two-thirds of an inning in his first game with Class A Charlotte.
UP NEXT
Mariners: LHP James Paxton (0-2) will make his fourth start of the season in the series finale.
Rays: LHP Blake Snell is "definitely excited, jittery" about facing the Mariners in his Tropicana Field debut. Snell, who got no decision in his major league debut in New York on April 23, was born and raised in the Seattle area.
Sent to the bullpen with a 5-0 record, the right-hander pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings to get the win in the Rays' 3-2, 13-inning win over the Seattle Mariners.
"Fortunately for us, him being down there won us a ballgame," said Rays manager Kevin Cash.
"I was very comfortable actually. I just went about it the same way I always do," said Andriese (6-0). "I think they were just going to ride me out because I was pretty fresh. I haven't started in four or five days so I wanted to just ride it out and see how many pitches I could throw."
Mike Montgomery walked Logan Morrison with the bases loaded in the 13th to bring in the winning run. Logan Forsythe tripled with one out and scored the winning run after Montgomery hit pinch-hitter Tim Beckham with a pitch and walked pinch-hitter Taylor Motter.
Montgomery (2-3) lost for the second straight night.
Nelson Cruz's 16th home run followed a leadoff single by Robinson Cano in the fourth inning, giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead against Rays starter Drew Smyly. They never scored again.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy," Cruz said after his fifth homer in nine games.
Smyly struck out a career-high 12 in 6 2/3 inning while giving up two runs on four hits. After giving up the home run to Cruz, the left-hander did not give up another hit and struck out six of the 11 batters he faced.
"I was happy to keep our team in it, but the story's the bullpen," Smyly said. "They held them scoreless for eight innings."
Corey Dickerson drove in the Rays' first two runs with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a two-out single in the sixth that tied it, 2-2. Dickerson has 10 of his 31 RBIs in five games against Seattle.
Steve Pearce tripled and doubled and reached base four times for the Rays, who won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Seattle starter Nathan Karns, who was acquired in a winter trade from the Rays, struck out eight in five innings, giving up two runs on four hits.
PINCH HITTING FOR LONGORIA . . .
Motter was pinch hitting in the 13th for Evan Longoria, who left the game with tightness in his left forearm after a check swing in the 11th. "It's something I've been dealing with, just sore," said Longoria, who doubled and walked twice. "It's a day-to-day thing."
MOVING DAY
The Rays designated LHP Dana Eveland for assignment and purchased the contract of OF Jaff Decker from Triple-A Durham. Cash didn't rule out Eveland, 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA in 21 games, from eventually joining Durham.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mariners: After leaving Tuesday night's game in the fourth inning with a strained tendon in his right foot, RHP Taijuan Walker is hopeful of not skipping his turn in the rotation. "He feels like it's not going to be a big issue, and he's on some medicine to kind of calm it down," reported manager Scott Servais.
Rays: Manager Kevin Cash said it should be known in the next day or two if RF Steven Souza Jr. (sore left hip) will need to go on the disabled list. "A little sore today," Souza said. "I don't have a whole lot (of news) right now." ... RHP Ryan Webb (right pectoral strain) allowed one run, two hits, one walk and struck out two over two-thirds of an inning in his first game with Class A Charlotte.
UP NEXT
Mariners: LHP James Paxton (0-2) will make his fourth start of the season in the series finale.
Rays: LHP Blake Snell is "definitely excited, jittery" about facing the Mariners in his Tropicana Field debut. Snell, who got no decision in his major league debut in New York on April 23, was born and raised in the Seattle area.
Suzuki passes Rose's total as Marlins lose to Padres 6-3
SAN DIEGO (AP) — With two hits Wednesday, Ichiro Suzuki raised his career total in the Japanese and North American major leagues to 4,257, passing Pete Rose's record Major League Baseball total.
"This wasn't like a goal of mine to get to this point," Suzuki said through a translator after the Miami Marlins' 6-3 loss to the San Diego Padres.
Suzuki had 1,278 hits for Orix in Japan's Pacific League (1992-00) and has 2,979 with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Marlins. Rose was quoted recently by USA Today as saying: "I'm not trying to take anything away from Ichiro, he's had a Hall of Fame career, but the next thing you know, they'll be counting his high-school hits."
"Obviously, I've heard of Pete Rose's comments, and he wasn't happy about what they are saying about this record," Suzuki said. "To be honest, this wasn't something that I was a making out as a goal. It was just kind of a weird situation to be in because of the combined total."
Suzuki's first hit Wednesday was on a dribbler in the first. His second was a double into the right-field corner in the ninth.
"For me, it's not about the record," Suzuki said. "It's about my teammates and the fans."
Marlins president David Samson watched while having a sushi dinner in Germany.
"Ichiro gets a hit in the first inning and I loudly cheer. He looks at the TV and says 'Ichiro!' and the first thing he does is put down the tuna and extend his hand, and then he reaches to pull up his white coat like it's Ichiro's jersey and gets into Ichiro's batting stance," Samson said of the chef. "That to me was the most symbolic moment as it relates to Ichiro and his career. He transcends borders and demographics and religion and race. He does something very few people do. He does his job."
Suzuki joined the Marlins ahead of the 2015 season.
"If you could have 25 Ichiros, you would have 25 World Series rings." Samson said. "He is a true humble professional who works as hard when he's 0 for 5 as when he's 5 for 5. That skill cannot be taught. In a world where sports athlete are rarely role models, Ichiro is a true role model off and on the field."
Melvin Upton Jr. homered and had two RBIs, and Derek Norris had a go-ahead, two-run single for the Padres, who stopped a four-game losing streak.
Luis Perdomo (2-2) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings. It was the fourth big league start for the 23-year-old right-hander, taken by Colorado from St. Louis in December's winter meeting draft and acquired by the Padres later that day.
"His confidence keeps going up," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He has the stuff."
Perdomo displayed an effective fastball with reliable secondary offerings against the Marlins.
"My pitches looked great, especially my sinker," Perdomo said. "I used my slider to strike out a lot of guys and my fastball as well."
Fernando Rodney pitched a two-hit ninth to remain perfect in 13 save chances. The Padres won for just the second time in 21 series finales and for the fourth time in 22 day games.
Justin Nicolino (2-4) gave up five runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
"Nico has to be razor sharp," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "And some of his pitches were getting too much of the plate."
Suzuki reached on a dribbler up the first-base line in the first. Norris, a catcher, made a sliding attempt to field the ball and throw it in one motion, but Suzuki had already raced past the bag. Suzuki advanced to second on Martin Prado's single and scored on Christian Yelich's RBI single.
In the ninth, Suzuki lined a double into the right-field corner against Rodney, then took off his helmet and waved it to applauding fans. The sparse crowd, announced at 20,037, gave Suzuki a warm ovation as both teams' players applauded for Suzuki, as well.
"Ichiro is a really special player and I love to see him get this and keep his march going toward 3,000 hits," Mattingly said. "It says a lot about him as a player, how he prepares every day and his love for playing."
Green seconded Mattingly: "He's special. There are people in your life which you're privileged with competing against and you get to manage against. He's as good as there is."
