SB Nation Cleveland: All Posts by Bryan Kilpatrick

Grizzlies vs. Spurs score update, Game 2: San Antonio leads Memphis at halftime, 46-31

2013-05-22T02:22:07Z

The San Antonio Spurs made eight consecutive shots near the end of the second quarter en route to a 46-31 halftime lead over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday.

For more on this game, head over to Grizzly Bear Blues and Pounding the Rock.

The Spurs broke open a hotly-contested game when they found their form on offense after a slow start while continuing to shutdown the Grizzlies on defense. San Antonio held Memphis to a 25 percent clip from the floor and forced 14 straight misses to close out the half. The Grizzlies scored one point -- on Jerryd Bayless' free throw with a half-second left -- in the final five minutes.

Here's how the three keys to the game have played out thus far:

What's up with Zach Randolph?

The Spurs' defense. Tiago Splitter made life difficult for Randolph once again in the early part of Game 2, holding the Memphis big man to a 1-of-10 shooting performance. Randolph went to the bench after picking up his second foul at the 5:41 mark in the second quarter, at which point the Spurs began to capture momentum. Randolph returned to the floor but was kept off the scoreboard for the rest of the half, though he did pick up eight rebounds.

Can the Spurs keep shooting like this?

It didn't look like it in the first quarter, when San Antonio went 7-of-22 from the floor, including 0-for-8 to end the quarter. However, the Spurs recovered to make 11-of-18 shots in the second quarter, including back-to-back threes by Danny Green to cap off an 8-0 run which gave San Antonio an 11-point lead with three minutes left in the half. The Spurs made 45 percent of their shot attempts overall in the first half.

Will Memphis capitalize in the paint?

All five of the Grizzlies' first-quarter buckets came in the paint, but they weren't able to continue the trend in the second quarter, finishing the half with just 12 while allowing the Spurs to score 20 points in the paint. San Antonio blocked nine shots, including two in a sequence with less than 30 seconds left in the half in which Memphis missed seven layup attempts.

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• NBA mock draft: We know nothing

• Longform: Basketball and chaos in Europe

Tuesday Rockpile: Rockies have a gem at third base in Nolan Arenado

2013-05-21T14:04:41Z

Colorado Rockies rookie third baseman Nolan Arenado is still trying to find his way at the plate at the big league level, hitting just .244 with a .272 on-base percentage (though he owns a respectable slugging percentage of .462).

However, the 22-year-old second-round pick of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft has already proven he belongs with the big boys at the hot corner.

Arenado enters play on Tuesday ranked first among National League third basemen in total zone rating, a Baseball-Reference statistic that combines a number of different things into an overall defensive contribution number based on runs saved. Because of his defensive aptitude, Arenado has already amassed a 1.0 defensive rWAR, tying him for third among all NL position players. Not bad for a guy who, not too long ago, was talked about by scouts as a defensive liability at third base.

Fangraphs' defensive metrics aren't shy about their love for Arenado, either; the Newport Beach, Calif., native tops all NL position players with a UZR/150 of 43.3. Because of that, Arenado has contributed nearly a full win despite appearing in just 21 games and performing below average offensively and on the basepaths.

Of course, one thing on which anybody who was watched the kid play defense can agree is that he passes the eye test; save for a couple of errors, he has made all of the routine plays and has mixed in a few spectacular ones for show -- including this one, for which he received a standing ovation. Arenado, combined with Troy Tulowitzki, who is also near the top of his position in each of the aforementioned defensive metrics, has dramatically improved the left side of the Rockies' infield, as shared with us by ESPN's Mark Simon:

It's no stretch whatsoever to say that, with Tulo (who is NOT moving off of shortstop anytime soon -- GET OVER IT) and Arenado manning that side, the Rockies should be fun to watch defensively for quite a few years to come.

Off-topic

Tuesday off-topic

2013-05-21T14:02:46Z

*flerp* *slurp* HI GUYS *murp* *hurrrrrr*

Tuesday Pebble Report: Angelys Nina quietly raking

2013-05-21T13:11:38Z

AAA Colorado Springs: L 7-3 (25-17, 2nd, 0.5 GB)

Newly-acquired Roman Colon failed to get out of the fourth inning, allowing six runs in his organizational debut. None of the runs were earned, however, as Matt McBride's passed ball allowed an Albuquerque runner to advance into scoring position in the first inning and Tommy Manzella's throwing error started the damage in the fourth.

