Digital Sports Desk

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Archives for April 2019

Milwaukee’s Finest

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Milwaukee Bucks 123, Boston Celtics 102

When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
Attendance: 17,536
Special to Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

Boston at Milwaukee Highlights (House of Highlights/Youtube)

MILWAUKEE – Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 15 of his 29 points in the third quarter and the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks pulled away for a 123-102 victory over the Boston Celtics to even the Eastern Conference semifinal at one game apiece.

Game 3 is Friday night in Boston.

Antetokounmpo opened the series Sunday in a 22-point loss by shooting 7 of 21 while constantly getting bottled up in the paint by Boston defenders. On Tuesday, he was 3 of 8 in a closely contested first half that ended with Milwaukee holding a four-point lead before things changed drastically in the third.

The Bucks dominated the third by outscoring the Celtics 39-18 and ended the period with an impressive 24-2 run over the final 7:06.

Antetokounmpo keyed the clinching run by hitting four free throws, a pair of 3-pointers and a tip-in. He exited to a standing ovation with 2:17 left, and Eric Bledsoe scored the final six points to push the lead to 98-73 going into the fourth.

Antetokounmpo returned with 8:59 left and by then Milwaukee held a 30-point lead. He checked out for the rest of the game nearly two minutes later with Milwaukee up by 28.

Antetokounmpo shot 7 of 16 from the field and made 13 of 18 free throws. He also added 10 rebounds and four assists.

Khris Middleton helped Milwaukee overcome some early sluggishness by scoring 20 of his playoff career-high 28 points before halftime, and he went 7 for 10 on 3-pointers for the game.

Bledsoe added 21 as Milwaukee set a team postseason record by hitting 20 3-pointers. Bledsoe and Middleton were a combined 10 of 15 from behind the arc.

Marcus Morris led the Celtics with 17 points and Jaylen Brown added 16. Horford finished with 15 but Kyrie Irving missed his first seven shots and was held to nine points on 4-of-18 shooting.

It was the second time Irving was held under 10 points in a playoff game.

The Celtics lost their first postseason game and were within 74-71 on a jumper by Morris before collapsing. They finished the third by missing 11 of 12 shots and committing six turnovers as Milwaukee surged ahead and essentially sealed the game.

–Field Level Media

Bobrovsky is Russian for Hot Goalie

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Columbus Blue Jackets 2, Boston Bruins 1

When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 19,337
Special to Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

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COLUMBUS – Matt Duchene and Boone Jenner scored, Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the visiting Boston Bruins 2-1 to take a two-games-to-one lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

The upstart Blue Jackets improved to 3-0 at home this postseason after holding on to take the first game of the series settled in regulation. The Bruins, who trailed 2-0 on Tuesday, offered a spirited effort in the third period, but Bobrovsky continued to be up to the task. 

“I thought we stayed together as a whole group,” said Bobrovsky, who has a 1.88 goals-against average in the playoffs. “It is a huge win for us.”

Boston had a power-play chance with just under nine minutes left in the game, but a Patrice Bergeron tripping call 17 seconds later negated the edge. The Blue Jackets continue to do a good job containing Boston’s star trio of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Bergeron — who have a combined one point in the series.

Though Boston was aggressive in the offensive end early, Columbus opened the scoring with 1:23 left in the first period. Jenner slipped a shot past an overcommitted Tuukka Rask (32 saves) for his first point of the series.

The Blue Jackets made it 2-0 with 7:18 to go in the second. Duchene was rewarded with his fifth goal of the playoffs toward the end of a relentless power play for Columbus, which is 3-for-11 with the man advantage in the series.

Boston, though, pulled one back with 39.9 seconds left in the middle period. Jake DeBrusk’s shot that narrowly slid over the goal line was initially waved off, but the officials gathered, video was reviewed, and in the end the Bruins were awarded a goal.

However, that was all the offense the Bruins could manage against a Blue Jackets team that remains impressive from a defensive standpoint.

