HOUSTON ¡ª Heralded outfield prospect Kyle Tucker made his big-league debut
Saturday for the Astros Mike
McGlinchey 49ers Jersey , a move that not only has implications for
Tucker but two other outfielders.
With Tucker, who finished 1-for-4 with a bases-loaded walk and three
strikeouts in the Astros¡¯ 12-6 win, in the fold, outfielder Tony Kemp will see a
reduction in his playing time despite providing a spark for the Astros (60-31)
since his mid-May recall. Kemp has a slash line of .295/.385/.410 over 40
games.
Outfielder Jake Marisnick, meanwhile, was optioned to Triple-A Fresno for a
second time on the same night he delivered another sparkling play in center
field.
Marisnick was batting .190 with 69 strikeouts in 163 plate appearances.
¡°It was hard for Jake, and it should be,¡± Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.
¡°He¡¯s had a roller-coaster season going up and down. The first go-round he was
really needing to go correct some things. The second go-around he was doing a
lot better and things were out of his control a little bit as to him going down
to Triple-A. There are still some offensive adjustments we want him to make.
¡°(Kemp) came up and won the right to stay in the big leagues. When a
transaction happens, we talk a lot about the guy we sent down but the guy that
we kept earned the right to be here. I¡¯m very proud of what Tony has contributed
to this team, and it hasn¡¯t always been fair to him the last couple of
years.¡±
Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel (5-8, 4.12 ERA) will start the series
finale against the White Sox. He has posted three quality starts in his last
four outings, going 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA and 21 strikeouts across 24 1/3 innings
during that stretch.
Keuchel is 3-4 with a 3.81 ERA over eight career starts against the White Sox
including a 10-1 win on April 21 when he worked six innings and allowed one run
on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Right-hander Lucas Giolito (5-7 http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/lawrence-taylor-jerse y ,
6.93 ERA) gets the starting nod for Chicago (30-59). He is 2-3 with a 7.50 ERA
in his last eight starts, allowing five runs or more four times.
Giolito will make his third career start against the Astros, against whom he
is 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA. He was charged with nine runs on five hits and seven
walks opposite Keuchel on April 21 and suffered the loss in his previous
appearance at Minute Maid Park on Sept. 19, 2017, when he allowed two runs on
seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of a 3-1
loss.
White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was back in the starting lineup Saturday and
finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts after sitting out the previous game to
manage the soreness in his left forearm. Anderson was hit by a pitch in
Thursday¡¯s series opener.
Anderson has become a fixture in the eight-hole when Chicago faces a
right-handed starter, a move designed to help amplify the depth of the White Sox
lineup and provide additional opportunities atop the batting order for fellow
infielders Yoan Moncada and Yolmer Sanchez.
¡°If you look at the lineup it just lengthens out (and) allows us to put him
and keep him there,¡± White Sox manager Rick Renteria said of Anderson. ¡°As long
as he stays comfortable there he helps us there quite a bit. Picks up the back
end of the lineup and I think we¡¯ve gotten some benefits out of it.¡±
Watching
LeBron James at shootaround, Kevin Love knew something special was in store.
Maybe not the fadeaway jumpers James kept making, each seemingly with a
higher degree of difficulty than the last, but he was sure there would be
something.
¡±This morning you could just sense it,¡± Love said. ¡±He knew what was at
stake, he knew us getting another win here was going to be huge for us. He came
out and he played that way from the jump. You could just sense that he was going
to have a special night.¡±
James had 43 points and 14 assists Dan Bailey
Cowboys Jersey , Love added 31 points and 11 rebounds, and the
Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 128-110 on Thursday to take a 2-0
lead in their second-round playoff series.
James delivered the first 40-point, 14-assist game in NBA playoff history,
according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
He added eight rebounds, narrowly missing his second straight triple-double,
and connected on 19 of 28 attempts in a performance so dominant that the
beleaguered Raptors¡¯ city was being called ¡±LeBronto¡± by the time the night was
over.
