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D-backs bust slump with 18-2 rout after meeting

Published in Baseball
Saturday, 25 May 2019 01:14

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Arizona Diamondbacks took out a week of frustrations on San Francisco's pitching staff.

Ildemaro Vargas had five hits and a home run, Adam Jones added four hits and a homer, and the Diamondbacks broke out of a slump in a big way, beating the Giants 18-2 on Friday night in the highest-scoring game in 20 seasons at San Francisco's waterfront ballpark.

"We needed it," said bench coach Jerry Narron, who filled in for manager Torey Lovullo. "Everybody knew we were going to break out at some point and someone would pay for it. Tonight was the night. Hopefully everybody can relax a little bit and swing the bat more aggressively."

Arizona had been held to 12 runs during a five-game losing streak before unleashing its bats on Drew Pomeranz (1-5) and an overmatched Giants bullpen.

Robbie Ray (4-1) was the beneficiary of the big offensive night, giving up two runs in 5 1/3 innings to win his fourth straight decision. Ray even got into the act on the offensive side with a two-run single in the third inning for his first hit of the year. He retired 13 in a row at one point with eight strikeouts in that span.

"That was me at my best today," Ray said.

Ray had plenty of help. Vargas homered in the first inning, and the Diamondbacks turned it into a laugher against reliever Nick Vincent with three-run homers by Jones in the fifth and Eduardo Escobar in the sixth inning.

Ketel Marte added a three-run homer off Derek Holland in the seventh, prompting cheers of "Let Pablo Pitch!" from the few fans remaining who were hoping that Giants infielder Pablo Sandoval could get his second appearance on the mound this season. But manager Bruce Bochy didn't oblige because he plans to start Sandoval at third base Saturday and didn't want him to have a sore arm.

Every member of the Diamondbacks' starting lineup either scored or drove in a run in Arizona's highest-scoring game of the season following a team meeting in San Diego after the latest loss Wednesday and a day off.

"It grinds on you," catcher Carson Kelly said. "When that happens, you want to be the guy to do too much. We just said, 'You know what, let's slow things down. We know we're a good team. Let's pick each other up.'"

Tyler Austin hit a two-run homer in the first inning for San Francisco, his third straight game with a home run. The Giants managed nothing else against Ray and fell to 1-4 on the homestand.

"Occasionally, you're going to have a game like this," Bochy said. "Trust me, they're not fun, especially at home. Started out rough, gradually got worse."

Zack Godley pitched three innings for his second save.

Pomeranz had another rough outing against an NL West opponent, giving up the solo homer to Vargas in the first, RBI singles to Marte and Vargas in the second, and then the two-run single to Ray in the third that ended his night. Pomeranz gave up five runs and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings, falling to 4-18 with a 5.34 ERA in his career against NL West teams.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Diamondbacks: LF David Peralta was put on the injured list because of an injured right shoulder. 1B Kevin Cron and OF Tim Locastro were called up from Triple-A Reno. Arizona had an open spot on the 25-man roster after sending pitcher Jimmie Sherfy to the minors.

Giants: SS Brandon Crawford missed his second straight game because of pink eye. ... C Buster Posey was held out of the lineup a day after catching 13 innings.

BALL MAGNET

Locastro was hit by pitches three times in the game. Pomeranz hit him in the third inning, Vincent in the sixth and Holland in the seventh. Locastro has been hit seven times this season in only 29 plate appearances.

FILLING IN

Lovullo missed the game to attend the high school graduation of his youngest son, Connor. Narron filled in as manager, and Luis Urueta took over as bench coach. Lovullo is expected back Saturday.

UP NEXT

The Diamondbacks will call up RHP Taylor Clarke (0-1) from Reno to start Saturday's game against Andrew Suarez (0-1). Arizona will need to make a roster move before the game to make room for Clarke.

Rockies' Story caps milestone night with walk-off

Published in Baseball
Saturday, 25 May 2019 00:04

DENVER -- Trevor Story did a little fist pump after his seventh-inning shot. Just a way to commemorate becoming the fastest shortstop to reach 100 homers.