Upton's second homer of the series tied the score in the second, and Miami took a 3-1 lead in the fourth on J. T. Realmuto's RBI single and Miguel Rojas' sacrifice fly.
Ryan Schimpf, called up from Triple-A on Tuesday, cut the gap with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half, and the Padres took a 5-3 lead in the fifth when Norris hit a two-run single and scored on Upton's single.
Wil Myers added an RBI double in the sixth against Nick Wittgren.
Miami had two on in the sixth when Myers ranged from first to make an over-the-shoulder catch on Miguel Rojas' two-out flare to shallow right field.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: RHP Andrew Cashner (sore neck) remains on the disabled list and has yet to be cleared to start a throwing program.
Marlins: RHP Jose Fernandez will have his next start pushed back from Friday to Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves as the team monitors his innings in his return from Tommy John surgery.
UP NEXT
Marlins: LHP Adam Conley (3-4 4.13) faces visiting Colorado in Friday's opener of a 10-game homestand. Conley has lost three of four decisions in Miami this season.
Padres: RHP Erik Johnson (0-1, 9.64), acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the trade for RHP James Shields, is to make his second start for San Diego in Thursday's game against Washington.
"This wasn't like a goal of mine to get to this point," Suzuki said through a translator after the Miami Marlins' 6-3 loss to the San Diego Padres.
Suzuki had 1,278 hits for Orix in Japan's Pacific League (1992-00) and has 2,979 with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Marlins. Rose was quoted recently by USA Today as saying: "I'm not trying to take anything away from Ichiro, he's had a Hall of Fame career, but the next thing you know, they'll be counting his high-school hits."
"Obviously, I've heard of Pete Rose's comments, and he wasn't happy about what they are saying about this record," Suzuki said. "To be honest, this wasn't something that I was a making out as a goal. It was just kind of a weird situation to be in because of the combined total."
Suzuki's first hit Wednesday was on a dribbler in the first. His second was a double into the right-field corner in the ninth.
"For me, it's not about the record," Suzuki said. "It's about my teammates and the fans."
Marlins president David Samson watched while having a sushi dinner in Germany.
"Ichiro gets a hit in the first inning and I loudly cheer. He looks at the TV and says 'Ichiro!' and the first thing he does is put down the tuna and extend his hand, and then he reaches to pull up his white coat like it's Ichiro's jersey and gets into Ichiro's batting stance," Samson said of the chef. "That to me was the most symbolic moment as it relates to Ichiro and his career. He transcends borders and demographics and religion and race. He does something very few people do. He does his job."
Suzuki joined the Marlins ahead of the 2015 season.
"If you could have 25 Ichiros, you would have 25 World Series rings." Samson said. "He is a true humble professional who works as hard when he's 0 for 5 as when he's 5 for 5. That skill cannot be taught. In a world where sports athlete are rarely role models, Ichiro is a true role model off and on the field."
Melvin Upton Jr. homered and had two RBIs, and Derek Norris had a go-ahead, two-run single for the Padres, who stopped a four-game losing streak.
Luis Perdomo (2-2) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings. It was the fourth big league start for the 23-year-old right-hander, taken by Colorado from St. Louis in December's winter meeting draft and acquired by the Padres later that day.
"His confidence keeps going up," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He has the stuff."
Perdomo displayed an effective fastball with reliable secondary offerings against the Marlins.
"My pitches looked great, especially my sinker," Perdomo said. "I used my slider to strike out a lot of guys and my fastball as well."
Fernando Rodney pitched a two-hit ninth to remain perfect in 13 save chances. The Padres won for just the second time in 21 series finales and for the fourth time in 22 day games.
Justin Nicolino (2-4) gave up five runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
"Nico has to be razor sharp," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "And some of his pitches were getting too much of the plate."
Suzuki reached on a dribbler up the first-base line in the first. Norris, a catcher, made a sliding attempt to field the ball and throw it in one motion, but Suzuki had already raced past the bag. Suzuki advanced to second on Martin Prado's single and scored on Christian Yelich's RBI single.
In the ninth, Suzuki lined a double into the right-field corner against Rodney, then took off his helmet and waved it to applauding fans. The sparse crowd, announced at 20,037, gave Suzuki a warm ovation as both teams' players applauded for Suzuki, as well.
"Ichiro is a really special player and I love to see him get this and keep his march going toward 3,000 hits," Mattingly said. "It says a lot about him as a player, how he prepares every day and his love for playing."
Green seconded Mattingly: "He's special. There are people in your life which you're privileged with competing against and you get to manage against. He's as good as there is."
Upton's second homer of the series tied the score in the second, and Miami took a 3-1 lead in the fourth on J. T. Realmuto's RBI single and Miguel Rojas' sacrifice fly.
Ryan Schimpf, called up from Triple-A on Tuesday, cut the gap with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half, and the Padres took a 5-3 lead in the fifth when Norris hit a two-run single and scored on Upton's single.
Wil Myers added an RBI double in the sixth against Nick Wittgren.
Miami had two on in the sixth when Myers ranged from first to make an over-the-shoulder catch on Miguel Rojas' two-out flare to shallow right field.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: RHP Andrew Cashner (sore neck) remains on the disabled list and has yet to be cleared to start a throwing program.
Marlins: RHP Jose Fernandez will have his next start pushed back from Friday to Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves as the team monitors his innings in his return from Tommy John surgery.
UP NEXT
Marlins: LHP Adam Conley (3-4 4.13) faces visiting Colorado in Friday's opener of a 10-game homestand. Conley has lost three of four decisions in Miami this season.
Padres: RHP Erik Johnson (0-1, 9.64), acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the trade for RHP James Shields, is to make his second start for San Diego in Thursday's game against Washington.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Ray goes seven-plus innings, Diamondbacks blank Marlins
PHOENIX (AP) — Robbie Ray found both tempo and success Sunday.
He threw seven-plus scoreless innings and Peter O'Brien homered to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Miami Marlins 6-0 on Sunday.
Ray (3-5) held Miami to three hits and a walk over 7 2/3 innings and struck out six. Ray faced only two batters over the minimum and did not allow a Miami runner into scoring position.
The outing came on the heels of Ray's last start, where he unraveled with runners on base and lasted only 4 2/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
"I felt that I accomplished what I was trying to do, get easy outs and stay down in the zone," Ray said. "I'm still learning who I am as a pitcher. It's good to get this one under my belt."
Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale and pitching coach Mike Butcher challenged Ray after his prior start, letting him know throwing five or fewer innings wasn't acceptable.
"He threw the ball very well, had good tempo and really controlled himself at times," Hale said. "He wasn't rushing. He's a young pitcher. He is just really, really learning and learning on the job."
Paul Goldschmidt doubled, singled, scored twice and drove in a run for the Diamondbacks, who won the final two games of the three-game series.
The shutout was Arizona's fifth of the season and first against the Marlins since August 27, 2012 at Chase Field.
Marlins starter Adam Conley (3-4) went five innings, allowing six runs on 11 hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Conley was behind in a hurry against the Diamondbacks.
