LA Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets - April 29, 2025
Bogdanovic contributed seven points (3-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt), four rebounds and two assists over 19 minutes during Saturday's 101-99 loss to Denver in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
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an hour ago
Oilers unravel in Game 3 against the Panthers and now are chasing the Stanley Cup Final
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Falling behind early, parading to the penalty box and losing grip of their composure, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves in an all-too-familiar position: trailing the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. Not much went right for them in Game 3 on Monday night, a 6-1 blowout loss that put them down 2-1 in the series after taking the opener at home. Many of their 85 penalty minutes, the most by a team in the final in nearly four decades, came in garbage time, but there is far more concern about the mistakes that piled up to put them in a hole. 'We didn't play very well,' said Evander Kane, who was whistled for two of his three minor penalties in a miserable first period and got a misconduct late. "That's evident. We have nobody to blame but ourselves. We can definitely be a lot better.' Stuart Skinner got pulled after allowing five goals on 23 shots, but captain Connor McDavid acknowledged, 'I don't know how much we're going to put on Stu.' The play in front of him was disjointed and disconnected, at 5 on 5, on the power play and on the penalty kill. If not for Skinner, the score could have gotten out of hand much earlier because the Western Conference champions had their worst showing since perhaps the first couple of games of the playoffs. 'It was a weird game,' McDavid said. 'Obviously it wasn't our best — not our best at all. I don't think our best has shown up all series long. But it's coming. We'll shift the focus to finding a way to get a win in Game 4.' Even with an extra day off before Game 4 on Thursday night, coach Kris Knoblauch scheduled practice for his team Tuesday afternoon. There is much to discuss and work on. 'Collectively, goaltender, defense, all our forwards, we all have to be better,' Knoblauch said. "They played a heck of a game, and we're going to have to raise ours.' Being more disciplined is a good place to start. After giving up a goal to Brad Marchand 56 seconds in, Edmonton took four minor penalties in the first period. The dam eventually broke on a power-play goal that made it too tough a deficit to overcome. 'Almost half the period you're killing, so it's not a good way to get into your game,' McDavid said. "Never got to our game.' The Oilers' play was almost indistinguishable from how they've looked for much of this run, getting balanced scoring and star performances from McDavid and Draisaitl. Ill-timed defensive breakdowns proved costly, and guys lost their cool — like Jake Walman squirting water at Panthers players on their bench from his place on the visiting side. 'I obviously did that for a reason,' Walman said, reluctant to explain why. 'It's just gamesmanship, I guess.' By the time brawls ensued in the third period, the game was out of hand. Players downplayed the margin of defeat, quick to try to spin their thoughts forward to what they need to do to tie the final. 'We know what we're going to be up against,' Skinner said. 'It doesn't change how we're going to respond again. We've got two days to come back and I think there's some things that we're going to have to change.' That could mean lineup changes and certainly some major adjustments by Knoblauch and his staff. The Oilers also need to be better prepared to play in Game 4, perhaps channeling the pain from back-to-back losses. 'Losing in the playoffs, whether it's in round 1 Game 1 or the Stanley Cup Final, it's never a good feeling, but we've been here before," Kane said. "We've been down in series before, and we've had tough losses. It will sting right now and we'll flush it tomorrow and get ready for Thursday.'