His 101st in the ninth? Now that was celebrated with a lot more gusto.

"I love that one," Story said of his 100th, "but I'll take the ninth-inning one."

Story hit a game-ending drive for his second two-run homer Friday night, helping the Colorado Rockies beat Baltimore 8-6 in the Orioles' first visit to Coors Field since 2004.

Nolan Arenado also went deep twice in the opener of a season-long 10-game homestand. Scott Oberg (2-0) had two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth to earn the win.

Story lined a 2-2 slider from Mychal Givens (0-3) over the wall in right field to ignite the festivities at home plate. It was Story's second career game-ending homer.

With his long ball in the seventh, Story became the quickest shortstop in major league history to reach 100 homers (448 games). He bettered Alex Rodriguez, who reached 100 homers in 470 games.

"It's pretty special to me," Story said.

Trailing 6-3 in the seventh, the Rockies tied it up when Story and Arenado hit back-to-back drives off Shawn Armstrong. Story's homer got the crowd fired up -- and Arenado, too. Arenado belted the next pitch for his second solo homer of the game. He let out an exhilarated roar.

"Trevor got me going," Arenado said. "He can do some things that I wish I could. I wish I could run like him, and I wish I could flip the ball to right-center with power. He does those things that are crazy."

Keon Broxton made an instant impact with a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw in his Baltimore debut. His blast off Jeff Hoffman in the second inning traveled an estimated 474 feet and landed on the left-field concourse.

The Orioles acquired Broxton from the New York Mets on Wednesday for $500,000 in 2019-20 international signing bonus pool allotment. Broxton was designated for assignment last week by the Mets after batting .143 in 34 games with no homers and two RBIs.

"I was actually going to bunt," Broxton said. "Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Arenado back, and then a couple of seconds before the pitch came, I saw him creeping up; I thought, 'I'm swinging right here.'"

Dwight Smith Jr. and pinch hitter Renato Nunez also homered for Baltimore.

Baltimore's bullpen allowed five runs after a solid start by John Means.

"It's concerning," manager Brandon Hyde said. "It's a little bit of a rough patch for our bullpen."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rockies: OF Charlie Blackmon remains day-to-day with a tender right calf. "He's feeling better but is still sore," manager Bud Black said.

GRADUATION TIME

The Orioles will be missing a few coaches this weekend while they attend graduation ceremonies for their children. Pitching coach Doug Brocail was scheduled to miss Friday, while bullpen coach John Wasdin is expected to miss the weekend series.

HOMECOMING

Rookie infielder Brendan Rodgers played his first game at Coors after making his major league debut on the road. McMahon gave him a tour to show him where things like the lunch room and the batting cage were located.

"It was like a first day at school for me," Rodgers said.

Rodgers had about 22 family members and friends at the park. He had two hits, including a run-scoring single, and made a catch along the right-field railing before flipping into the stands. He also got thrown out at third in the eighth.

THIS & THAT

Colorado's lefties had four hits off Means. Entering Friday, the left-handed Means had allowed a total of four hits to left-handers all season. ... The Orioles' fathers accompanied them on the trip. ... Hoffman was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to make the start. Hoffman lasted five innings and surrendered five runs. ... Colorado scored six of its runs with two outs. ... The Orioles' last victory at Coors Field was June 20, 2004. In that game, they rallied for a 4-2 win when Brian Roberts hit a ninth-inning grand slam.

UP NEXT

Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland (2-5, 6.02 ERA) starts Saturday as he tries to break out of a slump. Freeland has allowed 22 earned runs over his past five outings. The Orioles will throw righty Andrew Cashner (4-2, 4.14 ERA).

Penultimate round

Three Japanese outfits feature in the penultimate round of the women’s doubles event.

Honoka Hashimoto and Hitomi Sato, the top seeds, meet qualifiers Ayane Morita and Yuka Umemura; in the opposite half of the draw Satsuki Odo and Saki Shibata, the no.2 seeds, confront the host nation’s Orawan Paranang and Suthasini Sawettabut, the no.3 seeds.