Jean Segura singled, went to second when Goldschmidt reached on catcher's interference, moved to third on a walk to Wellington Castillo and scored on a high pop up caught by second baseman Derek Dietrich in shallow right-center.
O'Brien then made it 4-0 with his homer over the Diamondbacks' left-field bullpen, his first of the year and second of his career.
"If you're standing around in batting practice, you can close your eyes and know it's him," Hale said.
The Diamondbacks' four runs in the opening inning were their most since a four-run first on Sept. 11 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, also managed by Don Mattingly.
"We talked about the first inning before," Mattingly said. "For starting pitchers that is always a dangerous inning. Today it was really dangerous for us. They get the four early and we don't respond the rest of the day."
Arizona extended the lead to 5-0 in the second when Goldschmidt doubled down the left-field line and scored on a single by Castillo. Goldschmidt drove in a run in the fourth with a single, scoring Segura to put the Diamondbacks ahead 6-0.
"It It seems like the whole day I was somewhere between missing barrels and really solid contact," Conley said. "I think 11 hits eight of them were on the ground. Nobody was really hitting the ball hard. If my stuff was better they swing and miss pitches. If my stuff was worse they would square it up."
RAY AT THE PLATE
Ray put together his second straight two-hit game with singles in the first and third innings. Including Monday's game against Tampa Bay, during which Ray hit his first career home run, the right-hander has raised his batting average from .111 to .261. Ray's run of four straight hits ended with a fly out to left in the fifth.
GOLDY MOVES UP
Goldschmidt's third-inning double moved him into a third-place tie with Stephen Drew on the club's all-time doubles list with 176.
ICHIRO UPDATE
Ichiro Suzuki, four hits shy of unofficially tying Pete Rose's hit record when his Japanese and major-league stats are combined, came on as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and walked on five pitches.
CALL REVERSED
Marlins manager Don Mattingly successfully challenged a call in the bottom of the third inning. O'Brien lofted a high pop-up toward second baseman Derek Dietrich, who caught the ball briefly before it fell to the ground. Umpires originally ruled Dietrich had dropped the ball outright but after a 2:17 review, it was determined he was in the process of transferring the ball to his throwing hand after the catch was made.
UP NEXT
Marlins: LHP Wei-Yin Chin (3-2, 4.56 ERA) starts for the Marlins on Monday in San Diego as Miami opens a three-game series against RHP Colin Rea (3-2, 4.74) and the Padres.
Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke (8-3, 3.84) will start for Arizona at home against RHP Mike Bolsinger (1-3, 5.75) and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Greinke is coming off a three-hit shutout in his last start Tuesday against Tampa Bay.
Rays beat Astros 5-0, dropping Keuchel to 3-9
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Dallas Keuchel had only one bad inning Sunday. Matt Moore had none, and that was the difference in the Tampa Bay Rays' 5-0 win over the Houston Astros.
Keuchel, the AL's reigning Cy Young Award winner, became the first major leaguer to lose nine games this season when Moore pitched two-hit ball over seven innings.
"I'm disappointed because Matt Moore was pretty much dominant while I was doing my job correctly," Keuchel said. "Then all of a sudden five runs were on the board."
Moore (3-4) gave up singles to Jose Altuve in the fourth and sixth innings while striking out 10 and walking one. Enny Romero got one out and Tyler Sturdevant completed the two-hitter for the Rays, who have won seven of nine.
"I don't know when the last time was I didn't give up any runs when it was my turn to pitch, so it felt good," said Moore, whose seven innings matched a season high. "I was a little bit irritated coming off the mound. Frustrating feeling. My mindset moving forward was eight-, nine-pitch innings."
Rays manager Kevin Cash recalled that pitching coach Jim Hickey came over after Moore's warmup session in the bullpen and said his curveball looked "tremendous."
"That proved to be very right on," Cash added. "His curveball was a big-time weapon."
Altuve, who had multiple hits for the sixth time in eight games, agreed.
"When you've got a curveball like that and you throw the fastball 96 mph, we're going to have some trouble," he said.
Since Houston joined the AL in 2013, the Rays are 17-7 against the Astros — pitching eight shutouts.
Tampa Bay used four hits, two walks and a couple of defensive lapses in a five-run fifth inning against Keuchel, who gave up five runs — four earned — and five hits in five innings with nine strikeouts and two walks.
Logan Morrison led off the Rays' fifth with a double, only the second hit off Keuchel.
Steven Souza Jr. singled, and Desmond Jennings grounded to shortstop Marwin Gonzalez, who threw to second for the forceout. Altuve's high throw pulled first baseman Tyler White off the bag as Souza scored.
A pair of walks loaded the bases, and Logan Forsythe hit a potential double-play grounder to third baseman Luis Valbuena, who misplayed the ball for an error as Jennings scored.
Mikie Mahtook followed with a two-run single, and Evan Longoria chopped an RBI single through the vacated right side of a shifted infield for a 5-0 lead.
After going 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA last season, Keuchel (3-9) has a 5.54 ERA this year. He is 1-8 with a 6.58 ERA in his last 11 starts, allowing 83 hits in 67 innings, and he is 0-4 in six career starts against Tampa Bay.
SNELL COMING BACK UP
The Rays will recall LHP Blake Snell from Triple-A Durham to start Thursday against the Seattle Mariners. It will be the second major league start and the first at Tropicana Filed for Snell. RHP Matt Andriese will head to the bullpen after going 5-0 in seven starts.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: SS Carlos Correa missed a third straight game because of a sprained left ankle. He took pregame ground balls and swings in a batting cage. "With the off day (Monday), it makes more sense to err on the side of caution," manager A.J. Hinch said.
Rays: RHP Ryan Webb (right pectoral strain) threw a bullpen session. ... OF Brandon Guyer (left hamstring strain) stretched and played catch in the outfield. ... Jennings left in the eighth inning because of left quadriceps tightness.
UP NEXT
Astros: RHP Doug Fister is scheduled to start Tuesday night's opener of a two-game series at St. Louis.
Rays: RHP Jake Odorizzi is set to pitch Tuesday's opener of three-game series against visiting Seattle. He is 0-1 with a 0.52 ERA in three career starts against the Mariners.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Ozuna, Marlins blast Twins 10-3 to avoid sweep
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — For whatever reason, the Miami Marlins were having a heck of a time with the American League's worst team 2 1/2 games into their three-game series.
All of a sudden, the bats got going and the Marlins ran away with the finale.
Marcell Ozuna had four hits and three RBIs, and the Marlins broke open the game with a seven-run seventh inning to beat the Minnesota Twins 10-3 on Thursday night.
"Stuff like that doesn't happen often so when it does, it's fun, you've got to enjoy it," said Christian Yelich, who had two hits and an RBI. "That's what happens when guys string a lot good at-bats together. Guys put some good swings, hit the ball hard and it was finding holes."
Chris Johnson hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh and the Marlins bounced back in a big way after dropping the first two games of the series to the lowly Twins. Tom Koehler (4-6) gave up two runs, four hits and struck out six in six innings.
