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Archives for May 2023

PGA Championship | Preview

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ROCHESTER, NY – (Staff Report from PGA Tour Brunch) – The 2023 PGA Championship is the 31st event of the FedEx Cup regular season and second major championship of the year. Just 14 events played over the next 12 weeks remain before the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course in Rochester, New York, is hosting its seventh major championship and first since the 2013 PGA Championship.

The 2015 PGA Championship winner – Jason Day – is coming off a win at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, his 13th career PGA Tour title and first since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship (5 years, 8 days prior). Day has won in back-to- back starts twice in his Tour career: 2015 PGA Championship-2015 FedEx St. Jude Championship (then The Barclays) and 2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard-2016 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

The last player to win on Tour and win a major the following week was Rory McIlroy, who won the 2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational followed by the PGA Championship.

Two PGA Tour members are making their major championship debuts: Tour rookies Nico Echavarria and Ben Griffin. Echavarria, who won the Puerto Rico Open, is the only rookie to win on Tour this season, while Griffin played in the final group on Saturday at THE PLAYERS Championship with eventual champion Scottie Scheffler (finished T35). Among the other 14 players making their major debuts is David Micheluzzi, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia in 2023 who made his PGA Tour debut on a sponsor exemption at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson (T-67).

At No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Patrick Cantlay is the highest-ranked player that has not won a major championship. Cantlay, the 2021 FedExCup Champion, has seven wins over the last five seasons, the third-most of any player in that span and most of any player that has not won a major (McIlroy/9, Rahm/9). Cantlay has three Top-10s in 24 prior starts in majors (T-3/2019 PGA Championship, T-8/2022 Open Championship, T9/2019 Masters Tournament).

Wyndham Clark is making his first start since winning the Wells Fargo Championship, his first career PGA Tour title. Clark is one of eight first-time winners on the tour this season and enters the week No. 32 in the Official World Golf Ranking (first start as a top-50 player in the OWGR). He is making his sixth career major start.

Rickie Fowler has five consecutive Top-20 finishes on Tour and following a T-14 at the Wells Fargo Championship in his most recent start, Fowler moved into the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since the ranking published November 29, 2020.

Red Sox Score Early and Often to Take Series vs Seattle Mariners

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston shortstop Pablo Reyes hit a pair of two-run doubles as the Red Sox piled up nine runs over the first two innings en route to a 12-3 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

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Boston tied its season high with 16 hits, including six in a six-run second inning. Justin Turner went 3-for-4 with his second homer in as many games during the big frame.

Rob Refsnyder, Rafael Devers, Enrique Hernandez and Jarren Duran each added multiple hits to the total. Refsnyder and Turner also scored three runs apiece.

Brayan Bello (3-1) worked around three hits and five walks during his five-inning outing, ultimately earning his third straight win for the Red Sox.

Julio Rodriguez and Jose Caballero each had an RBI for Seattle, which was held to just five hits.

Seattle starter Marco Gonzales (3-1) lasted just 1 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits.

 

Celtics Prepare for Playoff Jimmy

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami Heat playoff hero Jimmy Butler is known for speaking his mind, and he didn’t disappoint Tuesday, one day before eighth-seeded Heat play the veteran Boston Celtics in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals at TD Garden.

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Butler insisted this Miami team will not be deterred on its way to the NBA title.

“This year is our year,” Butler said. “We’re going to go into this Game 1 and do what we’re supposed to do and be the first one to four (victories). We are very capable of it.”

This is the third time in the past four seasons that the Celtics and Heat have met in the East finals. And it will be a different Boston coach on the sideline for the third occasion.

Miami eliminated Brad Stevens’ Boston team in six games in 2020 before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Last season, the Ime Udoka-coached Celtics ousted the Heat in seven games before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the championship round.

Udoka was fired prior to the season due to a workplace affair and was replaced by Joe Mazzulla, a first-time head coach who gets to match wits against Miami’s well-respected Erik Spoelstra.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenge for Joe, but I think he’s going to handle it well,” Boston star Jaylen Brown said. “He’s handled it well all season. He’s been scrutinized, but he’s done a good job. He is a rookie coach, but he’s taken a championship-caliber team and now we’re back in the Eastern Conference finals.