Host nation hopes alive

The host nation’s Orawan Paranang and Suthasini Sawettabut, the no.3 seeds, kept their hopes of successful women’s doubles title retention alive.

At the quarter-final stage they beat Malaysia’s Sian Alice Chang Li and Tee Ai Xin (11-4, 11-7, 11-3).

Li Hsin-Yu and Masaki Takami reach final

Chinese Taipei’s Li Hsin-Yu and Japan’s Masaki Takami will meet in the under 21 men’s singles final.

In the penultimate round Li Hsin-Yu beat Korea Republic’s Oh Minseo (13-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-7); Masaki Takami, the no.7 seed and the only seed amongst the last four, ended the progress of Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse (15-13, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7).

Prithika Pavade maintains outstanding form

Prithika Pavade of France maintained her outstanding form in the under 21 women’s singles event; by the narrowest of margins at the semi-final stage she beat fellow qualifier Korea Republic’s Yoon Hyobin (9-11, 15-13, 12-10, 7-11, 12-10).

In the final she meets Japan’s Yuka Umemura who caused somewhat of a penultimate round upset; the no.7 seed, she accounted for colleague, Maki Shiomi, the top seed (6-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-9).

Schedule of Play (Friday 24th – Sunday 26th May

No current world ranking, José You, from Honduras but resident in Chinese Taipei, was the biggest surprise name of all.

After accounting for Jamaica’s Kane Watson, the no.13 seed (11-2, 11-5, 11-3, 11-4), he caused a major upset by beating the host nation’s Hector Gatica, the top seed (12-14, 11-7, 4-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9) to reserve his place in the semi-finals.

“The last time we played was a few weeks ago at the Central Championships, where I won more comfortably; this time it became more difficult. He knew how to receive my services and he was good with service and first attack. I arrived a little early to get used to the altitude. It’s the second tournament I’m playing in Latin America so it was necessary to train a bit here before the event started.” José You

Impressive; that good form continued, José You ousted Venezuela’s Marco Navas, the no.7 seed (12-10, 10-12, 11-8, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8), prior to overcoming Tyrese Knight of Barbados, the no.4 seed, in the title decider (11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 13-15, 11-7, 11-8).

“I was a little nervous because representing my country means so much. I’ve been living in Taiwan for 20 years. In each match I just thought of playing in a relaxed manner. Here we are high above sea level. I had many problems but I managed to recover; I wanted to succeed for Honduras. I am proud to be able to do this for my people, thank you all for your support; it makes me very happy to deliver this achievement for my country.” José You

Success for José You, in the corresponding group, it was success for Julian Ramos, the no.9 seed. He started his quest for honours by beating Bolivia’s Eduardo Lizarazu (11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8), prior to overcoming Guatemala’s Heber Moscoso, the no.10 seed (11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6) and Panama’s Omer Avi-Tal, the no.8 seed (11-8, 11-3, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8) to secure his Lima place.

“I’m pleased that Colombia adds one more player to the Pan American Games, I am very happy to qualify. It’s a new experience; this is the last event before going to the Olympic qualifier, so one gains a lot of experience. We did not have the chance to play in the team event so this is the last opportunity; that’s why the preparation was very thorough. We knew there would be a good level here and there would be a lot of tension among the players because we all look for the same goal. Preparing for Lima, we will have a series of training camps for both men and women so that we arrive in the best way.” Julian Ramos

Four further places remain; these will be decided on Saturday 25th May.

