Connect with us

Published

on

DENVER — There were of course so many firsts for the Seattle Kraken in their postseason debut.

First playoff goal for the franchise (and answer to a future trivia question): Eeli Tolvanen. First playoff penalty: Will Borgen.

Above all, first playoff win and brief celebration.

Alex Wennberg had a goal and an assist, Philipp Grubauer stopped 34 shots, and the Kraken made a successful postseason debut by beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Tuesday night.

The second-year Kraken became the 13th expansion franchise to earn a win in their first postseason game, according to NHL Stats.

“Obviously, we played a good game, getting the first franchise win in the playoffs. But right now this is Game 1,” Wennberg said. “Obviously, we are happy about this performance, but we’ve got to do it again and do it again.”

Grubauer was sharp all night against his former team. He frustrated Colorado’s top scorers with one big save after another, while his defense helped neutralize the Avalanche’s blazing speed.

“It’s definitely a weird feeling coming back but also really familiar,” said Grubauer, who spent three seasons with the Avalanche before leaving for Seattle prior to the 2021-22 season. “There’s nothing better than playing against your old team in the playoffs.”

Nathan MacKinnon didn’t mince words when asked what he saw out of Grubauer.

“Nothing,” the Colorado forward said.

Mikko Rantanen had the lone goal for the Avalanche, who saw their streak of 10 straight first-round wins come to a halt. It was a string that included two sweeps and dated to 2020.

“Our whole team just wasn’t quite good enough,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I thought we did some good things. They obviously did more good things.”

Alexandar Georgiev, coming off a career-best 40-win season, made 27 saves.

Game 2 is Thursday in Denver.

The Kraken took a 2-1 lead into the third. They’ve been virtually automatic when leading after two periods, going 35-1-3 in the regular season. Morgan Geekie sealed it with a tally in the third.

Colorado pulled Georgiev for an extra skater with around 1:35 left but couldn’t close the gap.

“Not our best execution tonight, but still had plenty of chances,” MacKinnon said. “Now our focus is to move on.”

Grubauer benefitted from a little good fortune. A shot from Evan Rodrigues in the second period glanced off the top of Grubauer’s stick and caromed wide of the net. Later, Bowen Byram‘s wrist shot hit Grubauer’s shoulder and then bounced off the crossbar.

“[Grubauer] was great tonight,” Kraken forward Yanni Gourde said. “He made the saves, and we were able to clean up what was in front of us. He was a stud back there. Good to see him there.”

By jumping out to a 1-0 lead, Seattle became the fourth team in the past 20 years to open the scoring in its first playoff game. Tolvanen capitalized on a Colorado turnover to energize the Kraken and stun the crowd.

The lead lasted just over nine minutes as Rantanen tied it up on a pass from MacKinnon. Rantanen had 55 goals in the regular season, the most by an Avalanche player since the team moved to Denver before the 1995-96 season.

Don’t sleep on Seattle. Or perhaps do.

“They can do whatever you want,” Wennberg said of the doubters. “Obviously it comes down to the belief in the group right here. Everyone is going to have an opinion about the way we play now, but the focus is always going to be on us. We have a belief in this group.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Rays option Bradley to minors after rough start

Published

on

By

Rays option Bradley to minors after rough start

The Tampa Bay Rays optioned Taj Bradley to Triple-A Durham following a poor start for the inconsistent right-hander Wednesday night.

Handed a 4-0 lead against the Chicago White Sox, Bradley gave up four runs in the second and didn’t get through the inning as Chicago went on to an 11-9 victory in Tampa, Florida. He allowed four runs, four hits and three walks in the frame.

Bradley, once a top pitching prospect, didn’t factor into the decision and his record on the season remained 6-6, while his ERA moved to 4.61. The 24-year-old has struggled with consistency; he entered Wednesday’s start having allowed just one run in his previous two starts but had surrendered at least five runs in four of his six starts before that.

“Tough decision certainly, but felt like it’s best for him to get down there right now,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters after the game. “It’s probably a better environment (in Triple A) for him to work, rather than compete every single pitch.

“But know that Taj Bradley is massive to our success, and we need to get him back to the form we know he’s capable of.”

Cash said Bradley handled the news “like a pro” and will work to regain command of his secondary pitches such as his changeup and slider at Durham.

“I just talked to him and said there’s been a lot of good and there has been some not-so good,” Cash said. “Inconsistencies are tough to do at this level at any time of the season, but certainly with where we’re at right now.”

The Rays have scuffled over the last month and sit at 53-50, good for fourth place in the AL East.