“He deserves some credit for that. But he’s going against one of the greatest coaches of all time, and I think there’s a level of respect there and understanding that Spoelstra is going to make adjustments.”

Brown averaged 24.1 points in last season’s matchup with the Heat, just behind star Jayson Tatum’s 25 per game.

Tatum is coming off a performance for the ages. He poured in a Game 7-record 51 points as the Celtics pounded the Philadelphia 76ers 112-88 to reach the Eastern finals.

“It’s a big movie,” Boston guard Marcus Smart said of Tatum’s show. “Being able to just sit back, eat your popcorn and watch. Sometimes we do get in that mode where we forget that we’re on the court playing with him.”

Tatum has quickly put that epic effort behind him and is focused on competing against the Heat.

“A team that we’re extremely familiar with,” Tatum said about the matchup. “A very well-coached team, they compete with the best of them, play hard. They defend, they make plays and they figure out a way to win games. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be highly competitive and I’m looking forward to it.”

The intensity level is always high when Butler is on the floor. He averaged 25.6 points against Boston in last season’s series.

He also produced a milestone effort in this season’s playoffs with 56 points in a first-round victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The 56 points tied for fourth most in an NBA playoff game.

Butler was plagued by an ankle injury in the conference semifinal series win over the New York Knicks. The ankle is feeling better, and so is Butler’s outlook about Miami’s supporting cast.

“Guys are playing some incredible basketball,” Butler said. “I like our chances, as does everyone in this organization.”

Heat center Bam Adebayo hasn’t forgotten the critics that pounced when the team lost to the Atlanta Hawks in its first play-in game before beating the Chicago Bulls to move into the playoffs.

“It’s a crazy story being written,” Adebayo said. “Through all the ups and downs of this season, a lot of people counting us out and saying we weren’t even going to make it past the first round and now we’re in the Eastern Conference finals. It just shows the determination and the will that this team has.”

Boston and Miami split four regular-season meetings. Each club split the two games on its home floor.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Put One in the “W” Column

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BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox took the middle game of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners, 9-4, scoring runs in bunches at Fenway since an 11-run barrage against the Toronto Blue Jays on May the Fourth. Tuesday night, the Sox scored four runs to take a 4-0 lead in the first and then followed with a three-run fifth. Both scoring binges were the result of homers, triples, doubles and base hits – the “club cycle” that’s not a qualifier for free furniture.

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The rubber game of this three game set will be played Wednesday night at 7:10, giving Sox fans one hour and twenty minutes of baseball before they tune-in to see the hometown Celtics play host to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals.

For Boston, SP Nick Pivetta went 5.1 innings and allowed four earned runs on six hits. He walked four and struck-out six Seattle batters. Pivetta allowed one home run as he threw 98 pitches with 58 strikes before giving way to RP Ryan Sherriff, the newly recalled lefty from Triple A Worcester.
Pivetta squandered the 4-0 lead but saw some run support after he headed to the showers. Ultimately, he was credited with the win and is now (3-3) on the 2023 season.
In the home half of the fifth inning, Alex Verdugo led-off with a 2B to left field and Masatka Yoshida followed with an RBI ground rule double that hopped over the low fence in fight field and Verdugo scored the go-ahead run, making it 5-4 Boston. After being moved over to third by a long fly ball to right by Justin Turner, a Luis Castillo wild pitch allowed Yoshida to score standing up. Sox CF Jarren Duran followed with a solo home run, a 4`7-foot blast to right center field to give Boston a 7-4 lead heading into the sixth inning.
Trailing 4-0, Seattle battled its way back to a tie game, 4-4 in the fourth, when Eugenio Suarez singled to left, C Cal Raleigh walked before RF Teoscar Hernandez tripled to center field. Red Sox centerfielder, Darren Duran, attempted to make a diving catch in short center, but missed and the ball rolled all the way back to the 420 mark in Fenways quirky center field. The triple scored both Suarez and Raleigh to make it, 4-3. Seconds later, Seattle DH Taylor Trammell cracked a two-run homer to right field, tying the game at the end of four innings.
The Red Sox started the game with an offensive outbreak. Boston RF Alex Verdugo beat out a bobbled ground ball to Seattle 2B Kolten Wong to lead-off the first inning. Masatake Yoshida crushed a bullet to center field which bounced off the outfield wall and rolled back towards the infield, allowing the Sox left fielder to show off his speed and dive into 3B as the throw trickled in from an errant cut-off. DH Justin Turner, batting in the third position then knocked in Yoshida with a towering 389-foot home run over Fenway’s Green Monster left field wall. With the Red Sox taking the three-run lead, 1B Triston Casas hit a 373-foot drive to clear the short right field and spot the Sox a 4-0 lead at the end of one.
Seattle’s Luis Castillo took the loss after pitching 5.0 innings and allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks. Castillo is now 2-2 on the season.
GAME NOTES:  The Red Sox have now won 9 of their last 11 games against Seattle. … After going 16-6 in a 22 game stretch (4/14 to 5/6), the Red Sox are now 2-6 over their last eight games. … Boston leads the Majors in two-base hits, now tallying 96. Verdugo and Yoshida carding doubles tonight. … Fenway Park fans were treated to one of the better renditions of the USA national anthem when nearby Suffolk University and its Performing Arts division brought it home in the pregame ceremonies…. It’s been a little over a month since Red Sox OF Adam Duvall broke his wrist (left distal radius fracture on 4/10). Duvall did not undergo surgery but will require at least six weeks of rehabilitation once the bone is set and healed. In the meantime, Duvall is running and throwing to stay in shape. It will take time before he can swing a bat and he was off to a very strong start, batting .454 with 15 hits, 14 RBI in his first eight games of the season, before suffering the broken wrist.