Information

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Prospectus

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Schedule of Play

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Entries (as on Thursday 23rd May)

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Seeding (First Knock-Out)

Results

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Men’s Singles – Draw One – Results (Friday 24th May)

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Women’s Singles – Draw One – Results (Friday 24th May)

Draws

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Men’s Singles – Draw Two (Saturday 25th May)

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Women’s Singles – Draw Two (Saturday 25th May)

Qualified Teams for Pan American Games

Host Nation
Peru
Peru

2018 Pan American Championships
Brazil, United States, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina and Cuba
Brazil, United States, Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Argentina

2019 Caribbean Qualification
Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic

2019 Central America Qualification
Guatemala
Mexico

2019 North America Qualification
Canada
no nomination

2019 South America Qualification
Ecuador
Colombia

2019 World Ranking (May)
Dominican Republic
Chile, Mexico

Canada and the United States both qualified for the for the women’s team event as a result of finishing in the top six at the 2018 Pan American Championships. Therefore, there was no nomination via 2019 North America qualification; thus as the second high team on the May 2019 world rankings, Mexico gained the final place.

Ecuador celebrates, teenagers excel

Published in Table Tennis
Friday, 24 May 2019 21:29

Mylena Plaza, 17 years old, commenced play as the no.10 seed; in a most impressive manner she ousted Trinidad and Tobago’s Brittany Joseph, the no.7 seed (10-12, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8) prior to overcoming Guyana’s Trenace Lowe, the top seed (11-1, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 15-13) to reserve her place in the final.

Two unexpected wins, in the final she faced a very different situation; she confronted Paraguay’s 26 year old Lucero Ovelar, a player with no current world ranking but a decade ago successful in South America at junior level. Focused, Mylena Plaza retained her form; she emerged the winner in straight games (11-7, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4).

Impressive from Mylena Plaza, it was equally impressive from Nathaly Paredes. The no.5 seed, she accounted for Anthonette Riley of Barbados (5-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5), prior to enjoying success in opposition to Leyla Gomez, the no.11 seed and like Lucero Ovelar from Paraguay (12-10, 11-7, 11-13, 11-1, 11-7) to reserve her place in the all-important final.

A challenge, just as Mylena Plaza responded so did 18 year old Nathaly Paredes; she beat El Salvador’s Cecilia Gomez, the no.11 seed, in straight games (11-1, 11-5, 11-3, 11-9). Notably Cecila Gomez was a player in form; one round earlier she had overcome Guyana’s Chelsea Edghill, the no.2 seed (11-7, 4-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-7).

“I’m still a bit nervous after the match, the pressure, the tension, are not easy things to deal with in a tournament like this but I’m very happy to have qualified, it gives me huge satisfaction due to the effort I’ve been making and everything I’ve worked for. I have been training in Germany, in addition I have participated in the ITTF Challenge Series tournaments in Slovenia and Croatia, events that added to my preparation. I thank the Ecuadorian Federation and the Ecuador Olympic Committee for all the support, I feel happy that I am taking advantage of the opportunities given to me. Thanks to all those who sent me good luck messages before the competition; thanks to my coaches and my family who are always with me; this classification is for all Ecuadorians. I will continue preparing for Lima.” Nathaly Paredes

Understandably a delighted Nathaly Paredes, it was the same for Norman Carillo, the Ecuadorian coach.

“We arrived looking for success and we succeeded; this great achievement is incredible, to our compatriots, happy to deliver this triumph.” Norman Carillo

Four further places remain; Saturday 25th May is decision day.

Information

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Prospectus

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Schedule of Play

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Entries (as on Thursday 23rd May)

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Seeding (First Knock-Out)

Results

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Men’s Singles – Draw One – Results (Friday 24th May)

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Women’s Singles – Draw One – Results (Friday 24th May)

Draws

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Men’s Singles – Draw Two (Saturday 25th May)

Lima 2019 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Individual Events: Women’s Singles – Draw Two (Saturday 25th May)

Qualified Teams for Pan American Games

Host Nation
Peru
Peru

2018 Pan American Championships
Brazil, United States, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina and Cuba
Brazil, United States, Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Argentina

2019 Caribbean Qualification
Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic

2019 Central America Qualification
Guatemala
Mexico

2019 North America Qualification
Canada
no nomination

2019 South America Qualification
Ecuador
Colombia

2019 World Ranking (May)
Dominican Republic
Chile, Mexico

Canada and the United States both qualified for the for the women’s team event as a result of finishing in the top six at the 2018 Pan American Championships. Therefore, there was no nomination via 2019 North America qualification; thus as the second high team on the May 2019 world rankings, Mexico gained the final place.