¡±He got it going and he was feeling it,¡± Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said.
James, meanwhile, gave credit to Love, who shot 11 for 21 and missed matching
his career playoff high by one point.
¡±It was great to see that performance out of him,¡± James said. ¡±He¡¯s our
All-Star power forward. That¡¯s a huge game for him.¡±
J.R. Smith scored 15 points, Jeff Green had 14 and George Hill 13 as the
Cavaliers posted their eighth consecutive postseason victory over the Raptors
and halted Toronto¡¯s four-game winning streak in Game 2s. The Raptors entered
6-1 all-time when playing Game 2 at home.
¡±Love got going on us and that was a difficult matchup for us John Ross
Jersey ,¡± Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ¡±We have some matchup
issues all over the court.¡±
DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and Kyle Lowry had 21 for the Raptors. Toronto
won a team-record 59 games and finished as the top-seeded team in the Eastern
Conference this season, but was easily shoved one step closer to a third
straight postseason exit at the hands of James and the Cavs.
Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Fred VanVleet scored 14
points, but the Raptors lost back-to-back home games for the first time all
season.
Toronto matched Houston by going 34-7 at home in the regular season, and went
3-0 at home against Washington in round one. The Raptors had not lost
consecutive home games since dropping Games 3 and 4 of the second round to
Cleveland last May.
The series shifts to Ohio for Game 3 on Saturday night. Toronto has gone 0-5
at Cleveland over the past two postseasons, losing by an average margin of 24.2
points per game.
¡±Sometimes when you¡¯re put in tough situations, that¡¯s what brings the best
out of you,¡± DeRozan said. ¡±That¡¯s what point we¡¯re at now.¡±
Unfortunately for the Raptors, James insisted the Cavs aren¡¯t satisfied with
their 2-0 lead.
¡±We will not let our guards down,¡± James promised.
The Cavaliers, who tied a postseason low with three turnovers, are 21-3 at
home against Eastern Conference opponents in the playoffs over the past four
years.
The Raptors, who let a 10-point lead slip away in a 113-112 overtime loss in
Game 1 Joe Montana
49ers Jersey , were up 54-45 midway through the second quarter but
saw their lead dwindle to 63-61 at halftime.
Cleveland took control as Smith scored six points in an 18-5 spurt to begin
the third quarter. The Cavs outscored the Raptors 37-24 in the third to take an
11-point edge into the fourth, and Toronto didn¡¯t challenge again.
¡±That¡¯s kind of what won the game for us,¡± Lue said of Cleveland¡¯s big third
quarter.
James was on target in Cleveland¡¯s game-changing third quarter, connecting on
seven of 10 attempts and scoring 15 points. Love added nine as the Cavs took a
98-87 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: The 24 combined points by James and Love in the third matched
Toronto¡¯s total for the quarter. ¡ The Cavaliers are 18-1 in playoff series when
they win Game 1.
Raptors: Lowry made his first six shot attempts. ¡ Toronto made 11 turnovers
and has 25 in the series, compared to nine by the Cavs. ¡ Lowry led Toronto with
eight assists.
SERGE¡¯S STRUGGLES
Serge Ibaka shot 0 for 5 and scored just two points in 12 minutes, and did
not return after making a turnover and missing a shot in the first two minutes
of the third. Ibaka has nine total points in the series so far.
¡±Serge hasn¡¯t been himself,¡± Casey acknowledged. ¡±I don¡¯t know what it
is.¡±
STAYING SILENT
After a pair of verbal confrontations with Cleveland¡¯s Kendrick Perkins in
Game 1, rapper Drake stayed out of trouble in Game 2. Before the game, the NBA
asked the Raptors to tell Drake to tone down his act. The three-time Grammy
winner has been Toronto¡¯s global ambassador since 2013. Drake shook hands with
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver when Silver passed by Drake¡¯s courtside seats to do
a television interview in the second quarter.
UP NEXT
Game 3 is Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.
¡ª
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