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Giants pitching is better than advertised, and here's what else I learned after three months away
DENVER — Welcome to this edition of San Francisco Giants takeaways, which has a definite emphasis on away. As in, I've been away on leave for nearly three months. Roughly 40 percent of the season is in the books. And your beat reporter has seen a total of five games in person. (I planned to watch streaming telecasts here and there from Chile, where I spent most of my 12-week hiatus. But was too smart to let my VPN get away with it.) Advertisement When I left spring training in mid-March, I had a good feeling about the Giants' chances to be relevant this season. Robbie Ray, Camilo Doval and Randy Rodriguez struck me as three guys who were throwing the ball exceptionally well. Wilmer Flores appeared to have his legs under him again while swinging the bat. Logan Webb wasn't worrying about his Cactus League ERA. The pitching depth was looking like it might become the envy of the league. Willy Adames was raking. OK, not every spring impression hit the bull's-eye. So here we are now. I've got all of five games to draw conclusions. Please forgive me for using the crayon pack that comes with the kids' menu, rather than the triple-decker Crayola box of 64 colors. No matter how long I've covered baseball, I always feel out of touch after I take a series or two off. That's how quickly you can lose your feel for the team's pulse. Does the roster lack coverage somewhere? Is somebody dealing with a new, nagging injury? Has something happened that will necessitate the team adjusting its pitching plan for the next series? Did the vibes change? I'm now returning after a three–month break. It's weird! But a baseball executive made an interesting point when I mentioned my predicament. He likened my circumstances to a special assignment scout who parachutes in and provides coverage of a team that they hadn't followed all season. Every impression is formed in a vacuum and not influenced by what happened a week or a month ago. Unfamiliarity can be an advantage, in a sense. I'm not sure how true that is for a beat reporter, but I like the way it sounds. So we'll go with that. In the spirit of context-free impressions, here are a few takeaways after watching the Giants win five consecutive one-run games against the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. Now I understand why he's back in the closer role. It's not just the improved command and the streak of scoreless innings that lasted for nearly two months. He's competing so much better on the mound. He has a halfway decent pickoff move now. He slidesteps and varies his times to keep runners close. He's starting his delivery with five or six seconds on the pitch clock. This is not the Doval we saw, even when he made an All-Star team in 2023. It appears to me (and Statcast confirms) that his slider has a bit more horizontal movement as well. Advertisement I assumed that Giants manager Bob Melvin made the change at closer because Ryan Walker was going through a rough patch. Now I understand that the move had at least as much to do with Doval's all-around competitive improvement on the mound. Landen Roupp has a tremendous curveball. He's even shown the ability to command it to both sides of the plate, which is a rare skill. But he probably wasn't going to have consistent success in a big-league rotation if he threw the curve half the time. Even without his best stuff last Sunday, he showed the ability to mix pitches, navigate a lineup a few times and keep the Giants in the game. It isn't only young pitchers who have to reinvent themselves. Former Cy Young Award winners do, too. It was evident in the spring that Ray was super optimistic about his new changeup. It's also apparent by now that the changeup is making the rest of his pitches better as well. Talk to veteran pitchers who've undergone Tommy John surgery, and many will tell you that it took extra time to recover that last bit of extension that is so important to their ability to finish pitches. That certainly appeared to be the case with Ray last season when he didn't know where the ball was going. This season, Ray has mentioned several times in his postgame comments that the changeup is a pitch that forces him to get extended. It makes sense that throwing the changeup has led to good habits getting extended with the rest of his pitches as well. And Webb? Well, he's one of just five major-league pitchers who've reached 100 strikeouts. He is consistently getting count leverage with an improved changeup. And with two strikes, he's not settling for a ground ball on a two-seamer. He's acknowledged that having Ray and Justin Verlander in his ear, singing the advantages of being a little less reliant on the BABIP gods, has influenced his emerging strikeout mentality on the mound. I've seen just one Webb start. However, it seems to be working, though. Advertisement Of course, all of this reflects well on a pitching group headed by J.P. Martinez and Garvin Alston. For many years, the Giants had experienced hands (Dave Righetti, Brian Bannister, Bryan Price) running the pitching show. Martinez, in his first season heading a major-league department, sure looks equipped to make an impact in the role. My return to the ballpark is