Nuggets Hold Homecourt, Defeat Lakers in G-1

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DENVER – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Denver Nuggets tried to run the Lakers out of the arena early behind another big game from Nikola Jokic, but the experienced Los Angeles team didn’t flinch — and nearly stole Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

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The Nuggets built an 18-point halftime lead in front of their home crowd and were up by 21 in the third quarter but had to hold off a furious Los Angeles rally to pull out a 132-126 win on Tuesday night.

Jokic had 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists for his third straight triple-double, and teammate Jamal Murray scored 31 points despite battling an ear infection.

“The whole playoffs he is playing amazing,” Jokic said jokingly of Murray. “Maybe he faked it, he doesn’t want to practice just to get a couple of days off.”

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed 21 points, Bruce Brown had 16, Michael Porter Jr. added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Aaron Gordon finished with 12 points for the Nuggets.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Denver.

Anthony Davis had 40 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, Austin Reaves scored 23 points and Rui Hachimura put up 17 points for the Lakers, whose second-half rally came up short.

“We’ll go back and look at the film, see what we need to clean up,” Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham said. “Take a good look at that second half, see what went well, try to sustain the good stuff and alleviate and repair the bad stuff.”

The Lakers lost Game 1 for the first time this postseason.

“It’s the playoffs, we need to be aggressive, we need to win the game, especially in front of the home crowd,” Jokic said. “They won two Game 1s.”

Los Angeles chipped away at the large deficit, getting within three points three times in the final four minutes. Denver responded by scoring the next points each time.

The Lakers opened the fourth on an 8-2 run to pull within 108-100 with 10:10 left.

Porter and Jeff Green hit corner 3-pointers and Murray scored on consecutive possessions to make it 118-104.

Los Angeles got within 124-118 with 3:53 left, and a Nuggets turnover led to a Reaves 3-pointer that made it a three-point game. Denver got the margin back to six, but another Reaves 3-pointer made it 127-124 with 2:18 left.

James had a chance to tie with 45 seconds left but missed a 3-point attempt, and Jokic closed it out at the line.

“I think we did a good job of just making shots and weathering the storm,” Murray said. “But that’s why it’s a series. Both teams will make adjustments.”

Denver used a 36-13 edge in rebounding to take a 72-54 lead into halftime. Jokic had 12 rebounds in the first quarter and finished with 16 for the half to go along with 19 points and seven assists.

“It took us a half to get into the game, and that was pretty much the ballgame,” James said.

Murray hit a pair of 3-pointers at the start of the third, giving the Nuggets a 78-58 lead. Jokic notched his triple-double when he fed Caldwell-Pope for a floating jumper midway through the third quarter. It is his 12th postseason triple-double, the most by a center in NBA history.