Hearn Counts To 134 At Albany-Saratoga

Published in Racing
Friday, 24 May 2019 19:43

MALTA, N.Y. – Jackie Brown appeared to be headed to his first Albany-Saratoga Speedway DIRTcar modified feature Friday night, but just as Mike Mahaney found out a week ago, 35 laps is a lot tougher distance to win at than 30.

With the lap counter at 32, 11th starting Brett Hearn rocketed by Brown to notch his 134th win at the three-eighths-mile oval.

“I was better in the middle than on top,” tipped Hearn.  “With guys two and three wide in front of me, there was nowhere to go for a while, but once things cleared out, we were good to go.”

Polesitter Neil Stratton led early on with the third starting Brown in hot pursuit.  The duo could pull away from the field but multiple yellows kept bringing them back.  Meanwhile, Hearn and Kenny Tremont were making their customary mad dashes from deep in the field and by lap 10 they were fifth and seventh, respectively.

Stratton and Brown’s night almost ended on the frontstretch at halfway, when Kyle Armstrong and CG Morey tangled right in front of them. They escaped, but Hearn stood fourth on the restart with his sights on the lead.

Brown shot down Stratton on the green, with Tremont and Hearn swapping fourth back and forth until Hearn turned the wick up a notch and scooted by Matt DeLorenzo and then Stratton.  He then drove around Brown with three to go and shot out to a comfortable margin of victory.

Brown held on for second ahead of Tremont, DeLorenzo and Stratton.

Hunter Sanchez scored a popular win in the Street Stocks, defeating division kingpin Randy Miller, while Chris Johnson notched a $1,000 win in the Sportsman Shootout, besting Robert Bublack and Tim Hartman Jr.

Scelzi Stops Larson In Patriot Nationals Opener

Published in Racing
Friday, 24 May 2019 20:30

CONCORD, N.C. – Patience and a power move in turn three combined to pay dividends for Gio Scelzi on Friday night, as he stormed to the win in the opening act of the United Rentals Patriot Nationals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Scelzi, who lined up second after being outrun by Kyle Larson in the DIRTvision Fast Pass Dash, ran in that position for most of the night’s 30-lap feature and appeared destined to settle into that position all the way to the checkered flag.

However, inside of 10 to go, Scelzi began inching forward. With eight to go, he was within three car lengths of Larson’s tail tank, and with six laps left he was right on Larson’s bumper exiting turn two.

Loading his guns for a big move down the backstretch, Scelzi cut to the bottom of the track entering turn three and hooked his No. 71 Indy Race Parts machine against the inside berm, powering past Larson and taking firm command of the race.

Once out front, the 17-year-old never looked back, running out to a 1.115-second margin of victory and his second-career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series triumph.

Gio Scelzi celebrates in victory lane at The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Friday night. (Adam Fenwick photo)

“We struggled to start the year off out west with Roth Motorsports, but Bernie (Stuebgen, crew chief) and I have slowly been getting better and better, and I think now we’re starting to hit our stride,” Scelzi told SPEED SPORT. “I can’t thank Bernie and Betsy enough. They put every single cent that they have into this team and trying to get me to the next level. It’s so much fun to race for them and win for them.

“Tonight is a dream come true,” he added. “To get my first Outlaw win at Williams Grove and then to come here to Charlotte, another marquee track for the Outlaws, and take home the trophy … there aren’t words for how cool this is.”

Scelzi noted that timing his move, and not trying to make the pass too early when he had the run, was a major key to his eventual victory.

“I was just staying even with him for a long time, and not really getting better or worse, but finally it clicked for us there inside of 10 to go and I got to the point where I could peel off (from behind Larson),” Scelzi explained. “I got that run off turn two, and I knew I had to take it. Working the bottom hadn’t let me quite get to him, and after David (Gravel) got me for second, I knew I had to get going on the top.