Bradley has been mentioned as a potential trade target ahead of the July 31 deadline. The Rays have room to move at least one starting pitcher, and teams have identified the righty — who doesn’t reach free agency until after the 2029 season — as the likeliest of those with team control to go.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Ohtani ties Dodgers’ mark with HR in 5th straight

Published

on

By

Ohtani ties Dodgers' mark with HR in 5th straight

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani homered for the fifth consecutive game on Wednesday, tying a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge was the last player to homer in five consecutive games, accomplishing that feat last year.

Ohtani, who leads the National League with 37 home runs, homered off Minnesota starter Chris Paddack in the first inning of a 4-3 victory against the Twins. Ohtani hit a slow curveball 441 feet to center, carrying the bat midway down the first-base line before doing a bat flip.

It was Ohtani’s MLB-leading 46th career home of at least 440 feet since entering the majors in 2018. Three of those have come in the past week.

This is the seventh time in Dodgers history that a player has homered in five consecutive games. Ohtani joins Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Shawn Green and Roy Campanella in that club.

Ohtani extended his franchise record for the most home runs before Aug. 1. It’s also the most home runs by any National League player before that date since 2001, when the Giants‘ Barry Bonds (45) and the Diamondbacks‘ Luis Gonzalez (41) had each surpassed 40.

Ohtani, a three-time MVP, is batting .276 with 70 RBIs. He has also pitched well in six games and is scheduled to throw four innings on Monday in Cincinnati as he is getting close in his buildup as a starter, coming back from his second right UCL repair surgery.

With an off day on Thursday, Ohtani’s next chance to see if he can homer in six consecutive games will be against the Red Sox in Boston.

The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Pasquantino: Want Lugo to stay in Royals blue

Published

on

By

Pasquantino: Want Lugo to stay in Royals blue

CHICAGO — Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino started pointing toward the locker of teammate Seth Lugo after their 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Lugo, 35, had just pitched six solid innings in sweltering heat, leading Kansas City to its 50th win of the season.

“I’d like to see him pitch for us again,” Pasquantino said while pointing. “I’d really like to see him in a Royals jersey in his next start. We’re trying to make that happen. That’s up to us.”

The Royals are one of the bubble teams in the American League, having picked up some ground on the wild-card leaders after taking two of three from the Cubs. But they are still three games under .500 as the MLB trade deadline approaches next week. Lugo would be an attractive player for another team, as he is set to become a free agent, assuming he turns down his player option for next season.

Kansas City should do well in a trade if it chooses to move him. Lugo’s ERA sits at 2.95 after he gave up two runs in his six innings Wednesday.

“His name is prevalent, especially here [Chicago],” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said before the game. “I’m aware of that. We talked about it openly, understanding we like what we have here. We believe if we can string some good games together, we can get back in this thing.”

If they can’t get back in it, the Cubs are among the teams expected to be interested in Lugo’s services. Their starting pitching after top guys Shota Imanaga and All-Star Matthew Boyd is suspect. Righty Colin Rea gave up three home runs Wednesday, two to Pasquantino. Lugo easily outpitched him, giving up four hits and two walks while striking out six on an extremely hitter-friendly day at Wrigley Field. The wind was blowing out, but Lugo kept the ball in the park.

Afterward, he was asked how he keeps his mind focused considering the rumors swirling around him.

“You don’t think about it,” he said. “You worry about the start. That’s it.”

Lugo was pleased to hear Pasquantino go to bat for him. He said he’d rather stay and win with the Royals than be shipped out.

“I want to be here through the thick and thin,” he said. “It’s a good team. We just have to be more consistent and we’ll be all right.”

Kansas City has hovered around the .500 mark all season but hasn’t been able to get over the hump in the wild-card race. The win Wednesday drew the Royals within four games of the final wild-card spot but with four teams to overcome.

Quatraro waved off the trade talk, citing the unpredictability of the season after the deadline. No matter what his front office does, he wants his team to continue to push.

“You can add to your team and not play as well,” he said. “You can subtract from your team and play better. Or you can stay status quo and get hot.”

Pasquantino added: “It’s a business. Teams have to make business decisions, but as far as I’m concerned, I want [Lugo] in Royals blue for the rest of the season.”

After a day off Thursday, the Royals begin a homestand that will take them through the deadline on July 31. Lugo would be in line to start against the Atlanta Braves next week before the deadline, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll take the mound as scheduled.

“Start today,” he said. “Off day tomorrow, and it’s back to work after that. Control what I can control. Go about my routine. Go about my business.”

Continue Reading

Trending