Game 4 will be played in Columbus on Thursday night.

–Field Level Media

Porcello Gem

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Boston Red Sox 5, Oakland A’s 1

When: 7:10 PM ET, Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Where: Fenway Park, Boston
Attendance: 31,754
Staff and Wire Service Report for Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

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BOSTON – Rick Porcello scattered two hits and struck out eight over eight scoreless innings as the host Boston Red Sox cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Mitch Moreland snapped an 0-for-15 stretch with a two-run homer in the fourth inning while Mookie Betts continued his torrid stretch with a solo shot in the first.

Rafael Devers and Sandy Leon each drove in a run, and rookie Michael Chavis collected two hits and scored two runs for the Red Sox, who recorded just their second series victory of the season. Boston posted a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay on April 19-21.

The Red Sox improved to 4-4 on their nine-game homestand, which concludes with the series finale versus Oakland on Wednesday afternoon.

Porcello (2-3) followed up his first win on Thursday with a sterling performance against the Athletics, becoming the first Red Sox pitcher this season to complete at least eight innings. The Red Sox have won each of his last three starts. The game was Porcello’s first career start with no runs allowed, two or fewer hits and eight+ strikeouts.

The 2016 American League Cy Young Award recipient’s lone blemishes were Ramon Laureano’s single to lead off the third inning and Nick Hundley’s two-out double in the fifth.

Tyler Thornburg surrendered Robbie Grossman’s homer to lead off the ninth inning before getting the final three outs, sending Oakland to a fifth straight loss to begin its nine-game road trip.

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Betts opened the scoring after depositing a 1-0 fastball from Aaron Brooks (2-3) over the wall in center field for his sixth homer of the season, which was also the reigning AL Most Valuable Player’s 500th career run scored.

Leon doubled the advantage in the second inning after his single to right field plated Chavis.

Chavis collected his second single of the night in the fourth inning before Moreland sent a 3-1 sinker from Brooks over the wall in center for his team-leading eighth of the season.

Devers doubled to right field to plate J.D. Martinez in the fifth and chase Brooks, who yielded five runs (for earned) on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked three.

Brooks pitched significantly better in his previous meeting with Boston, scattering two hits over six innings in a 7-0 win on April 1.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Comeback on A’s, 9-4

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Fenway Park) – After coughing-up four unearned runs in the top of the 2nd inning, the Boston Red Sox batted around in the 3rd inning and scored six runs to come from behind and defeat the Oakland A’s, 9-4, in the first game of a three-game series at Fenway Park.

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Boston right-fielder Mookie Betts, who was batting in the low .200s in mid-April, reached base three times and went 3-for-4 and a walk on the night while third-baseman Rafael Devers went 2-for-4 with  a walk, a double and two runs scored.

Betts scored the 499th run of his career and is one run away from joining Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky and Nomar Garciaparra as the only Sox players to score 500 runs in their first 700 career games. The only active players to accomplish that feat are Albert Pujols (629th game) and Mike Trout (690th game). 

Eduardo Rodriguez started for Boston and pitched 4.2 innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs while walking two and striking out seven. The lefty threw 97 pitches with 63 going for strikes. The Red Sox have won each of the last four games Rodriguez has started after losing his first two games started. 

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Fireballer Frankie Montas started for the Athletics and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs although only one was earned as two errors were a part of the Sox’ big 3rd inning. Montas was throwing at 96-99 mph rates but was side-tracked and gave way to reliever Ryan Buchter in the 5th inning anfter losing his lead. Montas took the loss and is now (4-2) on the year.

Boston reliever Ryan Brasier was credited with the win and he is (1-0) while Matt Barnes earned a save, his second of the season. Sox reliever Hector Velazquez loaded the bases in the top of the 9th, allowing a Marcus Semien single sandwiched between two walked batters. Velazquez gave way to Barnes who retired the side when A’s right fielder Stephen Piscotty hit a fly ball to Andrew Benintendi in left and DH Khris Davis grounded into a force out to end the game.  

