s Nosek in place of Da

panxing18 · Geregistreerd op: 23 Jun 2018 Berichten: 137

Any time seems to be the right time for the Chicago Cubs to play the NL Central Reds. After all Carlos Dunlap Jerse , Chicago took 43 of 62 from Cincinnati over the last four seasons.

Maybe this time, for a change, isn’t the right time.

Sure, the Cubs just got done taking two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field, and they’re competing with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the division. They also took three of four from the Reds in Cincinnati only a month ago.

“To be able to take two of three (from the Dodgers) after losing the first game in the manner we did, I give our guys a lot of credit,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, whose team lost a ninth-inning lead in the series opener.

But as the Cubs and Reds open a four-game series Thursday night at Great American Ball Park, the Cubs — winners of four of their last six games and 13 of their last 19 — aren’t the only team that’s trending well. The Reds, still trying to rebound from their horrific 8-27 start, have won six of eight and are coming off a two-game sweep of the AL Central-contending Detroit Tigers.

“Hopefully we can run off a few wins and make the season a little interesting for everybody (at the ballpark) — and for us in the clubhouse, too A'Shawn Robinson Jersey ,” Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart said following a 5-3 victory over the Tigers on Wednesday.

That would take quite a few wins given the Reds’ double-digit deficit in the NL Central race. But they’ve begun making life difficult for teams with better records than they have.

“As people have said through the history of the game, momentum is only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher,” Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said. “We’re just trying to win the game today. You enjoy (winning) … but we will come here (the next day) and try to get the next one.”

The Reds will send still-inconsistent right-hander Matt Harvey (1-5, 5.92 ERA) to the mound Thursday to face Kyle Hendricks (5-6, 3.55). The Cubs right-hander can only hope to supply the momentum that Cubs starter Jon Lester did Wednesday while winning his fifth in a row, a 4-0 victory over the Dodgers.

Lester (9-2) walked three and struck out only one but limited the Dodgers to five base hits over seven innings before right-hander Anthony Bass pitched the final two innings.

Hendricks is 4-1 with a 3.57 ERA in 11 career starts against the Reds but didn’t figure in the decision the last time he opposed them on May 19, a 5-4 Reds victory in which he gave up three earned runs and six hits in five innings.

Hendricks would like to get the same offensive support from shortstop Javier Baez that Lester did Wednesday, as Baez had two doubles and a triple for his first career three-extra-base-hit game. In his last 10 games, Baez is 10-for-24 (.417).

“I’m seeing the game (well),” Baez said. “And trying to do the small things.”

The Cubs generally see the big picture quite well against the Reds, given their recent domination of them, but Harvey will try to change that.

He’s still trying to gain traction since coming over to the Reds from the Mets. Harvey is only 1-3 with a 5.09 ERA in seven starts with Cincinnati — and 0-3 since last his last win on May 22. Harvey also has allowed 16 earned runs and 23 hits in 21 1/3 innings over his last four starts Eric Ebron Jersey , all of them Reds losses.

Harvey is 1-1 with a 4.57 ERA in four career starts against the Cubs, but most of their current hitters don’t have much experience against him. Only Jason Heyward (3-for-11, .272) has double-digit at-bats against him.

Barnhart had five hits and reached base eight times in his last two games but is 6-for-25 (.240) against Hendricks. Joey Votto, who hit a grand slam Tuesday, is 8-for-16 (.500) with two homers against him. Scooter Gennett is 8-for-31 (.258).

In a scheduling quirk, this is the Cubs’ third trip to Great American Ball Park already this season, while the Reds have yet to play in Wrigley Field. The final 10 games of the season between the two division opponents will be in Chicago.
Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and said the expansion Vegas Golden Knights sent a message, bouncing back with a 3-1 series-evening win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference final.

”Every time we need a big game as a group, we show up,” Marchessault said. ”We showed the hockey world we earned the right to be here.”

Tomas Tatar scored 6:37 into the game for the Golden Knights and Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 30 saves.

Kyle Connor scored midway through the third period to pull Winnipeg within a goal. Marchessault restored the two-goal lead 1:28 later.

Connor Hellebuyck had 25 saves for the Jets.

After losing the series opener, Marchessault told reporters the team faced a must-win game.

”If you’re going to talk out there in the media that you have to be better, I think you need to lead by example Harrison Phillips Jersey ,” he said. ”I tried to do that.”

Game 3 is Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

”I don’t think anybody is panicking,” Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba said. ”We like our road game. We like where it was in the Nashville series.”

Winnipeg won three times on the top-seeded Predators’ home ice, including Game 7 last week.

The expansion Golden Knights appeared to be rusty in the series opener and the Jets scored three goals early in a 4-2 win about 48 hours after advancing out of the second round.

It looked like they were going to pick up where they left off.

”They came out flying again with a lot of speed,” Fleury said.

Fleury, who helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win three Stanley Cups, made key stops early and got help from teammate and a post in the opening minutes to keep the puck out of his net.

”Fleury had to make three or four really good saves in the first seven minutes,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ”We rebounded after that. We got that 2-0 lead and it was a different game for us. When teams are chasing the lead, it’s tough for teams to battle back.”

Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele, who has postseason-high 12 goals , got the puck past Fleury in the opening moments of the game and Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt cleared it from the crease .

Vegas generated offense by making plays without the puck, forcing turnovers to set up goals.

”We were on them,” Golden Knights forward Erik Haula said. ”That’s our game. We’re a fast team. I think we showed that.”

Indeed.

After the Jets failed to control the puck out of a corner in their end Taco Charlton Jersey , Tatar ended up stuffing the puck in the net after hitting the side of the net with a shot.

Connor was pressured into turning over the puck near center ice late in the opening period and Reilly Smith set up Marchessault, his former Florida Panthers teammate, at the blue line and he scored on a breakaway backhander.

”There was about 57 minutes of that game that was pretty good for us,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. ”Three minutes of it got away from us.

The Jets closed the scoreless second period and started the third on the power play and still couldn’t get the puck past Fleury.

Yet.

Winnipeg kept up the pressure on by relentlessly forechecking and drew another penalty early in the third. Connor took advantage, squeezing a shot between Fleury and the post from the bottom of the left circle 7:17 into the third.

That whipped the white-clad fans into a frenzy – triggering jeers of ”Fleu-ry! Fleu-ry!” – and were quickly quieted by another Marchessault backhander that beat Hellebuyck.

The Jets pulled their goaltender to add another skater over the last couple minutes of the game, but Fleury didn’t let the puck get past him again.

NOTES: Vegas put Tatar and Tomas Nosek in place of David Perron and Oscar Lindberg. Gallant said Perron was not a healthy scratch. ”He wasn’t feeling well,” Gallant said. ”I think he’ll be fine.” … The Jets have not lost consecutive games this postseason. … Vegas acquired Tatar from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline for a first-round pick and he played in just his fifth game of this postseason and scored his first goal. ”What a luxury to be able to put Tomas Tatar into a game in the playoffs,” Schmidt said. ”The guy has been an incredible player in this league and proved it for many years.”

—

Melvin Frazier Jersey ,

	Het koerier forum -> Interessante links	Tijden zijn in GMT + 2 uur
Pagina 1 van 1