Manzella and Ryan Wheeler had two hits apiece to pace the Sky Sox offense. Tyler Colvin tripled and drove in a pair of runs.

AA Tulsa: W 8-5 (20-23, 3rd, 4 GB)

24-year-old Angelys Nina continues his hot start in repeat year at Double-A, going 3-for-3 with a walk, a pair of doubles and a two-run homer, his fourth of the year. Nina is hitting .322/.386/.510 on the season. Kiel Roling is also enjoying a fine second (well, technically third) season in Tulsa; the 26-year-old first baseman owns a .567 slugging percentage and hit his 10th home run of the year. Kyle Parker and Kent Matthes chipped in two hits apiece, with the latter going yard for the sixth time this season.

Dan Houston earned his first victory of the season despite allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings. Parker Frazier, Juan Gonzalez and Steven Hensley combined for four innings of scoreless relief.

A guy named Jon Keck pitched for NW Arkansas (well, and a guy named Sugar Ray Marimon).

A+ Modesto: L 5-2 (19-25, 4th, 10 GB)

Daniel Winkler had a pretty strong outing, going five innings and allowing three earned runs on three hits while striking out seven. However, Modesto's offense was only able to muster up three hits, two of which came of the bat of Taylor Featherston. Ryan Casteel had the only other hit for the Nuts, a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh that erased the shutout.

Geoff Parker, Kraig Sitton and Scott Oberg combined for seven strikeouts in four innings of one-run relief. Trevor Story went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, dropping his average to .190.

There is a guy named David Nick on Visalia.

A Asheville: L 3-1 (23-19, 4th, 2 GB)

Matt Wessinger and Rosell Herrera singled, but that was the extent of the offense for Asheville, which squandered a solid outing from Matt Carasiti. Carasiti struck out five, didn't walk anybody and allowed just one earned run on five hits in 5.1 innings.

This is 2013, and a player named Fred Ford was on the field for Lexington.

First place Diamondbacks not impressed with your mockery

2013-05-20T18:00:07Z

It's amazing what a fast start can do.

Prior to the start of the season, the Arizona Diamondbacks were being widely ridiculed for their decision to trade star outfielder Justin Upton, a guy who had hit .278/.357/.475 and blasted 108 home runs before reaching the age of 25. Some, including myself, laughed at the Diamondbacks for giving up talent -- Upton and Trevor Bauer -- for intangibles. Getting guys like Martin Prado and Didi Gregorius but not much else in return for those two players had just about everyone questioning the motives of Kevin Towers, Kirk Gibson and others within the organization.

But now, after jumping out to a 25-18 start after a quarter-season of play, the Diamondbacks simply ask: Who's laughing now?

Need Rockies tickets? Check out TiqIQ!

The tone of the Upton deal, in particular, changed from "HAHAHAHA IDIOTS" to "well, they could have at least got more in return" after the likes of Gregorius, Paul Goldschmidt, Gerardo Parra, Eric Chavez and Patrick Corbin helped the D-Backs to the National League West lead.

Gregorius, a guy previously considered as a mostly-glove shortstop, was acquired in the Trevor Bauer deal and owns a .354/.414/.582 line, good for a 167 OPS+.

Parra, who took over in Upton's stead in right field, is hitting .320/.385/.494, yet remains one of baseball's most underrated players. Parra is tied with another vastly underrated Diamondback in rWAR among position players in NL, making it very hard to continue to ignore the duo.

Paul Goldschmidt

#44 / First Base / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-3

Weight: 245

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Sep 10, 1987

	AVG	OBP	SLG
2013 - Paul Goldschmidt	.333	.414	.635

Goldschmidt boasts that tremendous slash line shown above and leads the NL in slugging, OPS, OPS+ and total bases. He's also tied for the league lead in games played, a simple-but-important statistic that is often overlooked, as Rockies fans know very well. Goldschmidt has belted 12 home runs -- more than double the amount of any of his teammates -- and has knocked in team-leading 35 runs.