Jokic put the Nuggets ahead 93-72 with a 3-pointer and fed Caldwell-Pope for another before Los Angeles closed the third strong. The Lakers went on a 16-7 run, but Jokic drained a 28-footer at the quarter buzzer to make it a 14-point game entering the fourth.

–Field Level Media

Spurs Win NBA Lottery; Rights to Wembanyama

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CHICAGO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) –  The San Antonio Spurs won NBA Draft Lottery 2023 presented by State Farm, which was conducted at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The Spurs will have the first overall pick in NBA Draft 2023,

which will be held on Thursday, June 22.

Below are the results from NBA Draft Lottery 2023:
1. San Antonio
2. Charlotte
3. Portland
4. Houston
5. Detroit
6. Orlando
7. Indiana
8. Washington
9. Utah
10. Dallas
11. Orlando (from Chicago)
12. Oklahoma City
13. Toronto
14. New Orleans

Below is the order for the remainder of the first round of NBA Draft 2023 presented by State Farm:

15. Atlanta
16. Utah (from Minnesota)
17. Los Angeles Lakers
18. Miami
19. Golden State
20. Houston (from LA Clippers)
21. Brooklyn (from Phoenix)
22. Brooklyn
23. Portland (from New York)
24. Sacramento
25. Memphis
26. Indiana (from Cleveland)
27. Charlotte (from Denver via New York and Oklahoma City)
28. Utah (from Philadelphia via Brooklyn)
29. Indiana (from Boston)
30. LA Clippers (from Milwaukee via Houston)

Note: The draft order above assumes that a team with the right to swap one pick for another exercises such right only if it is favorable to do so.

 

Arizona’s Bidwell Accused of Defamation

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PHOENIX – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Terry McDonough, who previously served as the Cardinals’ vice president of player development, is accusing owner Michael Bidwell and the team itself of defamation and invasion of privacy because of comments Arizona posted on its website and gave out to the media, ESPN reported.

McDonough reportedly submitted an amended arbitration complaint to Jeffrey Mishkin on Friday, and it included the claims of defamation and invasion of privacy. Mishkin, who was selected by the NFL to serve as an arbitrator, will be attempting to help McDonough and the Cardinals work out the dispute.

According to the complaint, Bidwell and the team “publicly disclosed private facts about McDonough” and made “false and defamatory statements about McDonough.” Supposedly the team knew those statements “to be false” as part of an “effort to intimidate and harass (McDonough) and his family members.”

“We are aware of the amended complaint and remain confident in our position,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “We are precluded from commenting further based on an existing confidentiality order that binds all parties.”

This isn’t the first time that McDonough has brought accusations upon Bidwell, as he sent an arbitration claim to commissioner Roger Goodell on April 4 that stated Arizona’s owner was guilty of gross misconduct, including cheating, discrimination and harassment.

Arizona denied those claims through a public relations advisor outside of the organization. In fact, the Cardinals responded with claims against McDonough, saying that they “learned of disturbing allegations of extreme domestic violence by Terry,” which included financial abandonment of one of his children.

McDonough’s amended complaint made reference to that statement by the team, stating that it was “untrue and reprehensible.”

When reached out to for an interview, McDonough declined to comment, saying he was acting in accordance with the league’s arbitration confidentiality rules. Michael Caspino, McDonough’s attorney, also declined an interview.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox on Four-Game Losing Streak

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – The Seattle Mariners will look to keep the hits coming for a second straight night when they continue a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park tonight.

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Seattle has won 10 of its last 14 games after dominating Monday’s series opener, racking up 15 hits in a 10-1 victory.

“We are riding the coattails of our pitching,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said before George Kirby logged a quality start to begin the series. “And we should.”

After Kirby tossed 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, Seattle leads the major leagues with a 3.24 ERA. The Mariners have prevented opponents from scoring more than one run in nine games this season.

The difference on Monday, however, was the Mariners’ season-high hit total. Cal Raleigh went 3-for-5 with four RBIs while becoming the first catcher to ever homer from both sides of the plate in a game at Fenway.

“I can’t believe (Jason) Varitek never did it,” Raleigh, who has strong family ties to Vermont, told Root Sports in a postgame interview. “That’s pretty cool.”