Robbie Grossman hit a two-run double for the Twins (18-41). Ervin Santana (1-6) gave up five runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings and Minnesota's bullpen was bludgeoned in the seventh.
"They don't miss a fastball, for sure today," Santana said.
Twins right-hander Phil Hughes had to be helped off the field in the ninth inning after taking a line drive off the bat of J.T. Realmuto off his left knee.
Koehler entered the game averaging 5.4 walks per nine innings, the second-most among qualifying starters. His only walk was an intentional one Thursday. He faced the minimum number of batters through the first five innings before the Twins finally got to him in the sixth.
Grossman's double in the sixth tied the game at 2, but in the story of the Twins' season, they quickly squandered the momentum.
"I gave two runs back there in the sixth, so to have the guys respond and put up a nice crooked number there, they picked me up and it was huge," Koehler said.
The Marlins took a 9-2 lead in the seventh, pounding out eight hits and scoring one run on a wild pitch by reliever Trevor May, who couldn't get an out before getting yanked by Paul Molitor.
"They just kept swinging," Molitor said. "It happened fast."
Martin Prado, Yelich and Adeiny Hechavarria all had two hits and an RBI for the Marlins.
SUZUKI SHINES
Ichiro Suzuki had two hits and an RBI for the Marlins and is 27 hits from 3,000 for his career. He had seven hits in the series to raise his average to .333.
"He makes it look easy," Santana said. "He's just waiting for one pitch and he don't miss it."
STANTON FLAILS
Marlins manager Don Mattingly said before the game he was hopeful that struggling slugger Giancarlo Stanton's fortunes were about to turn after he posted his first multi-hit game in nearly a month on Wednesday night.
Stanton was 0 for 5 with four strikeouts and grounded into a double play, dropping his batting average to .197.
DRAFT DAY
Marlins: Selected LHP Braxton Garrett from Florence High School in Alabama with the seventh pick. He had an 0.53 ERA, with 131 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings as a senior.
Twins: Selected OF Alex Kirilloff from Pittsburgh with the 15th pick. Kirilloff was home schooled but is hitting .544 with three homers and 23 RBIs in 19 games for Plum High School.
TRAINING ROOM
Twins: Hughes was taken for X-rays, which were negative. He is listed as day to day. ... OF Oswaldo Arcia left the game with a right foot contusion. The Twins said X-rays were negative and his is listed as day to day.
UP NEXT
Marlins: LHP Justin Nicolino (2-3, 4.37) starts the series opener at Arizona against LHP Patrick Corbin (3-5, 4.73).
Twins: Tyler Duffey (2-4, 4.79) starts the opener against Boston's Steven Wright (6-4, 2.29) in slugger David Ortiz's final series in Minnesota, where his career began.
All of a sudden, the bats got going and the Marlins ran away with the finale.
Marcell Ozuna had four hits and three RBIs, and the Marlins broke open the game with a seven-run seventh inning to beat the Minnesota Twins 10-3 on Thursday night.
"Stuff like that doesn't happen often so when it does, it's fun, you've got to enjoy it," said Christian Yelich, who had two hits and an RBI. "That's what happens when guys string a lot good at-bats together. Guys put some good swings, hit the ball hard and it was finding holes."
Chris Johnson hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh and the Marlins bounced back in a big way after dropping the first two games of the series to the lowly Twins. Tom Koehler (4-6) gave up two runs, four hits and struck out six in six innings.
Robbie Grossman hit a two-run double for the Twins (18-41). Ervin Santana (1-6) gave up five runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings and Minnesota's bullpen was bludgeoned in the seventh.
"They don't miss a fastball, for sure today," Santana said.
Twins right-hander Phil Hughes had to be helped off the field in the ninth inning after taking a line drive off the bat of J.T. Realmuto off his left knee.
Koehler entered the game averaging 5.4 walks per nine innings, the second-most among qualifying starters. His only walk was an intentional one Thursday. He faced the minimum number of batters through the first five innings before the Twins finally got to him in the sixth.
Grossman's double in the sixth tied the game at 2, but in the story of the Twins' season, they quickly squandered the momentum.
"I gave two runs back there in the sixth, so to have the guys respond and put up a nice crooked number there, they picked me up and it was huge," Koehler said.
The Marlins took a 9-2 lead in the seventh, pounding out eight hits and scoring one run on a wild pitch by reliever Trevor May, who couldn't get an out before getting yanked by Paul Molitor.
"They just kept swinging," Molitor said. "It happened fast."
Martin Prado, Yelich and Adeiny Hechavarria all had two hits and an RBI for the Marlins.
SUZUKI SHINES
Ichiro Suzuki had two hits and an RBI for the Marlins and is 27 hits from 3,000 for his career. He had seven hits in the series to raise his average to .333.
"He makes it look easy," Santana said. "He's just waiting for one pitch and he don't miss it."
STANTON FLAILS
Marlins manager Don Mattingly said before the game he was hopeful that struggling slugger Giancarlo Stanton's fortunes were about to turn after he posted his first multi-hit game in nearly a month on Wednesday night.
Stanton was 0 for 5 with four strikeouts and grounded into a double play, dropping his batting average to .197.
DRAFT DAY
Marlins: Selected LHP Braxton Garrett from Florence High School in Alabama with the seventh pick. He had an 0.53 ERA, with 131 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings as a senior.
Twins: Selected OF Alex Kirilloff from Pittsburgh with the 15th pick. Kirilloff was home schooled but is hitting .544 with three homers and 23 RBIs in 19 games for Plum High School.
TRAINING ROOM
Twins: Hughes was taken for X-rays, which were negative. He is listed as day to day. ... OF Oswaldo Arcia left the game with a right foot contusion. The Twins said X-rays were negative and his is listed as day to day.
UP NEXT
Marlins: LHP Justin Nicolino (2-3, 4.37) starts the series opener at Arizona against LHP Patrick Corbin (3-5, 4.73).
Twins: Tyler Duffey (2-4, 4.79) starts the opener against Boston's Steven Wright (6-4, 2.29) in slugger David Ortiz's final series in Minnesota, where his career began.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Plouffe homers, has 3 RBIs as Twins beat Marlins 7-5
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — His knee wrapped in ice and a smile across his face, Trevor Plouffe was more relieved than anything after the Minnesota Twins beat the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night.
For one night, any physical pain or frustration from lack of production was an afterthought.
Plouffe hit a two-run homer and drove in the go-ahead run with a double off the right-field wall to help Minnesota keep up its power binge in a 7-5 victory over Miami.
"I just want to contribute to wins and I haven't been doing that lately," Plouffe said. "Tonight was a good, overall team win for us and just happy that I contributed today."
Joe Mauer and Byung Ho Park added solo home runs for the Twins, who tied a season high with four homers in the opening game of the series on Tuesday and have hit 12 home runs in the last six games.
Taylor Rogers (2-0) pitched one inning, and six relievers combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Brandon Kintzler earned his first career save in place of struggling closer Kevin Jepsen.
"He's made his mark for sure," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Kintzler. "We kind of have had some discussions around here about how we're having to use our bullpen, and we're having to mix and match. I don't know if it's classic bullpen by committee, but we've kind of changed roles here in the short term and give some people some opportunity."
