Tanaka Stays Perfect, as Yankees Defeat Rays

mcall.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 3rd, 2014

Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Rays 3 Yankees 9

The New York Yankees were able to bounce back nicely after Friday night’s extra-inning marathon loss with a rather easy win on Saturday. The win moves Yankees to (16-13) on the early season, as they are currently .5 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.

Yankees Starter Masahiro Tanaka didn’t have his best stuff on Saturday, but was still very good and improved to (4-0) on the season. Tanaka went a much needed seven innings for the Yankees bullpen, as he allowed three runs on eight hits, with five strikeouts. Tanaka would get hurt a bit by the long ball on Saturday, as Desmond Jennings and Wil Myers each hit solo-homeruns off of him.

For the Rays, Jake Odorizzi got the start, but he didn’t factor in the decision or last very long in the game. Odorizzi went just four innings while allowing three runs on five hits and two walks, as he didn’t help out the Rays bullpen much after the long game on Friday.

Nets Defeat Raptors to Force Game 7

usatoday.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 2nd, 2014

Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets Game 6 Recap

Final Score: Raptors 83 Nets 97

The Brooklyn Nets were able to bounce back from their Game 5 loss in Toronto with a Game 6 victory in the Barclays Center to keep their season alive, and force another Game 7 in what has been a great First Round in the Playoffs this season.

Player of the Game: Deron Williams

For the Nets their recipe is to win is pretty simple, when Deron Williams’ plays well they win, and luckily in Game 6 for the Nets, he played well. The Nets Point Guard was under a lot of pressure heading into the elimination game, as he responded well with a team-high 23 points on eight for 16 shooting, including four three-pointers. The aggressive Williams also had five rebounds, four assists, and one steal to help lead the Nets to the victory.

Positives:

The very solid performance from Williams also came at the expense of Lowry, who had by far his worst game of the series, which was a great sight for Brooklyn. Lowry, who was coming off a 36-point game in Game 5, was held in check in Game 6. He was only able to score 11 points on a poor four for 16 shooting night from the field, and also turned the ball over four times. If Williams can outplay Lowry like this or even keep it close stats wise in Game 7 the Nets will be in great shape to advance.

Yankees Get Shutdown By Roenis Elias and Mariners

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 1st, 2014

Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Mariners 4 Yankees 2

For the second straight day the New York Yankees were unable to defeat the Seattle Mariners and Robinson Cano on Thursday night. The loss moves the Yankees to (15-12) on the season, and now the Baltimore Orioles are closing in on first place in the AL East, as they are just .5 games behind.

Making only his sixth start in the majors, Mariners Starter Roenis Elias looked fantastic against the Yankees in his second win of the season. Elias pitched seven strong innings allowing just two runs, only one of which was earned, while striking out 10 batters on 110 pitches. Due to the rain delay on Tuesday, the Mariners could have gone with Felix Hernandez, but instead stuck to the rotation, and it paid off.

Yankees Starter Hiroki Kuroda wasn’t all that good again after a horrendous start against the Angels, as he picked up his third loss of the season. In six innings of work Kuroda allowed four runs, three of which were earned on seven hits, and one walk. After the fourth inning Kuroda would settle down a bit, but the damage was already done.

Robinson Cano was once again booed by Yankees fans, and after a 1 for 5 return to face his old team on Wednesday he followed it up with a 1 for 4 two RBI game on Thursday.

After three games off with a sore hand, Jacoby Ellsbury made his return to the Yankees, and made an impact early. Ellsbury was one of the few Yankees to find success against Elias, as he hit a solo-homerun to lead off the game, which was his first homerun as a Yankee.

The bullpen was strong for the Yankees after the tough start from Kuroda, as Matt Thornton, Adam Warren, and Shawn Kelley combined to pitch a scoreless final three innings, where the Mariners only got one hit off of them.

A strong performance from the Yankees bullpen was matched by the Mariners bullpen, as with the lead they went to Yoervis Medina, who pitched the eighth inning, and then was followed by Fernando Rodney in the ninth inning, as he earned his sixth save of the season.

Next up for the Yankees will be a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, as Friday Starters will be Vidal Nuno (0-0, 6.59) going against David Price (3-2, 4.75).

Nets Game 5 Comeback Falls Just Short Against Raptors

newyork.cbslocal.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 30th, 2014

Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors Game 5 Recap

Final Score: Nets 113 Raptors 115

In a crucial Game 5 on the road after losing Game 4 at home due to a late game scoring drought, the Nets found themselves down by 26 points at one point on Wednesday night, but fought back. Their miraculous attempt of a comeback however came up a little short, as after a offensive rebound on a missed free throw on purpose by Andray Blatche, he threw a wild pass over Deron Williams head, leading to a backcourt violation and a loss.

Player of the Game: Joe Johnson

As it has been for most of the series, Joe Johnson has been the Nets go to guy, and in an important Game 5 it was no different. Johnson took over the game for the Nets in the second half, as he finished with a team-high 30 points on 13 for 23 shooting, and was the major catalyst in the Nets attempted comeback. Johnson was a ridiculous +22 when on the court in the loss, but his early foul trouble in the first half certainly put the Nets behind the eight-ball.

Positives:

When the Nets went down by 26, Jason Kidd would strike gold with a few bench players, as Mirza Teletovic, Alan Anderson, and Blatche were big parts of the comeback. Teletovic was the Nets best player off the bench, as he finished with 17 points on six for 10 shooting, which included four three-pointers, and seven rebounds. Anderson also played well down the stretch, as he scored 13 points on four for seven shooting, and had two four-point plays in the fourth quarter.