Arguably the most surprising player in terms of offensive production on Arizona's roster is Eric Chavez, the 35-year-old lefty who resurrected his career with the New York Yankees a year ago and has continued the trend in the desert. Chavez is hitting .330/.388/.564, good for a 155 OPS+, while gradually receiving more playing time as the season wears on.

As we learned from this past offseason, Arizona is certainly not shy about making trades in recent years; a few years back, the team dealt Dan Haren when he was in the middle of his prime. Haren was coming off of two straight All-Star campaigns for the D-Backs in which he posted league-leading K/BB numbers and was striking out batters at a career-best rate. Among the players the Los Angeles Angels sent to Arizona in return was young starting pitcher Patrick Corbin.

Corbin had a promising debut as a 22-year-old in 2012, finishing with a 4.54 ERA/91 ERA+ but walking just 2.1 batters per nine innings while punching out more than seven. Despite slightly worse K/BB numbers this year, Corbin has improved to the tune of a 1.52 ERA/263 ERA+ by getting more groundball outs and keeping the ball in the park. While he is certainly due for some regression, Corbin possesses very good command which will help him continue to be successful in the big leagues.

*****

Probable pitchers

Game 1: Monday, May 20 at 6:40 p.m. MT (ROOT Sports)

Patrick Corbin (6-0, 1.52 ERA) vs. Jon Garland (3-4, 4.89 ERA)

Game 2: Tuesday, May 21 at 6:40 p.m. MT (ROOT Sports)

Ian Kennedy (2-3, 4.88) vs. Jhoulys Chacin (3-3, 4.07)

Game 3: Wednesday, May 22 at 1:10 p.m. MT (no TV)

Trevor Cahill (3-4, 2.48) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (5-3, 3.58)

*****

Batting

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
Didi Gregorius	21	79	14	28	7	1	3	6	7	13	0	1	.354	.414	.582
Paul Goldschmidt	44	159	29	53	12	0	12	35	23	43	4	1	.333	.414	.635
Eric Chavez	32	94	14	31	7	0	5	18	8	17	1	0	.330	.388	.564
Gerardo Parra	43	172	28	55	14	2	4	12	18	30	4	6	.320	.385	.494
Aaron Hill	10	36	5	11	3	0	2	6	5	1	0	1	.306	.405	.556
Cody Ross	32	108	8	31	5	1	1	13	8	15	0	0	.287	.333	.380
Wil Nieves	11	25	2	7	0	0	0	3	2	3	0	0	.280	.321	.280
Jason Kubel	21	63	8	15	2	0	3	10	6	18	0	0	.238	.300	.413
Martin Prado	43	177	20	42	6	0	4	10	13	22	1	3	.237	.292	.339
A.J. Pollock	39	136	18	32	14	0	4	15	5	28	5	2	.235	.261	.426
Josh Wilson	20	47	6	10	1	1	1	4	4	12	0	0	.213	.275	.340
Cliff Pennington	37	108	7	22	5	0	1	9	12	29	0	0	.204	.281	.278
Eric Hinske	30	32	1	6	1	0	1	4	2	8	0	0	.188	.235	.313
Alfredo Marte	22	43	4	8	3	0	0	4	4	12	0	0	.186	.271	.256
Miguel Montero	40	139	13	25	2	0	3	13	20	32	0	0	.180	.280	.259
Wade Miley	9	14	1	1	0	0	1	2	1	5	0	0	.071	.133	.286
Patrick Corbin	8	17	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	6	0	0	.059	.059	.118
Ian Kennedy	10	17	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	8	0	0	.059	.111	.118
Trevor Cahill	9	19	1	1	0	1	0	2	0	9	0	0	.053	.053	.158
Brandon McCarthy	9	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	0	0	.000	.056	.000
Josh Collmenter	12	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Brad Ziegler	24	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
J.J. Putz	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Tony Sipp	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Heath Bell	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Matt Reynolds	21	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
David Hernandez	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Will Harris	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000