Sox first baseman and newfound utility man Michael Chavis went 2-for-4 with three RBI on the night. SS Xander Bogaerts doubled twice for Boston, going 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI.

The A’s dropped their 4th consecutive game, matching the club’s season-long losing streak (also 4/5-8) and fell to 4-9 on the road this season, losing their fifth consecutive road game.

NOTES: The Red Sox and Athletics continue their series Tuesday night with  RHP Rick Porcello (1-3, 7.43 ERA) scheduled to pitch against Oakland’s RHP Aaron Brooks (2-2, 5.33 ERA) … On Wednesday, Boston’s starter is listed as TBD while Oakland plans to pitch RHP Mike Fiers (2-2, 7.03 ERA). … The Wednesday game will conclude a 10-game home stand for the Red Sox. They’ll head out for seven games on the road, first facing the Chicago White Sox for four games (May 2-5) and then heading to the Charm City to play the Baltimore Orioles for three games (May 6-8). … J.D. Martinez returned to the Red Sox lineup as DH tonight after missing two games with back spasms. Martinez had appeared in Boston’s first 26 games and had hit safely in 24. He was 1-for-4 with a single and a sacrifice fly RBI tonight.

Bruins Game Scout

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Boston Bruins at Columbus Blue Jackets

When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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COLUMBUS – The Columbus Blue Jackets will host the first second-round playoff contest in franchise history tonight when they play Game 3 of their Eastern Conference set against the Boston Bruins. The Blue Jackets welcomed the respite to recharge their batteries after they answered Boston’s 3-2 win in overtime in the series opener with 3-2 victory in double overtime on Saturday.

“It’s two heavy teams. I think our identities, there are a lot of similarities with how physical we want to be and how we want to play down low and try to control the tempo of the game with physicality,” Columbus defenseman Seth Jones, who logged a game-high 38:01 of ice time on Saturday. The 24-year-old recorded his third straight multi-point performance with two assists and blocked three shots in Game 2. Boston coach Bruce Cassidy also welcomed the break, especially after his team expended ample energy in rallying from a 3-2 series deficit against Toronto before playing parts of three overtime periods to begin this series. “It came at a good time for us to get the two days between games,” Cassidy told reporters. “We had a seven-game series, obviously high intensity, back and forth. It takes an emotional toll as well.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA

ABOUT THE BRUINS: David Pastrnak scored in Game 2 for just his third goal in nine postseason games, which is well off the pace of his 38 in 66 contests during the regular season. “Obviously I have to shoot the puck, hang onto the puck and go to the net a little bit more,” said the 22-year-old Pastrnak, who skated with Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson on the third line at Monday’s practice. “There are a million things you can always do better, so I’m just going to try and do that (in Game 3).”

While Cassidy wasn’t revealing his line combinations for Tuesday, playing with the red-hot Coyle and Johansson could help as the former has three goals and an assist during his three-game point streak while the latter has scored one goal and set up three others in that same stretch.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: Artemi Panarin recorded his first career multi-goal performance in the playoffs when he tallied twice on Saturday, and added his second three-point effort after setting up Matt Duchene’s goal 3:42 into double overtime. The 27-year-old Panarin is riding a franchise-best six-game point streak in the playoffs, eclipsing the Blue Jackets’ previous mark of five – set by Boone Jenner in April 2014. Panarin’s nine points are one more than Duchene (four goals, four assists) and Jones, who has set up six goals during his four-game assist streak.

OVERTIME

1. Boston C Patrice Bergeron has yet to record a point in the series, while his costly tripping penalty ultimately led to Duchene’s overtime goal.

2. The Blue Jackets are 7-for-18 on the power play, with at least one goal coming on the man advantage in five of their six games in the playoffs.

3. Bruins C David Krejci has six points (two goals, four assists) in his last seven games.

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