Dein erstes Forum » offence that sets up fine but then on defence

LOS ANGELES -- Once he found the outside corner, everything went smoothly for Madison Bumgarner. His only hiccup led to a quick confrontation with Yasiel Puig. Bumgarner pitched eight superb innings and Brandon Crawford hit a two-run homer, leading the San Francisco Giants past the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 Friday night. "I felt better as the game went on," Bumgarner said. "I was making pitches and making adjustments. I was having a hard time getting the outside corner early on, but I got to where I could hit that spot the last two or three innings." San Franciscos 12th victory in 15 games was overshadowed, however, by the broken left thumb first baseman Brandon Belt sustained when he was hit by Paul Maholms first pitch of the second inning. Belt will be sidelined for at least six weeks, according to manager Bruce Bochy. The Giants were leading 3-0 when Puig homered to centre in the sixth, after taking a called third strike his previous time up and stranding Justin Turner at third base. As soon as Puig made contact, he flipped the bat away, walked a few feet toward first base and began a slow trot around the bases. "Honestly, I think Puig overreacted a little bit. I dont know," Dodgers teammate Scott Van Slyke said. "He felt like he had an unfair pitch thrown to him the previous time up, and then he acted like he got him back. But Puigs an emotional guy. Some people just have that fire in them when they play, and it comes out sometimes. I wouldnt necessarily say that its wrong or right. Its just that theres lots of different personalities in the world, and youve just got to learn to deal with them." Bumgarner walked toward the third base line and had a few choice words for Puig as he approached home plate. But the hostilities ended there with some quick action by plate umpire Will Little, who intercepted Bumgarner. "I was just congratulating him," Bumgarner said, tongue in cheek. "That was a really good swing. That was pretty impressive. I dont know why everybody got so mad. It escalated quickly for no reason. "I think he said, Thank you. Im not sure if he did. I dont speak Spanish very well. But its always a passionate series when you play the Dodgers, and its fun. No matter what the records are, either team could be 30 games out and its still going to be a big series just because its the Giants and Dodgers." Hanley Ramirez was the next batter and took a 1-1 pitch for a strike that had manager Don Mattingly chirping from the dugout. Little ejected Mattingly, who came running out to argue. Belt, who leads the Giants with nine homers, ran the bases until the second inning ended but was replaced on defence by Joaquin Arias. "When I looked at it, I said: Its not good. He couldnt move it, and it was just locked," Bochy said. "I had a bad feeling it was broken and that he was going to have to come out of the game. "Its the old bittersweet thing," he added. "It was a great game and a great performance by Bumgarner, so you appreciate that. But at the same time, we lost our first baseman. And thats a blow for us because of the job he does at first base and the fact that he hits in the heart of our order." Bumgarner (4-3) allowed a run and four hits with eight strikeouts en route to his second straight victory after three consecutive losses -- two of them by 2-1 scores against the Dodgers and Colorado. He is 5-1 with a 1.45 ERA in his last six starts at Dodger Stadium, and hasnt allowed more than two earned runs in any of them. "Hes good at missing just high, or just outside, or just inside," Van Slyke said. "Hes really tall and he throws hard. He has an idea of what he wants to do and his ball moves. And hes a competitor, so hes going to be tough for a lot of years." Sergio Romo pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save in as many attempts. Maholm (1-3) gave up three runs, three hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings. The left-hander is 0-4 with a 6.66 ERA in his last five starts against the Giants. Maholm got out of a first-inning jam by retiring cleanup hitter Mike Morse on a double-play grounder and matched zeros with Bumgarner until the fifth. Brandon Hicks walked with one out and Crawford drove the next pitch into the right-field pavilion for his fourth homer of the season and first in 117 career at-bats against the Dodgers to that point. Dodgers reliever Brandon League escaped a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the seventh when he fielded Hunter Pences comebacker to start a 1-2-3 double play and then retired Buster Posey on a fly to right. NOTES: Mattinglys ejection was his 13th as a manager and first this season. ... Puig extended his hitting streak to nine games, matching his longest as a rookie last season. ... Turner started at third base because of Juan Uribes sore right hamstring. ... It was the 12th time in the Dodgers last 15 meetings with San Francisco that they have scored fewer than four runs. ... Romos scoreless inning reduced the ERA of the Giants bullpen to a major league-best 1.75. ... Maholm, who has induced a major league-high 192 double-play grounders since the start of the 2006 season, hasnt had more than three strikeouts in any of his six starts this season. Cody Eakin Jersey . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal. Oscar Dansk Jersey . Selected by the Titans in the 2007 NFL Draft, Johnson rejoined the club last season after a five-year stint with Indianapolis. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authentic-paul-stastny-golden-knights-jersey/ . The Senators return from a lengthy layoff caused by Wednesdays attack on Parliament Hill to host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Stefan Matteau Jersey . -- Adrian Peterson remained in a walking boot to treat a high ankle sprain on his left leg on Wednesday, and coach Leslie Frazier said he will not play on Sunday against Atlanta if he cant hit the practice field in the next two days. Curtis McKenzie Jersey . The team made the announcement after Saturdays 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. RHP Kenny Giles will be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Adams spot on the roster.TORONTO - For only the third time in the franchises 20-year-history, and first since 2002, the Raptors are slated to select outside of the top 19 in the first round of Thursdays NBA Draft. A year ago, as newly appointed general manager Masai Ujiri bided his time and sat out of a lacklustre 2013 draft, this scenario seemed highly improbable. The Raptors, like every other team in the association, had at least one eye on this years rookie crop, one of the most highly touted and eagerly anticipated ever to enter the league. The rest is history. Ujiris team overachieved in his first year on the job and as a result, they will miss out on this drafts biggest prizes: hometown phenom Andrew Wiggins, NBA ready star Jabari Parker, the intriguing Australian Dante Exum and, depending on your aversion to risk, Joel Embiid. Even so, their reality doesnt sound half bad. Instead, they find themselves nearing the end of an extensive pre-draft process, intending to add a complimentary piece to their winning program. This is not a bad year to be in such an advantageous position. Although Ujiri has called this draft "a little overrated", its one with solid depth specifically at the wing positions, one of Torontos most glaring needs heading into next season. Provided the Raptors hang onto the 20th overall pick, as expected, they will hope to hit a home run although they wont necessarily be swinging for one. Their philosophy throughout this process, one that has seen them audition roughly 60 prospects over the last four weeks, has been consistent with Ujiris management style. As always, hes ambitious albeit realistic and well prepared while knowing full well hell have to roll with the punches. And on draft day, specifically what figures to be one of the most eventful and unpredictable in recent memory, there will be more than a few punches to roll with. "Its a huge process for us," Ujiri acknowledged just ahead of the teams final pre-draft workout Monday afternoon. "It just builds and builds and builds. Hopefully by [Tuesday], Wednesday morning, well have gathered all the information that we have." "And theyll mess it up with a trade or something," he joked. Indeed, the Raptors are at the mercy of the 14 teams that occupy the 19 slots ahead of them. So much of this is a poker game, only the guys youre playing with, 29 other executives, are not sitting across from you at the table. The "homework" that Ujiri references is far more involved than just player scouting but also anticipating the motives of every other team, which will ultimately determine who is available to them at 20. Thats the biggest challenge. Its feasible to look at the Bulls, slated to draft 19th overall, and their roster to determine who or what they might be targeting with their pick. Accounting for a possible trade, an unknown team with unknown interests moving up, is not so simple. So Ujiri and his staff have put together their wish list. On Monday, it was 10 players long, as the draft approaches it figures to be cut in half. Theyll weigh the pros and cons, ranking each prospect while keeping a keen eye on the ones that could fall to them unexpectedly. "Our mindset is we get the best guy, best talent available and we try to do our homework as much as we can," Ujiri said. "Weve done our homework on the top guys because you never know what can come up in the next couple days. Our job is to do our homework. We really have to be prepared for this draft." Among the 60 or so prospects the Raptors have brought in over 11 workout sessions this month, theyve seen about a dozen that figure to be selected somewhere between the middle of the first round to the beginning of the second. Here are a few names that may interest them should they be available at No. 20. Tyler Ennis - PG, Syracuse, freshmanLast years stats: 12.9 points, 5.