Ichiro Suzuki had three hits for the Marlins to come within 29 of 3,000 for his major league career. Reliever Nick Wittgren (1-1) gave up two runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Plouffe hit his first home run in 20 games, a towering shot to left field with Mauer aboard in the third. Plouffe had hit .220 in 26 games since being activated off the disabled list on May 3 from a right intercostal strain.
Also dealing with a troublesome knee, Plouffe said the pain started to affect him mentally, as well.
"I think lately I've been letting it kind of creep into my mind a little too much," Plouffe said. "Today, I took all the precautions, did all the rehab and stuff that I need to do, but during the game I didn't wear this sleeve I've been wearing on my knee, and I just thought maybe that would take it out of my mind. Who knows if it did, but look what happened. I'm not going to wear it tomorrow, either."
CHANGE IN ROLES
Molitor said he would hold off on using Jepsen, who's been scored on in five of his last 11 appearances, as the closer in the "short term."
Jepsen is 2-5 with a 6.17 ERA in 25 games. Molitor said Kintzler and left-hander Fernando Abad could see time in the ninth inning.
Kintzler has a 2.30 ERA in 15 games. He allowed one hit to Marcell Ozuna but struck out Giancarlo Stanton to end the game.
RECORDS IN REACH
Suzuki is 14 hits away from tying Sam Rice (2,985) for 30th in major league history.
Including his 1,278 hits in Japan, Suzuki is seven hits away from Pete Rose's career hit record of 4,256 hits.
GARDY BACK TO THE BENCH?
Ron Gardenhire said he would "love to manage again" but he's not actively pursuing managerial jobs. The former Twins manager was hired as a special assistant to Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan in April and said Wednesday he's enjoying the role, which has him instructing and evaluating in the minor leagues.
However, a desire to manage is still there for the 58-year-old Gardenhire.
"As long as a team has a manager, I have no interest," Gardenhire said. "If a team decides to make a move and they want to talk to me, I'd be glad to talk to them because I'd love to manage again. But it's not live or die, take it or leave it. I'd love to do it because I love baseball. But I'm fine, I'm happy with what I'm doing right now."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: Right-handed reliever Trevor May pitched for the first time since June 1. May had been held out with a back issue similar to what caused him to miss six games last September. He got a groundout on two pitches to end the sixth. ... OF Danny Santana (left hamstring strain) has progressed to running and general manager Terry Ryan said he's running at about 70 percent after going on the disabled list on May 30.
UP NEXT
A pair of right-handers start in the final matchup of the three-game series as Ervin Santana (1-5, 4.50 ERA) starts for Minnesota against Tom Koehler (3-6, 4.50). Santana has lost his last three starts while allowing 14 runs in 16 2/3 innings. Koehler hasn't allowed more than three runs in his last six starts.
For one night, any physical pain or frustration from lack of production was an afterthought.
Plouffe hit a two-run homer and drove in the go-ahead run with a double off the right-field wall to help Minnesota keep up its power binge in a 7-5 victory over Miami.
"I just want to contribute to wins and I haven't been doing that lately," Plouffe said. "Tonight was a good, overall team win for us and just happy that I contributed today."
Joe Mauer and Byung Ho Park added solo home runs for the Twins, who tied a season high with four homers in the opening game of the series on Tuesday and have hit 12 home runs in the last six games.
Taylor Rogers (2-0) pitched one inning, and six relievers combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Brandon Kintzler earned his first career save in place of struggling closer Kevin Jepsen.
"He's made his mark for sure," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Kintzler. "We kind of have had some discussions around here about how we're having to use our bullpen, and we're having to mix and match. I don't know if it's classic bullpen by committee, but we've kind of changed roles here in the short term and give some people some opportunity."
Ichiro Suzuki had three hits for the Marlins to come within 29 of 3,000 for his major league career. Reliever Nick Wittgren (1-1) gave up two runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Plouffe hit his first home run in 20 games, a towering shot to left field with Mauer aboard in the third. Plouffe had hit .220 in 26 games since being activated off the disabled list on May 3 from a right intercostal strain.
Also dealing with a troublesome knee, Plouffe said the pain started to affect him mentally, as well.
"I think lately I've been letting it kind of creep into my mind a little too much," Plouffe said. "Today, I took all the precautions, did all the rehab and stuff that I need to do, but during the game I didn't wear this sleeve I've been wearing on my knee, and I just thought maybe that would take it out of my mind. Who knows if it did, but look what happened. I'm not going to wear it tomorrow, either."
CHANGE IN ROLES
Molitor said he would hold off on using Jepsen, who's been scored on in five of his last 11 appearances, as the closer in the "short term."
Jepsen is 2-5 with a 6.17 ERA in 25 games. Molitor said Kintzler and left-hander Fernando Abad could see time in the ninth inning.
Kintzler has a 2.30 ERA in 15 games. He allowed one hit to Marcell Ozuna but struck out Giancarlo Stanton to end the game.
RECORDS IN REACH
Suzuki is 14 hits away from tying Sam Rice (2,985) for 30th in major league history.
Including his 1,278 hits in Japan, Suzuki is seven hits away from Pete Rose's career hit record of 4,256 hits.
GARDY BACK TO THE BENCH?
Ron Gardenhire said he would "love to manage again" but he's not actively pursuing managerial jobs. The former Twins manager was hired as a special assistant to Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan in April and said Wednesday he's enjoying the role, which has him instructing and evaluating in the minor leagues.
However, a desire to manage is still there for the 58-year-old Gardenhire.
"As long as a team has a manager, I have no interest," Gardenhire said. "If a team decides to make a move and they want to talk to me, I'd be glad to talk to them because I'd love to manage again. But it's not live or die, take it or leave it. I'd love to do it because I love baseball. But I'm fine, I'm happy with what I'm doing right now."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: Right-handed reliever Trevor May pitched for the first time since June 1. May had been held out with a back issue similar to what caused him to miss six games last September. He got a groundout on two pitches to end the sixth. ... OF Danny Santana (left hamstring strain) has progressed to running and general manager Terry Ryan said he's running at about 70 percent after going on the disabled list on May 30.
UP NEXT
A pair of right-handers start in the final matchup of the three-game series as Ervin Santana (1-5, 4.50 ERA) starts for Minnesota against Tom Koehler (3-6, 4.50). Santana has lost his last three starts while allowing 14 runs in 16 2/3 innings. Koehler hasn't allowed more than three runs in his last six starts.
Bradley struggles, Diamondbacks lose again at home 6-3
PHOENIX (AP) — Archie Bradley was coming off two good outings since being recalled from the minors.
Wednesday's start didn't maintain that promising pattern.
The young Arizona right-hander gave up four runs, including a pair of homers, in 5 2/3 innings during a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
"I just could never really get comfortable and find my tempo or my rhythm," Bradley said. "I just didn't feel like the ball was coming out as good as it has the last couple of starts."
Arizona led 3-2 with two outs and none on in the sixth inning. Bradley gave up a homer to Desmond Jennings and triple to Tim Beckham, who came home with the go-ahead run.
