Connect with us

Published

on

Noah Syndergaard said he is the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ “weakest link” after another poor outing that may have jeopardized his spot in the starting rotation.

The once-intimidating Syndergaard saw his ERA inflate to 6.54 after allowing five runs on seven hits — including three home runs — in Wednesday’s loss to the last-place Nationals.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts would not say whether Syndergaard would make his next start, and the former All-Star admitted that mechanical adjustments he’s attempted have not been effective.

“It really sucks,” Syndergaard told reporters. “Right now I just feel like I’m the weakest link on this team. I want to go out there and compete and be successful for the other guys in this clubhouse, but it’s just not working out.”

Syndergaard, whose early-career exploits with the Mets earned him the nickname “Thor,” said he would do anything to once again be a dominant pitcher with a 100 mph fastball.

“I would give my hypothetical first-born to be the old me again,” he said. “I’ll do anything possible to get back to that. I’m expected to go out there and compete, and today I just fell behind a lot of hitters.”

After splitting last season with the Angels and Phillies, Syndergaard signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Dodgers, who hoped he would help stabilize the back end of their rotation.

But Syndergaard has allowed multiple runs in nine consecutive outings — not counting one appearance that lasted only one inning because of injury — and the Dodgers have gone 3-7 in his 10 starts this season. Roberts would not commit to Syndergaard making his next scheduled start next week against the Reds.

“As an organization, we’ve got to continue to figure out which guys give us the best chance to win on a particular day as far as starters,” he said. “I don’t know right now the plan as far as Noah, when he’s going to start next.”

Syndergaard, 30, missed all of 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and has a 4.71 ERA over the last two-plus seasons. The right-hander went 10-10 with a 3.94 ERA last season with the Angels and National League champion Phillies.

Although the they have two upcoming off-days on their schedule, the first-place Dodgers also are beleaguered by injuries to their starting rotation — including Julio Urias and Dustin May, which could provide some short-term security for Syndergaard. Dodgers star catcher Will Smith acknowledged Syndergaard is “struggling right now,” but said he was confident the nine-year veteran will bounce back.

“I know Noah specifically is going to keep working his [behind] off,” Smith said, according to MLB.com. “That’s what he does. No doubt he’ll come back at some point, whether that’s his next start or his start after that. He’s too good of a pitcher not to come back.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Ohtani’s blast caps 6-run 9th in wild Dodgers rally

Published

on

By

Ohtani's blast caps 6-run 9th in wild Dodgers rally

PHOENIX — Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a wild 14-11 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

The Dodgers trailed 11-8 entering the ninth inning after blowing an early five-run lead.

Andy Pages and Enrique Hernandez hit consecutive run-scoring doubles to open the ninth inning against Kevin Ginkel (0-1). Max Muncy tied it at 11-11 with a run-scoring single and Ryan Thompson replaced Ginkel to face Ohtani.

It didn’t go well for Arizona.

Ohtani, who doubled twice, fell into a 1-2 hole before launching his 12th homer near the pool deck in right to put the Dodgers up 14-11. He finished with four RBIs.

Tanner Scott worked a perfect ninth save in 11 chances.

The Dodgers roughed up Eduardo Rodriguez to take an 8-3 lead through three innings, but couldn’t hold it.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a tying grand slam in the fifth inning, then Ketel Marte and Randal Grichuk hit solo shots off Alex Vesia (1-0) in the eighth to put Arizona up 11-8.

Pages finished with three RBIs and Hernández extended the Dodgers’ homer streak to 13 straight games with a solo shot in the second inning.

Marte homered twice for the Diamondbacks. Rodriguez allowed eight runs on nine hits in 2⅔ innings.

Continue Reading

Sports

Marchand’s OT score cuts Panthers’ deficit to 2-1

Published

on

By

Marchand's OT score cuts Panthers' deficit to 2-1

SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand scored on a deflected shot at 15:27 of overtime and the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 on Friday night to cut their deficit in the Eastern Conference semifinal series to 2-1.

Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Jonah Gadjovich scored for Florida, which got 27 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky. Evan Rodrigues had two assists for the Panthers. They 13-2 in their last 15 playoff overtime games.

John Tavares scored twice, and Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly also scored for the Maple Leafs. Joseph Woll stopped 32 shots.

Game 4 will be in Sunrise on Sunday night.

Florida erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-1, and that’s been almost impossible to do against Toronto this season.

By the numbers, it was all looking good for the Maple Leafs.

  • They were 30-3-0 when leading after the first period, including playoffs, the second-best record in the league.

  • They were 38-8-2, the league’s third-best record when scoring first.

  • They had blown only 11 leads all season, none in the playoffs.

  • They were 44-3-1 in games where they led by two goals or more.

Combine all that with Toronto having won all 11 of its previous best-of-seven series when taking a 2-0 lead at home, Florida being 0-5 in series where it dropped both Games 1 and 2, and leaguewide, teams facing 0-2 deficits come back to win those series only about 14% of the time.

But Marchand — a longtime Toronto playoff nemesis from his days in Boston — got the biggest goal of Florida’s season, rendering all those numbers moot for now.

The Leafs got two goals that deflected in off of Panthers defensemen: Tavares’ second goal nicked the glove of Gustav Forsling on its way past Bobrovsky for a 3-1 lead, and Rielly’s goal redirected off Seth Jones’ leg to tie it with 9:04 left in the third.

Knies scored 23 seconds into the game, the second time Toronto had a 1-0 lead in the first minute of this series. Tavares made it 2-0 at 5:57 and just like that, the Panthers were in trouble.

A diving Barkov threw the puck at the night and saw it carom in off a Toronto stick to get Florida on the board — only for Tavares to score again early in the second for a 3-1 Leafs lead.

Florida needed a break. It came.

Reinhart was credited with a goal after Woll thought he covered up the puck following a scrum in front of the net. But after review, it was determined the puck had crossed the line. Florida had life, the building was loud again and about a minute later, Verhaeghe tied it at 3-3.

Gadjovich made it 4-3 late in the second, before Rielly tied it midway through the third.

Continue Reading

Sports

Vegas’ Roy dodges suspension for G2 cross-check

Published

on

By

Vegas' Roy dodges suspension for G2 cross-check

NEW YORK — Vegas Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy was fined but not suspended Friday for cross-checking the Edmonton OilersTrent Frederic in the face in overtime of Game 2 of the teams’ second-round playoff series.

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced the fine of $7,813, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, after a disciplinary hearing with him.

Roy attempted to play the puck while it was airborne but made contact with Frederic’s head instead, resulting in a laceration for the Oilers forward.

Frederic briefly exited the game before making a quick return to the ice. Edmonton, however, failed to capitalize on the ensuing five-minute power play but won not long after on a goal by Leon Draisaitl from Connor McDavid.

Vegas trails the best-of-seven series 2-0 with Game 3 on Saturday night at Edmonton.

Information from The Associated Press and Field Level Media was used in this report.

Continue Reading

Trending