“I saw Kyle getting loose off turn two, and figured I could make something happen. It just had to be the right moment, and thankfully it was.”

The California teenager also paid a nod to Larson, who was looking for his third win in his third different type of car in less than a week’s time.

“Kyle’s the best driver in the world right now, no matter what he’s driving in,” Scelzi said. “I respect him a lot and look forward to seeing him win at the next level across the street, but we took one from him tonight and I’m really proud of that.

Larson settled for second on this night after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR All Star Race last weekend and the QRC Open for outlaw karts Wednesday at Milbridge Speedway.

“Second’s always a good spot to be in, because you can see where the leader is struggling and make your move accordingly, and Gio did exactly that,” said Larson. I felt OK until I caught traffic, and then I started losing drive off of (turn) two. When the groove started creeping down the track, I found a little bit more grip, but he was just a little bit better down the stretch.

“I’m disappointed I lost the race, but this is still a good run for us tonight and it was good to shake the rust off after not being in a sprint car for a few months.”

KSE Hard Charger Logan Schuchart came forward from the seventh starting position to complete the podium, followed by Brad Sweet and David Gravel.

Kraig Kinser, Donny Schatz, Ian Madsen, Sheldon Haudenschild and James McFadden closed the top 10.

The race was interrupted just once by a red flag on lap three, when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Rico Abreu tangled in turn four and Abreu tipped on his side. Abreu was uninjured.

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.

Rahmer Goes The Distance In Paxton Tribute Race

Published in Racing
Friday, 24 May 2019 21:16

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Freddie Rahmer wired the field for the win in Friday night’s Lynn Paxton Tribute race for 410 sprints at Williams Grove Speedway.

Rahmer collected $4,771 for the victory, the seventh of his young career at the oval.

In the 358 sprint feature, Jeff Halligan took the lead from Rodney Westhafer late to pick up his second career speedway win.

Rahmer drove to his win from the pole of the main that honored former three-time track champion Paxton. He began the main with Danny Dietrich to his outside and got the drop on the field at the initial green.

Dietrich tried to keep Rahmer close but as the race wore on Rahmer just continually stretched his advantage over the field. He entered the rear of the field on the seventh tour as the field strung out all around the track.

With five laps to go, Rahmer had a straightaway lead over a struggling Dietrich in traffic.

The advantage in the end was 4.846 seconds for the Salfordville speedster.

“It was kind of a crapshoot where we’d run,” Rahmer noted about his choices of lines around the speedway as the race began.

Rahmer praised the track for the lucrative payoff while questioning a 19-car field for the event.

“Williams Grove does a lot for us. $4,700 for 25 laps – I don’t know if guys are afraid to come here or what,” he said.

Dietrich rode home second followed by Lucas Wolfe, Ryan Smith and T.J. Stutts.

Heats went to Dietrich and Rahmer, while Wolfe recorded fast time over the field with a lap of 17.271 seconds while collecting $300 from Fast Tees Screenprinting for his efforts under the clock.

Rodney Westhafer led from the pole at the start of the 20-lap 358 sprint main while Cody Fletcher gave chase early.

Jeff Halligan started sixth in the field and worked into second with four away. By that time Westhafer had built a comfortable lead but a lone yellow flag in the event with six laps down gave him a clear shot at the leader.

Once able to start with the leader, Halligan stayed close to Westhafer and dogged him until lap 13 when he took the lead coming out of turn four.

Halligan then handled the field the rest of the distance while seventh starter Doug Hammaker worked his way to the front, getting by Westhafer for second with two laps to go but failing to catch the leader.

Westhafer held on for third followed by Fletcher and Scott Fisher.

Vela strikes again in LAFC thrashing of Montreal

Published in Soccer
Friday, 24 May 2019 22:35

Carlos Vela took his MLS leading goals tally to 15 as LAFC thrashed the visiting Montreal Impact 4-2 at Banc of California Stadium on Friday night.

The win extends LAFC's unbeaten run to seven games and keeps them undefeated at home with a record of seven wins and one draw.