Eugenio Suarez also went deep for Seattle.

On Tuesday, the Mariners will give the ball to Luis Castillo (2-1, 2.70 ERA).

Castillo, who did not allow a run in three of his first four starts this year, is looking to bounce back after taking his first loss on Wednesday against Texas. He fanned nine Rangers but allowed three runs on eight hits through five innings during a 4-3 setback.

Castillo’s only career start against Boston was a great one, as he surrendered just one hit and struck out 10 in six shutout innings during a 2-1 victory on May 31, 2022.

The Red Sox are riding a four-game losing streak and have dropped six of their past seven since an eight-game winning streak.

Boston has been outscored 19-2 in the past two games, including a 9-1 setback against St. Louis. The Red Sox also lost leads in the first two games of the three-game set against the visiting Cardinals.

A positive sign could be Rafael Devers regaining his footing at the plate. The star third baseman is on a five-game hitting streak and logged Boston’s lone RBI on Monday with a double.

Boston right-hander Nick Pivetta (2-3, 6.23 ERA), who is scheduled to start on Tuesday, has failed to complete five innings in only two of his first seven starts. However, one of those outings came in his latest appearance, on May 9 at Atlanta, where he allowed seven runs on eight hits in four innings.

Despite the recent struggles, Pivetta fully expects to remain as a regular in the rotation, which could experience some alterations in the coming week.

“I’ve started for this team my whole entire career,” Pivetta said. “I’m going to continue to do that. By the end of the year, I’m going to continue to do that, then next year and the year on out.”

Boston manager Alex Cora isn’t ready just yet to discuss changes to the starting staff.

“You have 26 (roster slots) and have to make tough decisions at the end of the day,” Cora said. “But as far as conversations, we don’t have to do that right now.”

Pivetta has made only one career start against Seattle, when he held the Mariners to two runs on one hit over six innings in a no-decision on April 22, 2021.

–Field Level Media

Celtics’ 33-10 Third Quarter Beats 76ers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – All season long, the Boston Celtics battled their opponents for the right to host a possible game against the Philadelphia 76ers at home.  When it came time for that Game 7, Boston’s Jayson Tatum poured in a record-setting 51 points and the Boston Celtics used a 28-3 run in the third quarter to defeat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 112-88 Sunday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Tatum’s 51 points broke the NBA record for points scored in a Game 7, set earlier this postseason when Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry scored 50. Tatum was 17-for-28 from the field, including 6-of-10 on 3-point attempts. Tatum also had 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

“It felt great,” Tatum said. “This was a back-and-forth series. Obviously I didn’t play well in the first half last game and I was just happy to get that opportunity to bounce back. … Game 7 is all about win or go home.”

John Havlicek holds the record for points scored by a Celtics player in a playoff game. Havlicek scored 54 points in Game 1 of the 1973 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks.

Jaylen Brown added 25 points for the second-seeded Celtics, who will face the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. That best-of-seven series begins Wednesday in Boston.

PGA Tour: All Day Long

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MCKINNEY, TEXAS – Jason Day won the AT&T Byron Nelson, earning his 13th career PGA TOUR title and first since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship. It was a slump-breaker, for sure, as the victory came in Day’s 106th start since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship (5 years, 8 days ago).

Day, who also won the AT&T Byron Nelson in 2010, became the seventh player in tournament history with multiple titles. Day’s final-round 62 is the low finish by a winner on Tour since Tom Kim at the 2022 Wyndham Championship (61).

World No. 2 and Dallas resident Scottie Scheffler finished T-5, his 12th consecutive result of T-12 or better.

Two-time defending champion K.H. Lee finished T-50.

AT&T Byron Nelson Final Leaderboard

Jason Day 64 69 66 62 261 (-23)

Si Woo Kim 65 66 68 63 262 (-22)

Austin Eckroat 69 65 63 65 262 (-22)

C.T. Pan 67 66 68 62 263 (-21)

Scottie Scheffler 64 64 71 65 264 (-20)

Tyrrell Hatton 68 67 65 64 264 (-20)

Zecheng Dou 63 70 64 67 264 (-20)

Full Leaderboard (link)