Pitching

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
Matt Reynolds	0-1	21	0	0	0	2	0	19.2	16	2	2	0	1	19	0.92	.86
Patrick Corbin	6-0	8	8	0	0	0	0	53.1	40	9	9	2	17	41	1.52	1.07
Josh Collmenter	1-0	12	0	0	0	0	0	22.0	16	6	6	1	5	23	2.45	.95
Trevor Cahill	3-4	9	9	0	0	0	0	58.0	44	17	16	3	24	43	2.48	1.17
Brad Ziegler	1-1	24	0	0	0	0	0	20.2	16	6	6	2	6	16	2.61	1.06
David Hernandez	2-2	19	0	0	0	1	3	19.2	18	7	7	4	8	21	3.20	1.32
Wade Miley	3-3	9	9	0	0	0	0	54.0	52	23	22	4	20	41	3.67	1.33
Tony Sipp	2-1	18	0	0	0	0	2	12.0	11	5	5	1	8	11	3.75	1.58
J.J. Putz	2-1	14	0	0	0	5	4	12.2	12	6	6	3	8	17	4.26	1.58
Heath Bell	2-0	19	0	0	0	6	2	18.0	23	9	9	2	3	23	4.50	1.44
Brandon McCarthy	1-3	9	9	1	1	0	0	57.0	71	32	30	6	8	37	4.74	1.39
Ian Kennedy	2-3	10	9	0	0	0	0	55.1	52	30	30	7	23	44	4.88	1.36
Will Harris	0-0	4	0	0	0	0	0	3.0	6	3	3	0	0	4	9.00	2.00

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Adam Eaton	elbow	03/22/2013
Aaron Hill	wrist	04/15/2013
Willie Bloomquist	oblique	03/27/2013
J.J. Putz	elbow	05/08/2013

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Daniel Hudson	elbow	02/18/2013

Giants vs. Rockies final score: Tulowitzki, Rosario power Colorado to 10-2 win

2013-05-19T03:18:29Z

After Thursday's gut-wrenching loss, the Colorado Rockies fell to 2-15 in their last 17 games against the San Francisco Giants. Two days later, the Rockies must be on cloud nine after taking consecutive games from the defending-champion Giants, who entered the series with 30 victories in their last 39 games against the guys in purple.

Colorado received a balanced effort from its offense and pitching staff for a full nine innings en route to a 10-2 victory over first-place San Francisco on Saturday. The back-to-back wins marks the first such occurrence for the Rockies against the Giants since this time two years ago.

It's also the first time the Rox have won consecutive games of any sort since beating the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 20 to cap off an eight-game winning streak.

Troy Tulowitzki had four hits and a pair of runs batted in and Wilin Rosario hit a two-run home run as part of a 2-for-4, three-RBI night to pace Colorado's offense, which banged out 10 hits -- seven of which came against Giants starter Tim Lincecum. Lincecum had a rough evening; he took a tumble on the mound while attempting to throw a pitch which resulted in a balk and made a head-scratching throwing error which kickstarted Colorado's offensive onslaught.

Dexter Fowler continued to heat up, finishing 3-for-5 with an opposite-field double -- a promising sign from a guy who has been eye-poppingly pull-happy as of late.

Tyler Chatwood prevented damage to the tune of one run on seven hits and four walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out four. Josh Outman performed admirably in relief of Chatwood, giving up a run on three hits in two innings.

Wilton Lopez notched a strikeout to close out the eighth inning and kept the Giants off the board in the ninth to preserve the blowout victory.

23 - 20

Games Back: 1.5

Streak: Won 2

Games Left: 119

*****

Source: FanGraphs

Roll Call Info
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2013 Colorado Rockies Game No. 43: Tim Lincecum vs. Tyler Chatwood

2013-05-18T23:26:35Z

Current Series

4 game series vs Giants @ Coors Field

Thu 05/16	WP: Matt Cain (3 - 2) SV: Sergio Romo LP: Jhoulys Chacin (3 - 3)	6 - 8 loss
Fri 05/17	WP: Jorge De La Rosa (5 - 3) SV: Rafael Betancourt LP: Madison Bumgarner (4 - 2)	10 - 9 win
San Francisco Giants McCovey Chronicles @ Colorado Rockies Purple Row Saturday, May 18, 2013, 6:10 PM MDT Coors Field Tim Lincecum vs Tyler Chatwood Mostly cloudy. Winds blowing from left to right field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 70. Giants showing new dimension heading into series at Coors Field posted by Bryan Kilpatrick 2 days ago 5 comments \| 0 recs Complete Coverage >
Sun 05/19		2:10 PM MDT

Now that the Rockies' first victory over the Giants in 2013 is out of the way, how about another? Tim Lincecum isn't what he once was, and he's had a whale of a time trying to get batters out at Coors Field over the course of the last few years anyway. If Colorado can continue the offensive momentum it built during the first two games of this series, a much-needed split against San Francisco may be in hand before Saturday is over.