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals When the Brampton-native auditioned in Toronto as part of the Raptors first workout crop this spring, it seemed like a pipe dream to think he could fall to his hometown team at 20. At worst, Ennis was believed to be a lock to go in the top half of the opening round. Since then, his stock seems to have dropped, a likely result of fellow prospect point guards Elfrid Payton and Shabazz Napier rising up draft boards. The correlation is understandable, though its hardly an indictment on the NBA player Ennis could become. The qualities that make thhe 19-year-old such an intriguing prospect wont necessarily jump out at you in a workout.ddddddddddddWhile Payton and Napier are probably quicker, flashier and more athletic players, Ennis is still considered to be the best pure point guard in the draft. Hes a natural leader with a nose for the game, something that is evident on the court in live action more so than in drills or smaller scrimmages. He has a fan in the Raptors, who have been tracking his progress for a long time. "From what Ive seen, hes very poised, he plays very calm and thats the first thing I noticed," Ujiri said ahead of his workout in Toronto. "[He] can get his teammates involved and then when he needs to score, he takes care of business which I think is a good trait to have as an NBA player." The Raptors top priority is re-signing Kyle Lowry, they also have to make a decision regarding Greivis Vasquez, a restricted free agent, but Ujiri has made it clear he intends to select the best player available, regardless of position. If Ennis name is on the board, Canadian angle aside, they would have a hard time passing up on him as Lowrys back-up or possible insurance should the incumbent go elsewhere. K.J. McDaniels - SF, Clemson, juniorLast years stats: 17.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 1.1 steals Given his elite athleticism and upside as a lockdown defender at one of the NBAs most crucial positions, its hard to fathom why McDaniels is routinely overlooked in this draft. With each year at Clemson, accompanied by increased playing time, McDaniels has expanded his game and appears to be well on his way to becoming an impact rotation player in NBA. Questions surround his offensive versatility, efficiency and whether or not hell be able to knock down the NBA three with consistency. Still, with his athletic gifts, size and commitment to defence, he would be a welcomed addition to Dwane Caseys roster. "I think hes a dynamic player," Dan Tolzman, the Raptors director of scouting, said earlier this month. "Its hard to see how good he is in this [workout] setting because in five-on-five, with help-side defense, thats where he flourishes. I think with the way the spacing in the NBA is, rotations and defensive principles are so important. A guy like him, he can fly in from the wing and get blocks off the board like nothing. I think plays like that, thats what gets guys time in the NBA." Kyle Anderson - G/SF, UCLA, sophomoreLast years stats: 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists Not only is Anderson the most unique player in this draft but hes poised to become one of the most unique in the association. The 20-year-old wont blow you away with speed or athleticism but he has a tremendous command of and vision for the game, a point guard in a 6-foot-8 body with a massive 7-foot-2 wingspan. The question is, where will he play in the league and what position will he guard? Although, in todays position-less NBA, it doesnt seem to matter all that much. "I think he can definitely play the point, I think its the defending the point thats the thing," Tolzman said of Anderson. "So many point guards are scoring guys now. So that means you have six-foot, 6-1, 6-2 guys on the floor who are just there to score and then youd have a guy like Kyle who is on the floor to do the actual running the team at the point. And on offence that sets up fine but then on defence you can just switch men." Outside of their point guards, the Raptors dont have anyone that can handle the ball and initiate the offence in a pinch. Although it may be more of a challenge to fit Anderson into your system than, say an athlete like McDaniels, there is undeniable value in having a player that combines size, versatility and court vision, something that made Boris Diaw such an integral part of the Spurs championship run. "Hes the definition of versatility, really," Tolzman added. "I mean that guy, he can play just about every position on the floor. Just the pace that he plays at and the level of IQ that he plays with and the composure that he shows when handling the ball its at NBA level, no question. Hes like a throw-back player to the fullest. Hes an old school-type guy." Others to keep an eye on: Wichita State forward Cleanthony Early, Swiss forward/centre Clint Capela, Michigan State power forward Adreian Payne, Tennessee forward Jarnell Stokes, Missouri guard Jordan Clarkson. ' ' '