"That was really, really frustrating to me," Bradley said.
"He battled," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "He gave us chance to win."
Corey Dickerson, in a 1-for-17 slide coming in, had three hits, two of them home runs, for the Rays.
It is the kind of performance the Rays envisioned when they acquired Dickerson from Colorado in the offseason.
"It's big to feel like yourself again," he said, "to feel like your swing's back, you're driving the ball to all fields definitely feels good. It makes you relax a little more and realize it's still there. It's just you've got to be yourself."
Rickie Weeks Jr. hit a home run for the Diamondbacks.
Jake Odorizzi (3-3) went five innings and got the victory, thanks to a two-run sixth that put the Rays up 4-3. He allowed three runs and five hits, struck out eight and walked three.
Bradley (2-2) allowed five hits.
"It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't my best," he said. "Fighting myself early on. I knew it was going to be a battle all day, so I was just trying to minimize the damage and give us a chance to stay in the game."
Arizona loaded the bases with no outs against Alex Colome in the ninth with the heart of the Diamondbacks order coming to the plate. But Paul Goldschmidt struck out and David Peralta bounced into a double play.
"We couldn't have set it up any better in the ninth," Hale said. "Those are the guys you want up there. It just didn't work today."
Colome earned his 17th save in as many tries this season and fifth in Tampa Bay's last six games.
"I did everything I used to do back when I played with the Rockies," he said. "I decided to just be me — don't manipulate my stance, don't manipulate my hands, don't do anything different. Just go up there and think about seeing the baseball and let my natural ability take over."
Jennings wrapped up a big series with third home run of the season, a solo drive with two outs in the sixth, tied the score 3-3. Tim Beckham followed with a triple, Curt Casali walked and reliever Jake Barrett gave up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Steve Pearce. Dickerson's second home run, off Tyler Clippard in the seventh, gave Tampa Bay a 5-3 lead.
It was the fourth multi-homer game of Dickerson's career.
Evan Longoria extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an RBI single in the third.
HOME WOES
Arizona fell to 10-22 at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks have won just two series at home and lost seven. A four-game set with St. Louis was a split.
Arizona's 16-14 road record is tied for fourth-best in the NL.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: Second baseman Logan Forsythe (hairline fracture, left shoulder blade) was to make his first rehab appearance for Triple-A Durham Thursday night.
Diamondbacks: LHP Shelby Miller (right index finger sprain) will make a rehab start for Class A Visalia on Thursday night.
UP NEXT
Rays: Tampa Bay opens a nine-game homestand Friday, starting RHP Matt Andriese (4-0, 2.52 ERA) against Houston at RHP Lance McCullers (3-1, 4.23).
Diamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin (3-5, 4.73 ERA) starts Friday in a series opener against the Miami Marlins and LHP Justin Nicolino (2-3, 4.37).
Wednesday's start didn't maintain that promising pattern.
The young Arizona right-hander gave up four runs, including a pair of homers, in 5 2/3 innings during a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
"I just could never really get comfortable and find my tempo or my rhythm," Bradley said. "I just didn't feel like the ball was coming out as good as it has the last couple of starts."
Arizona led 3-2 with two outs and none on in the sixth inning. Bradley gave up a homer to Desmond Jennings and triple to Tim Beckham, who came home with the go-ahead run.
"That was really, really frustrating to me," Bradley said.
"He battled," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "He gave us chance to win."
Corey Dickerson, in a 1-for-17 slide coming in, had three hits, two of them home runs, for the Rays.
It is the kind of performance the Rays envisioned when they acquired Dickerson from Colorado in the offseason.
"It's big to feel like yourself again," he said, "to feel like your swing's back, you're driving the ball to all fields definitely feels good. It makes you relax a little more and realize it's still there. It's just you've got to be yourself."
Rickie Weeks Jr. hit a home run for the Diamondbacks.
Jake Odorizzi (3-3) went five innings and got the victory, thanks to a two-run sixth that put the Rays up 4-3. He allowed three runs and five hits, struck out eight and walked three.
Bradley (2-2) allowed five hits.
"It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't my best," he said. "Fighting myself early on. I knew it was going to be a battle all day, so I was just trying to minimize the damage and give us a chance to stay in the game."
Arizona loaded the bases with no outs against Alex Colome in the ninth with the heart of the Diamondbacks order coming to the plate. But Paul Goldschmidt struck out and David Peralta bounced into a double play.
"We couldn't have set it up any better in the ninth," Hale said. "Those are the guys you want up there. It just didn't work today."
Colome earned his 17th save in as many tries this season and fifth in Tampa Bay's last six games.
"I did everything I used to do back when I played with the Rockies," he said. "I decided to just be me — don't manipulate my stance, don't manipulate my hands, don't do anything different. Just go up there and think about seeing the baseball and let my natural ability take over."
Jennings wrapped up a big series with third home run of the season, a solo drive with two outs in the sixth, tied the score 3-3. Tim Beckham followed with a triple, Curt Casali walked and reliever Jake Barrett gave up an RBI single to pinch-hitter Steve Pearce. Dickerson's second home run, off Tyler Clippard in the seventh, gave Tampa Bay a 5-3 lead.
It was the fourth multi-homer game of Dickerson's career.
Evan Longoria extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an RBI single in the third.
HOME WOES
Arizona fell to 10-22 at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks have won just two series at home and lost seven. A four-game set with St. Louis was a split.
Arizona's 16-14 road record is tied for fourth-best in the NL.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: Second baseman Logan Forsythe (hairline fracture, left shoulder blade) was to make his first rehab appearance for Triple-A Durham Thursday night.
Diamondbacks: LHP Shelby Miller (right index finger sprain) will make a rehab start for Class A Visalia on Thursday night.
UP NEXT
Rays: Tampa Bay opens a nine-game homestand Friday, starting RHP Matt Andriese (4-0, 2.52 ERA) against Houston at RHP Lance McCullers (3-1, 4.23).
Diamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin (3-5, 4.73 ERA) starts Friday in a series opener against the Miami Marlins and LHP Justin Nicolino (2-3, 4.37).
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Dozier's 2-run HR in 11th gives Twins 6-4 win over Marlins
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — There's plenty of room left on Minnesota's highlight film for 2016.
Brian Dozier and the bullpen claimed spots on the tape Tuesday night with the type of clutch performances that have been largely missing for the Twins.
Dozier's two-out, two-run home run in the 11th inning gave the Twins a 6-4 victory over the Miami Marlins, the third game-ending homer in Dozier's career and just the second win for the Twins in their last eight games.
"You always want to be in those situations. If you don't, something's wrong with you," said Dozier, who has struggled to regain his All-Star form of 2015.
Dustin McGowan (0-2) walked Joe Mauer and gave up the drive to Dozier to take the loss for the Marlins, who led 4-3 until Robbie Grossman's home run off David Phelps in the eighth.
"Anytime you have the lead you want to be able to close the door at the end of the game," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "So they sting a little bit."
Fernando Abad struck out the side for the Twins in the 10th inning, lowering his ERA to 0.87 in 26 appearances. Buddy Boshers (1-0), their eighth pitcher of the game, struck out two batters in the 11th for his first major league victory.