Lineups

Giants

Angel Pagan CF
Marco Scutaro 2B
Pablo Sandoval 3B
Buster Posey C
Hunter Pence RF
Brandon Belt 1B
Gregor Blanco LF
Brandon Crawford SS
Tim Lincecum P

Rockies

Dexter Fowler CF
Josh Rutledge 2B
Carlos Gonzalez LF
Troy Tulowitzki SS
Wilin Rosario C
Todd Helton 1B
Nolan Arenado 3B
Charlie Blackmon RF
Tyler Chatwood P

Current Series

4 game series vs Giants @ Coors Field

Thu 05/16	WP: Matt Cain (3 - 2) SV: Sergio Romo LP: Jhoulys Chacin (3 - 3)	6 - 8 loss
Fri 05/17	WP: Jorge De La Rosa (5 - 3) SV: Rafael Betancourt LP: Madison Bumgarner (4 - 2)	10 - 9 win
San Francisco Giants McCovey Chronicles @ Colorado Rockies Purple Row Saturday, May 18, 2013, 6:10 PM MDT Coors Field Tim Lincecum vs Tyler Chatwood Mostly cloudy. Winds blowing from left to right field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 70. Giants showing new dimension heading into series at Coors Field posted by Bryan Kilpatrick 2 days ago 5 comments \| 0 recs Complete Coverage >
Sun 05/19		2:10 PM MDT

Lineups

Giants

Angel Pagan CF
Marco Scutaro 2B
Pablo Sandoval 3B
Buster Posey C
Hunter Pence RF
Brandon Belt 1B
Gregor Blanco LF
Brandon Crawford SS
Tim Lincecum P

Rockies

Dexter Fowler CF
Josh Rutledge 2B
Carlos Gonzalez LF
Troy Tulowitzki SS
Wilin Rosario C
Todd Helton 1B
Nolan Arenado 3B
Charlie Blackmon RF
Tyler Chatwood P

Steve Alford, New Mexico reach buyout agreement

2013-05-18T18:49:57Z

A buyout between UCLA head coach Steve Alford and his former employer, New Mexico, will net the school approximately $625,000, according to Geoff Grammar of the ABQ Journal.

For more on New Mexico and UCLA, visit Mountain West Connection and Bruins Nation.

Alford and UCLA will pay New Mexico $300,000 of the $1 million initially demanded by the university, which ends up being $100,000 more than what Alford offered. New Mexico will also recuperate roughly $325,000 in incentives that would have been owed to Alford.

Alford bolted for UCLA on March 29, days after agreeing to a 10-year contract extension at New Mexico. Alford guided the Lobos to the Mountain West Conference regular season and tournament championships and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Harvard in the second round.

New Mexico went 155-52 under Alford during his six seasons in Albuquerque, winning four conference championships and notching a pair of NCAA Tournament victories against three losses.

SB Nation Cleveland: All Posts by Bryan Kilpatrick

Grizzlies vs. Spurs score update, Game 2: San Antonio leads Memphis at halftime, 46-31

What's up with Zach Randolph?

Can the Spurs keep shooting like this?

Will Memphis capitalize in the paint?

More from SB Nation:

Tuesday Rockpile: Rockies have a gem at third base in Nolan Arenado

Tuesday off-topic

Tuesday Pebble Report: Angelys Nina quietly raking

First place Diamondbacks not impressed with your mockery

Paul Goldschmidt

#44 / First Base / Arizona Diamondbacks

Probable pitchers

Batting

Pitching

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Giants vs. Rockies final score: Tulowitzki, Rosario power Colorado to 10-2 win

2013 Colorado Rockies Game No. 43: Tim Lincecum vs. Tyler Chatwood

Current Series

4 game series vs Giants @ Coors Field

Giants showing new dimension heading into series at Coors Field

Lineups

Current Series

4 game series vs Giants @ Coors Field

Giants showing new dimension heading into series at Coors Field

Lineups

Steve Alford, New Mexico reach buyout agreement