Goalkeeper Evan Bush gifted the hosts their opening goal, misplaying the ball out of the back and allowing Christian Ramirez to block his clearance into the back of the net.

MLS goals leader Vela then pulled the strings for the next two goals, getting in behind the Montreal defense and beating Bush to double LAFC's lead before picking out Diego Rossi, who squared to Latif Blessing for a tap in to make it 3-0 at half-time.

Vela looked to have struck again at the start of the second half with a cheeky chip over Bush after another Montreal giveaway, but the linesman's flag was up for offside and the goal was ruled out.

However, the Western Conference leaders scored seconds later when Tristan Blackmon lost his marker in the penalty area and powered home a header from a corner kick to make it 4-0.

LAFC's Eddie Segura redirected the ball into his own net from an Impact cross to give the visitors their first goal. Saphir Taïder then scored from the penalty spot to halve the deficit as full-time approached after Walker Zimmerman brought down Anthony Jackson-Hamel in the area.

Despite playing their fourth game in 14 days, LAFC showed no signs of fatigue, outshooting the Impact by a 17-9 margin (10-6 in shots on goal), in a match that seemed more lopsided than those statistics might suggest.

Bush's error notwithstanding, the goalkeeper often looked outstanding in making six saves to keep the final score respectable. The Impact have just one victory (1-3-1) over their past five matches.

The win means Bob Bradley's team have now earned 34 points from its first 15 matches to top the Western Conference and stay nine ahead of the third-placed Galaxy, who beat Orlando City on Friday, and eight points ahead of the Seattle Sounders, who play Sporting Kansas City on Sunday.

The final game of the 2018-19 season in Germany is Saturday's DFB Pokal (German Cup) final between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig. Will the Bavarians complete a memorable league/cup double, or will the fledgling side from Saxony upset Niko Kovac & Co.?

Here's what you need to know ahead of the game in Berlin -- live on ESPNEWS, 5/25, 2 p.m. ET -- and an exclusive interview with Bayern winger Serge Gnabry.

German Cup final preview

WHO'S THE FAVORITE? Eighteen-time DFB Pokal winners Bayern are widely expected to win, but they know better than most that cup games don't necessarily go according to plan: the German champions sensationally lost last year's final against rank outsiders Eintracht Frankfurt, 3-1. Third-place RBL are a better side than the Eagles were in 2017-18, especially at the back. Their defensive solidity -- they conceded the fewest goals in the league and held Bayern to a 0-0 draw at home two weeks ago -- will give them a decent shot at causing an upset, too.

KEY BATTLE: Marcel Halstenberg vs. Gnabry & Co. RB Leipzig's 27-year-old left-back will have to close down Bayern's strong right flank, where Gnabry combines with the constantly overlapping defender Joshua Kimmich to great effect. But even if Halstenberg, a contender for a starting spot with Germany, frustrates Gnabry, the battle is not quite won. Arjen Robben will be bursting with ambition on the touchline, eager to perform his favourite party trick as a substitute for Bayern one last time.

- Sources: Man City ready to battle Bayern for Leroy Sane
- Mr. Indispensable: Which player can the biggest clubs not live without?
- 30 Under 21: The best young players in soccer
- Honigstein: Can Bayern replace Ribery and Robben?

X FACTOR, BAYERN MUNICH: James Rodriguez has not started a game for Bayern since the 1-1 draw with SC Freiburg at the end of March. After overcoming a persistent calf injury, the Colombian is back in contention to add his unique brand of creativity as a substitute in case Thomas Müller's unpredictable game fails to come off against Leipzig's excellent pressing game. The 27-year-old's possible intervention would be very timely: chances are he will go back to Real Madrid after the match in Berlin.

X FACTOR, RB LEIPZIG: Yussuf Poulsen has only scored one goal in all of April and May, in the 3-1 semifinal cup win over Hamburger SV, but that dry spell disguises a hugely productive season. The Danish centre-forward's 19 strikes in all competitions have gone a long way to take the Saxons to third place in the Bundesliga. Bayern's backline can ill-afford the threat posed by the 24-year-old, especially in transition.