The Twins bullpen, which began the game with the second-highest opponent batting average (.279) in the majors, logged 6 2/3 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and three hits allowed.
"You try not to think about that stuff. You've just got to go out there and try to execute your pitches, and ultimately the zeroes will come," Boshers said.
Eduardo Nunez hit two fastballs from Marlins starter Adam Conley for home runs, and Grossman doubled and scored in a two-run first inning. Dozier picked them up at the end with his deep drive.
"You just kind of hope that he catapults himself at some point where he's contributing every day with the bat," manager Paul Molitor said. "It's one of those things where he's putting work in. It's just when you're trying to make changes it's tough to do it on the fly."
Sparked by a single from the ageless Ichiro Suzuki, the first batter of the game, the Marlins scored in all but one of five innings against Twins starter Pat Dean. Adeiny Hechavarria tripled to start the third and came home on a wild pitch. Martin Prado hit the first of his two doubles in the fifth inning, before Christian Yelich's RBI single.
Nunez, who led off for Minnesota in a game last week with an inside-the-park home run, hit the second pitch from Conley into the third deck above left field.
"They stuck to their plan, and they were going to be on the heater no matter what," Conley said.
Then with two outs in the fifth, Nunez hit one into the bullpen behind right-center to pull the Twins within 4-3.
REPRESENTATIVE NUNEZ?
The 28-year-old Nunez, a utility man when the season began, has fast become this lost-cause team's best All-Star Game candidate. In his last 13 games, Nunez is batting .407 (24 for 59). His nine home runs are third on the team, accounting for one-third of his career total.
MARINER MEMORY
The 42-year-old Suzuki, who moved within 32 hits of 3,000 for his major league career, was in his fourth season in 2004 when Molitor was hired as Seattle's hitting coach. The post lasted only one year, as he was fired after the team's 63-99 finish, but Suzuki set the all-time season record with 262 hits.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Miami: Stanton was the cleanup hitter again after batting fifth last weekend and getting a rest Sunday. Stanton is 1 for 19 in five June games, dropping the three-time All-Star's batting average to .197.
Minnesota: RHP Kyle Gibson, whose DL stay for a strained shoulder was delayed last week by a stiff back, has been cleared to start Saturday against Boston. Gibson last pitched April 22.
UP NEXT
Miami: LHP Wei-Yin Chin (3-2, 4.25 ERA) will take the mound Wednesday in the middle game of the series. He has a 2.96 ERA in four road starts this season.
Minnesota: RHP Ricky Nolasco (2-4, 4.93 ERA) will face the Marlins, the team he debuted with and pitched for for nearly eight seasons.
Brian Dozier and the bullpen claimed spots on the tape Tuesday night with the type of clutch performances that have been largely missing for the Twins.
Dozier's two-out, two-run home run in the 11th inning gave the Twins a 6-4 victory over the Miami Marlins, the third game-ending homer in Dozier's career and just the second win for the Twins in their last eight games.
"You always want to be in those situations. If you don't, something's wrong with you," said Dozier, who has struggled to regain his All-Star form of 2015.
Dustin McGowan (0-2) walked Joe Mauer and gave up the drive to Dozier to take the loss for the Marlins, who led 4-3 until Robbie Grossman's home run off David Phelps in the eighth.
"Anytime you have the lead you want to be able to close the door at the end of the game," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "So they sting a little bit."
Fernando Abad struck out the side for the Twins in the 10th inning, lowering his ERA to 0.87 in 26 appearances. Buddy Boshers (1-0), their eighth pitcher of the game, struck out two batters in the 11th for his first major league victory.
The Twins bullpen, which began the game with the second-highest opponent batting average (.279) in the majors, logged 6 2/3 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and three hits allowed.
"You try not to think about that stuff. You've just got to go out there and try to execute your pitches, and ultimately the zeroes will come," Boshers said.
Eduardo Nunez hit two fastballs from Marlins starter Adam Conley for home runs, and Grossman doubled and scored in a two-run first inning. Dozier picked them up at the end with his deep drive.
"You just kind of hope that he catapults himself at some point where he's contributing every day with the bat," manager Paul Molitor said. "It's one of those things where he's putting work in. It's just when you're trying to make changes it's tough to do it on the fly."
Sparked by a single from the ageless Ichiro Suzuki, the first batter of the game, the Marlins scored in all but one of five innings against Twins starter Pat Dean. Adeiny Hechavarria tripled to start the third and came home on a wild pitch. Martin Prado hit the first of his two doubles in the fifth inning, before Christian Yelich's RBI single.
Nunez, who led off for Minnesota in a game last week with an inside-the-park home run, hit the second pitch from Conley into the third deck above left field.
"They stuck to their plan, and they were going to be on the heater no matter what," Conley said.
Then with two outs in the fifth, Nunez hit one into the bullpen behind right-center to pull the Twins within 4-3.
REPRESENTATIVE NUNEZ?
The 28-year-old Nunez, a utility man when the season began, has fast become this lost-cause team's best All-Star Game candidate. In his last 13 games, Nunez is batting .407 (24 for 59). His nine home runs are third on the team, accounting for one-third of his career total.
MARINER MEMORY
The 42-year-old Suzuki, who moved within 32 hits of 3,000 for his major league career, was in his fourth season in 2004 when Molitor was hired as Seattle's hitting coach. The post lasted only one year, as he was fired after the team's 63-99 finish, but Suzuki set the all-time season record with 262 hits.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Miami: Stanton was the cleanup hitter again after batting fifth last weekend and getting a rest Sunday. Stanton is 1 for 19 in five June games, dropping the three-time All-Star's batting average to .197.
Minnesota: RHP Kyle Gibson, whose DL stay for a strained shoulder was delayed last week by a stiff back, has been cleared to start Saturday against Boston. Gibson last pitched April 22.
UP NEXT
Miami: LHP Wei-Yin Chin (3-2, 4.25 ERA) will take the mound Wednesday in the middle game of the series. He has a 2.96 ERA in four road starts this season.
Minnesota: RHP Ricky Nolasco (2-4, 4.93 ERA) will face the Marlins, the team he debuted with and pitched for for nearly eight seasons.
Greinke throws 3-hitter as Diamondbacks beat Rays 5-0
PHOENIX (AP) — This was the Zack Greinke the Arizona Diamondbacks have been waiting to see.
Greinke threw a three-hitter and the Diamondbacks beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 on Tuesday night.
"It was just good location. Balls were hit toward guys and there was good defense," Greinke said. "Everything was working tonight."
Greinke (8-3) struck out two and walked two in his fifth career shutout and first since July 13, 2013, against Colorado at Dodger Stadium. Greinke faced only four hitters over the minimum and didn't allow a runner to get into scoring position.
Greinke's complete game was his first since June 13 of last season at San Diego, also for Los Angeles. He has won his last five starts, though none in such dominating fashion.