Yankees Lose in Robinson Cano's Return

nypost.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 29th, 2014

Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees Post Game Recap

Final Score: Mariners 6 Yankees 3

In Robinson Cano’s return to Yankees Stadium, the New York Yankees were unable to defeat their former star and his new team the Seattle Mariners, as they lost 6-3. The loss moves the Yankees to (15-11) on the season, which is two games in front of the field in the AL East.

Yankees Starter C.C. Sabathia had a rough outing on Tuesday, as after receiving a two-run lead to work with, and Sabathia let it all up. Sabathia, in his third loss of the season gave up four runs on nine hits in five innings. The fifth inning was where all the damage was given up by Sabathia, as the Mariners ripped off a four-run inning.

For the most part the Yankees did a good job holding their former player Cano in check, as he went 1 for 5 with an RBI, run scored, and struck out twice. Cano was greeted by a lot of boo’s and a chant of “You Sold Out” by Yankees fans.

Seattle got a good start from veteran Chris Young, who earned his first victory of the season. Young gave up two-runs, only one of which was earned on three hits and three walks in 5.2 innings.

Dellin Betances and Preston Claiborne had a tough time in the seventh inning in a manageable two-run game, but Betances let up two hits and then Claiborne allowed two more hits to charge the final run to Betances before he could get the final out of the inning.

For the most part the Yankees offense was pretty quiet, but Mark Teixeira did hit his third homerun of the season in the second inning off of Young.

The heart of the Yankees order had a very disappointing day at the plate, as Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, and Alfonso Soriano went a combined 0 for 12 with five strikeouts. Hitting with runners in scoring position wasn’t much better, as the team went 1 for 10.

2014 New York Giants Schedule Release

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

April 29^th, 2014

New York Giants 2014 Schedule

The NFL released schedules for all of its teams last week, and the New York Giants and Tom Coughlin will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2013 campaign. Even after going only 7-9 last season and missing the postseason, the Giants will still appear in five primetime games; once on a Thursday, twice on Sunday night and twice on Monday. The Giants looked poised to have a bounce back season, as their opponents in 2014 had a .465 winning percentage last season, the sixth lowest in the NFL.

www.bigtimefootball.com

Preseason:

Hall of Fame Game: Sunday August 3rdvs. Buffalo Bills 8:00 PM

Week 1: Sunday, August 9^th vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 7:30 PM

Week 2: Sunday, August 16^th @ Indianapolis Colts 7:00 PM

Week 3: Friday, August 22^nd @ New York Jets 7:30 PM

Week 4: Thursday, August 28^th vs. New England Patriots 7:30 PM

Regular Season:

Mets Defeat Phillies Behind Jon Niese

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, April 29^th, 2014

New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Post Game Recap

After a one hour, 28 minutes rain delay, the New York Mets were able to continue their strong play, once again on the back of a dominant starting pitching performance. Tonight it was Jon Niese who led the charge, as the Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 to take Game 1 of the quick two game series. The victory moves the Mets record to 15-11, the highest above .500 on the season, and an impressive 7-3 away from Citi Field. The 15 wins are the most for the Amazins’ in the month of April since 2007. The Phillies drop to 13-13 with the loss.

Calista Condo/South Jersey Times

Nets Offense Disappears in Game 4 Loss

nj.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 27th, 2014

Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets Game 4 Recap

Final Score: Raptors 87 Nets 79

In a must win Game 4 for the young Toronto Raptors on the road, they were able to rise to the challenge and win their first playoff game on the road since 2001. The loss for the Nets evens the series up at two games a piece, and the home-court advantage switches back into the Raptors favor.

Player of the Game: Paul Pierce

In the Game 4 loss for Brooklyn they did receive a strong performance from Paul Pierce, who led the team in scoring. In the low scoring game on Sunday night, Pierce was able to drop 22 points on a great nine of 14 shooting from the field. Pierce added five rebounds and two assists to his final line, but was one of the few Nets to have a good game in the disappointing home loss.

Positives:

Besides Pierce the only other Nets player to turn in a good game was Mirza Teletovic, who had a strong game off the bench. Teletovic was second on the team in scoring with 12 points on five for nine shooting, shockingly none of which came from beyond the arc. Teletovic also added five rebounds, three of which were on the offensive end in a good 17 minutes of play.

Dillon Gee Pitches Mets Past Marlins

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, April 27^th, 2014

Miami Marlins vs. New York Mets

Post Game Recap

The New York Mets were able to defeat the Miami Marlins Sunday afternoon by a score of 4-0 to win their second consecutive series. Just like what the story has been throughout the early season, it was once again the starting pitching that carried the Mets in the game. The victory also puts them at a season-high tying three games over .500, with a record of 14-11.

The Mets also kept their perfect record in games Anthony Recker catches, running that record to a perfect 6-0. The pitching staff’s dominance with him calling the game continued as well.

Today it was their nominal ace Dillon Gee who put on a show. Gee tossed a gem, going eight scoreless with six strikeouts, only allowing seven base runners; three by hit and four by walks. It was the deepest Gee has went into a game thus far this season, and the second time in his last three starts he did not allow a run. Coincidentally, both of those starts are his only wins of the season.

William Perlman/The Star-Ledger