also not the reason the Giants have won five consecutive games. However, it's always nice when people are happy to see you. The Giants sent out the news release before 10 a.m. Wednesday (my first day back) that they had swapped out nearly a quarter of their position player group. They designated LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment, signed Dom Smith to a one-year contract and brought up two other players (backup catcher Andrew Knizner, outfielder Daniel Johnson) who hadn't been with the team in spring training. The news was that they were cutting ties with Wade, but the other moves were also subtly significant. By replacing Christian Koss with Johnson, the Giants give themselves a little more outfield coverage and make it easier for Melvin to ease up on slumping right fielder Mike Yastrzemski. And by adding Smith to a first base group that also includes the recently returned Jerar Encarnacion, it'll be easier for Melvin to keep Flores as fresh and productive as possible — both to limit him to DH duty and to give him occasional days off where his bat can loom on the bench. The Giants now have a little more contact ability on the bench, addressing what had to be viewed as a problem area. Perhaps the roster pieces don't fit as perfectly as those of the 2021 Giants, but they seem to be a little more complementary following the changes. Just look at how they won Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves, with two offensive contributions from Yastrzemski after he'd taken a handful of games off. Advertisement The ballpark seems to be jumping. Attendance is up, and the crowds over the past five games were the loudest I can remember in a couple of seasons. Additionally, the massive lines of early arrivers on Sunday for the Hello Kitty jersey giveaway may have been the longest I've seen since the first Tim Lincecum bobblehead giveaway day. Who knew? I thought Hello Kitty had its moment when I was in the seventh grade. (Top photo of Camilo Doval: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
The Mets' bullpen is good. Here's why they should still add at the trade deadline
DENVER — The New York Mets kept any concerns over the depth of their bullpen to a minimum last week as they reeled off five wins over a seven-game road trip, arriving home with the National League's best record (42-24). They also returned with the second-best bullpen ERA in MLB (2.91), behind only the San Francisco Giants (2.32). Advertisement Still, potential issues lingered in the background of their success. Even if a keen eye was necessary to spot the reasons, the need for a trustworthy late-inning lefty and another even slightly above-average right-handed reliever appeared worth addressing ahead of the trade deadline. There were multiple instances during a four-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles where deploying a high-leverage left-hander made sense, if only the Mets had one, and if only A.J. Minter (lat) weren't out for the season. The scenario in the eighth inning of the Mets' 4-3 win in the second game of the series made sense for a lefty. With the Mets holding a one-run lead, Freddie Freeman (left-handed batter), Andy Pages and Max Muncy (left-handed batter) were due up. The Mets summoned Ryne Stanek, who pitched a scoreless inning. Another scenario made for a lefty occurred the next day. If he were healthy (or if they had someone similar), the Mets likely would've attempted to close the game with Minter instead of right-hander Huascar Brazoban, with Muncy set to lead off the ninth inning with the Dodgers trailing one run. Muncy ended up hitting a home run to tie the score, and Los Angeles won in 10 innings. In the seventh inning of that game, with Muncy and left-handed batter Michael Conforto among the batters due up, lefty Brandon Waddell, who entered the season as a depth starter, successfully filled a lane for a left-hander reliever when he recorded three outs without allowing a run. Sometimes the Mets get burned for not having a late-inning lefty, but most times, they do just fine. Since May, the Mets' right-handed relievers have faced 49 left-handed batters in high-leverage spots. In those situations, they have a 3.18 ERA. Among the 16 teams with righties who have faced at least 30 left-handed batters during that span and in that situation, the Mets' ERA is the fifth best. Despite those respectable results, against talented lineups with elite left-handed batters like the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets will likely need additional help. Those are the kinds of clubs the Mets would see come October. A potential problem for the Mets: The lefty reliever market looks weak, said multiple people with knowledge of who is available in trades. That is subject to change, though. Plenty of time remains before the July 31 deadline. The expectation is for the Mets to continue to monitor the situation. Advertisement Either way, lefty reliever Brooks Raley, whom the Mets signed just before Minter went down with an injury, looms as an important part of the puzzle. As of last week, Raley, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, was said to be feeling good while throwing live bullpen sessions. People close to the player suggest he could begin appearing in rehab games by the end of June. On the conservative