"He's been rolling," said Arizona manager Chip Hale. "I think it's pretty simple. His stuff is good down in the zone. Early on he was overthrowing pitches,"
Hale didn't see Greinke's final several innings, having been ejected in the fourth. Asked if there was any question Greinke would throw the ninth, Hale said, "I wasn't there but I didn't disagree with it from my office."
The victory was the 150th of Greinke's career.
Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb homered and drove in all five runs for the Diamondbacks, who have won two of three.
Rays starter Matt Moore (2-4) went seven innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts. It was the first time Moore had completed seven since a 3-1 loss to Baltimore on April 27.
"There is a lot to be positive about," said Rays manager Kevin Cash. "I know the longball beat him up a little bit, but you can argue that the stuff coming out of his hands and the way he attacked hitters were as good as any game he had."
Lamb's home run came two pitches following a lengthy delay during which Hale was ejected for arguing Brandon Drury's swinging strikeout on a pitch in the dirt.
Goldschmidt hit a one-out double and Wellington Castillo singled to left ahead of Drury. Lamb then drove an 0-1 pitch to left, the ball bouncing on the yellow padding at the top of the wall, just above the outstretched glove of Corey Dickerson, and into the stands for a 3-0 lead.
Goldschmidt made it a 5-0 lead in the sixth, following Michael Bourn's walk with a drive a half-dozen rows deep into the left-field stands.
"That was probably the biggest mistake of the inning," Moore said of the walk to Bourn. "That was a really bad mistake. You don't want to put people on with Goldschmidt coming up."
HALE TOSSED
Home plate umpire Mark Ripperger originally put both hands in the air to signal a foul ball on Drury's strikeout, causing Cash to ask Ripperger to ask for help. After the umpires conferenced, Drury was called out on strikes. Hale came out to argue first with Ripperger and then with both the plate umpire and crew chief Kerwin Danley and eventually was ejected, his first of the season and third of his career.
"They're trying to get it right," Hale said. "I said I'm not going to leave, so he threw me out."
BULLPEN RELIEF
A night after Cash talked about how thin his bullpen had been stretched, Moore managed to give the relievers a relatively quiet night. Moore remained in the game despite allowing the two homers in large part because he only needed 89 pitches to get through seven innings, with 63 of those pitches thrown for strikes. Dana Eveland and Ryan Garton combined to pitch the eighth for the Rays.
"Matt Moore was so super-efficient. That helps," Cash said. "That was outstanding."
LAMB VS. LEFTIES
Last season, Lamb had one home run in 45 at-bats against left-handed pitchers. This season, he has three homers against southpaws in 34 at-bats.
RAYS RESTING
Rays 3B Evan Longoria and C Curt Casali were given the night off by Cash. Longoria is riding a 10-game hitting streak, batting .447 (17 for 38) with 14 RBIs during that span.
MILESTONE FOR GOLDY
Goldschmidt moved into third place on the franchise's career RBIs list at 449, passing Miguel Montero, who had 448. Next up for Goldschmidt is Steve Finley, who had 479 RBIs in Arizona. Luis Gonzalez is the club's leader with 774 runs driven in.
UP NEXT
Rays RHP Jake Odorizzi (2-3, 3.33 ERA) will face Arizona RHP Archie Bradley (2-1, 4.94) in Wednesday afternoon's series finale. Odorizzi has seven no-decisions this season, the second-highest total in the majors.
Greinke threw a three-hitter and the Diamondbacks beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 on Tuesday night.
"It was just good location. Balls were hit toward guys and there was good defense," Greinke said. "Everything was working tonight."
Greinke (8-3) struck out two and walked two in his fifth career shutout and first since July 13, 2013, against Colorado at Dodger Stadium. Greinke faced only four hitters over the minimum and didn't allow a runner to get into scoring position.
Greinke's complete game was his first since June 13 of last season at San Diego, also for Los Angeles. He has won his last five starts, though none in such dominating fashion.
"He's been rolling," said Arizona manager Chip Hale. "I think it's pretty simple. His stuff is good down in the zone. Early on he was overthrowing pitches,"
Hale didn't see Greinke's final several innings, having been ejected in the fourth. Asked if there was any question Greinke would throw the ninth, Hale said, "I wasn't there but I didn't disagree with it from my office."
The victory was the 150th of Greinke's career.
Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb homered and drove in all five runs for the Diamondbacks, who have won two of three.
Rays starter Matt Moore (2-4) went seven innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts. It was the first time Moore had completed seven since a 3-1 loss to Baltimore on April 27.
"There is a lot to be positive about," said Rays manager Kevin Cash. "I know the longball beat him up a little bit, but you can argue that the stuff coming out of his hands and the way he attacked hitters were as good as any game he had."
Lamb's home run came two pitches following a lengthy delay during which Hale was ejected for arguing Brandon Drury's swinging strikeout on a pitch in the dirt.
Goldschmidt hit a one-out double and Wellington Castillo singled to left ahead of Drury. Lamb then drove an 0-1 pitch to left, the ball bouncing on the yellow padding at the top of the wall, just above the outstretched glove of Corey Dickerson, and into the stands for a 3-0 lead.
Goldschmidt made it a 5-0 lead in the sixth, following Michael Bourn's walk with a drive a half-dozen rows deep into the left-field stands.
"That was probably the biggest mistake of the inning," Moore said of the walk to Bourn. "That was a really bad mistake. You don't want to put people on with Goldschmidt coming up."
HALE TOSSED
Home plate umpire Mark Ripperger originally put both hands in the air to signal a foul ball on Drury's strikeout, causing Cash to ask Ripperger to ask for help. After the umpires conferenced, Drury was called out on strikes. Hale came out to argue first with Ripperger and then with both the plate umpire and crew chief Kerwin Danley and eventually was ejected, his first of the season and third of his career.
"They're trying to get it right," Hale said. "I said I'm not going to leave, so he threw me out."
BULLPEN RELIEF
A night after Cash talked about how thin his bullpen had been stretched, Moore managed to give the relievers a relatively quiet night. Moore remained in the game despite allowing the two homers in large part because he only needed 89 pitches to get through seven innings, with 63 of those pitches thrown for strikes. Dana Eveland and Ryan Garton combined to pitch the eighth for the Rays.
"Matt Moore was so super-efficient. That helps," Cash said. "That was outstanding."
LAMB VS. LEFTIES
Last season, Lamb had one home run in 45 at-bats against left-handed pitchers. This season, he has three homers against southpaws in 34 at-bats.
RAYS RESTING
Rays 3B Evan Longoria and C Curt Casali were given the night off by Cash. Longoria is riding a 10-game hitting streak, batting .447 (17 for 38) with 14 RBIs during that span.
MILESTONE FOR GOLDY
Goldschmidt moved into third place on the franchise's career RBIs list at 449, passing Miguel Montero, who had 448. Next up for Goldschmidt is Steve Finley, who had 479 RBIs in Arizona. Luis Gonzalez is the club's leader with 774 runs driven in.
UP NEXT
Rays RHP Jake Odorizzi (2-3, 3.33 ERA) will face Arizona RHP Archie Bradley (2-1, 4.94) in Wednesday afternoon's series finale. Odorizzi has seven no-decisions this season, the second-highest total in the majors.
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