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Gnabry: I used to watch Robben & Ribery on YouTube

Serge Gnabry speaks to ESPN about absorbing knowledge from Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, who he feels were key in Bayern's dominance over the last decade.

BAYERN NEED TO ... be patient and accurate in possession, and immediately counter-press when their attacks break down to stop Leipzig exposing them on the break. As the superior footballing side, they should aim to exhaust their hard-running opponents by moving the ball around.

RB LEIPZIG NEED TO ... Ralf Rangnick will aim to double or triple up in wide areas, to force Bayern's game into the congested centre. The key is to find one of the attackers in the half-space between Bayern's full-backs and central midfield playmaker Thiago with pinpoint vertical balls immediately after a successful recovery.

PREDICTION: Bayern will edge a tense midfield to win 1-0 in extra-time.


Serge Gnabry is taking his career in stride

When social media was awash with snide comments after he joined FC Bayern Munich in the summer of 2017, Serge Gnabry simply shrugged. It wasn't the first time people told him that he couldn't do what he wanted to do, and probably not the last. "You hear what's going on. Lots of people were saying that I was making a mistake, that I would never play for Bayern," the 23-year-old forward told ESPN.

The reaction had been the same when he moved from VfB Stuttgart to Arsenal at the age of 16 -- "everyone said 'don't go, you have to stay here, you won't make it'" -- and even the U-7s of his local village club initially turned him down. At 4½ years old, Serge was technically too young to join, but his father Jean-Hermann, a former amateur player at TSV who had moved to Swabia from the Ivory Coast and married a local girl, wouldn't take "nein" for an answer. He could see that the boy was already more skilled than his would-be peers and more importantly than that, he desperately wanted him out of the house. Serge was regularly smashing up lamps and other bits of furniture, kicking a ball around. Luckily for everyone involved, Weissach relented.

"All I ever wanted to do was play football," said Gnabry said. "My dad pushed and pushed [my youth team] until they agreed to let me play, despite my age. I soon realised that I could do more than the others."

Under the tutelage of his father, Gnabry quickly progressed to join VFB Stuttgart, the biggest club in the southwest of Germany, at the age of 10. There he played in an excellent youth team that featured the likes of Timo Werner (now at RB Leipzig) and his current Bayern teammate, Kimmich. Stuttgart fought tooth and nail to keep him when Arsene Wenger showed an interest in 2011. To no avail. "I was confident that I had the ability to thrive there," said Gnabry.

After a promising early debut for the Gunners, his career in London petered out due to combination of injuries and too much competition. Bayern engineered an €8m move via initial buyers Werder Bremen and a loan to TSG Hoffenheim, but even president Uli Hoeness didn't anticipate him doing as well as he did in his first year at the Allianz Arena. Gnabry immediately became a starter in their seventh consecutive title-winning campaign, scoring 13 goals in 49 games in all competitions -- elite numbers for a wide attacker. Without Gnabry's goals and energy from the right, Bayern would probably not made up a nine-point deficit in December to finish two points ahead of Borussia Dortmund last Saturday.

As much as he's enjoying himself, Gnabry understands that Bayern's ambitions cannot be fulfilled by winning the league alone. Even a domestic double -- completed against Werner, his former teammate -- won't quite make this a successful season. That said, he's capable of appreciating what he has, a lesson he's learned visiting his father's family in the Ivory Coast. Gnabry's been back twice to "soak up the happiness" of his extended family.

"It's very important to know not just the culture of my German side but also the African side," he said. "Everyone knows the difference in life between there and here. It's a completely different mentality; people don't have the same stuff but are still happy. It humbles you." Gnabry last went to Africa ahead of the 2016 Olympics, a tournament that proved instrumental in securing his successful return to Germany. He'll go there for two weeks this June, before the club's trip to the U.S. and preseason training ahead of the next milestone.

In 2019-20, Gnabry will be tasked to lead Bayern and Germany to international glory. Don't tell him he can't do it.

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