side, Mets officials view him as a second-half contributor. In the meantime, the Mets will also likely keep an eye on the waiver wire and hope to work their magic with anyone they might scoop up. The latest success story is lefty José Castillo, whom the Mets acquired for cash on May 15 after the Arizona Diamondbacks had designated him for assignment. With Arizona, the 29-year-old, who is out of minor-league options, allowed eight runs on 10 hits over 6 1/3 innings. With New York, Castillo has allowed five hits and three walks with nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings. Castillo and club officials attribute his success with the Mets to the club simplifying his approach (he is using just a slider and two-seam fastball) and making him feel like he belongs — not any kind of major makeover with his pitches. Ahead of acquiring him, the Mets did their homework on his personality and learned they first needed to instill confidence in him and lay out a plan. Castillo pitched well in 2018 as a rookie, but injuries have disrupted his career ever since, leaving him wondering if he belonged in the big leagues. 'When I was in Arizona, I put this immense amount of pressure on myself to try to get results with every pitch I threw,' Castillo said. 'When I got here, I spoke with (Mets manager Carlos Mendoza) and the pitching coaches, and all they did was say, 'Go out there and compete. Don't pitch with any pressure. Just play the game you've always played.' That's been the key for me.' In Castillo's view, his stuff isn't quite as sharp as it was seven years ago, but he's getting there. Whether he reaches that point in New York remains to be seen. He could evolve into a more important pitcher for the club. He could be gone in a week. He could also last as something in the middle. The point is, the Mets want to find out. Advertisement Given the way the Mets have identified and developed arms under president of baseball operations David Stearns and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, New York deserves the benefit of doubt when making pitcher acquisitions. On Monday, they optioned Waddell and replaced him with Justin Garza, a right-hander they recently acquired from the Giants in a cash deal. Ideally, the Mets would like to leave some room to give internal options a chance. It worked last year with Dedniel Nunez. Possible minor leaguers who have yet to debut in the majors and could help this season include Felipe De La Cruz (lefty), Ryan Lambert, Jonathan Pintaro, Dom Hamel and Dylan Ross, among others. It's important for teams to produce pitchers with club control, and that's especially true in the volatile, up-and-down world of bullpens where there's seemingly never enough quality depth. Given all that context, the Mets could still use another slightly above-average reliever, at least, regardless of handedness, to give them some additional cushion. Back-to-back lopsided wins inside a three-game sweep against the historically bad Colorado Rockies over the weekend enabled the Mets to ease up on the usage of their main set-up relievers. Recently, and particularly since Minter was lost for the season, such opportunities for the Mets were hard to come by. Without Minter, New York had leaned heavily on right-handers Brazoban, Stanek and Reed Garrett as bridge relievers to closer Edwin Díaz. During a stretch of just over two weeks starting May 21 and ending Friday, New York used or at least warmed each reliever on nearly an every-other-day basis. Within that span, Garrett (9 1/3 innings) and Brazoban (nine innings) were among just six relievers in MLB (excluding bulk or traditional multi-inning pitchers) to log at least nine innings. 'We have been using them pretty hard,' Mendoza said before Saturday's game. 'That's not sustainable. We have got to be careful here.' Advertisement Enter the Rockies (12-53), who obliged by losing in blowouts on Saturday and Sunday. Garrett did not pitch at all in the series. Stanek, Brazoban and Díaz logged an inning each on Friday. The Mets are off on Monday. In his second appearance since returning from the injured list, Paul Blackburn effectively piggybacked in relief of starter Tylor Megill on Sunday, covering four innings and saving the bullpen. The Mets went into Saturday or Sunday knowing they would utilize Blackburn in such a role on either of the days. Could the Mets use that route again? New York's recent increased usage of its setup relievers was the product of playing a bunch of close games; Mendoza otherwise has operated mostly judiciously. San Diego Padres reliever Jason Adams leads MLB with 33 appearances. Garrett (28 appearances) leads the Mets, followed by Diaz, Brazoban and Stanek (26 each). Jose Butto is next with 24. Behind All-Star-worthy seasons from Garrett and Díaz, the Mets' bullpen is demonstrating that it is good. The construction of the late-inning group charged with getting the ball to Díaz also indicates the Mets know what they're doing: Garrett was a waiver-wire pickup, and they bet on bouncebacks from Brazoban and Stanek in deadline deals last year. Based on their track record, the Mets may not have to part with much to effectively supplement the group. Nonetheless, a need is peeking out for additional quality. (Top photo of Reed Garrett: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
