Dodgers’ Andy Pages: ‘He’s made for big moments’
The Sporting Tribune's Doug Padilla writes about Dodgers rookie outfielder Andy Pages becoming one of the team's unsung heroes.
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1. Dodgers’ Andy Pages: ‘He’s made for big moments’
The Sporting Tribune's Doug Padilla writes about Dodgers rookie outfielder Andy Pages becoming one of the team's unsung heroes.
The Dodgers player with the least amount of major-league experience appears to be an old soul, able to recall something of a bygone era while fully immersed in the current one.
Rookie outfielder Andy Pages had only 14 games of major league experience when he stepped on the field Friday against the Atlanta Braves. While he has not been around long enough to draw from those days of yore, he has evoked a by-any-means-necessary style.
In a time of slugging percentage and runs scored in an efficient manner, Pages offered singles to the cause. A lot of them. The 23-year-old’s first four-hit game of his blossoming career appeared, at first glance, like a pile of sticks, compared to the heavy lumber of today.
Yet, Pages was able to tortoise-and-hare his collection of offerings all the way to the finish line Friday. He closed his night with an eight-pitch at-bat that culminated with the kind of launch angle and velocity more akin to a beach ball or an egg-toss competition.
2. Dodgers take down Marlins in Buehler’s return game
A flurry of Los Angeles home runs lifted the squad to their fifth consecutive win, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Holdenn Graff.
Walker Buehler pitched through four innings in his return as the longball took care of the rest for the Dodgers.
It was Buehler’s first start since the 2022 season, and he managed to get off to a bit of a shaky start. He managed to settle in after the first couple of innings, tallying four strikeouts along the way.
Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez once again made use of their slugging powers as the duo both went yard for the second consecutive game. Freddie Freeman and James Outman each contributed with home runs of their own as Los Angeles managed to rally despite their reliance on the long ball.
3. TST’s betting guide to the second round of the NBA playoffs
The Sporting Tribune's Danny Burke explains his betting process throughout the next stage of the NBA postseason.
There will be basketball played at Madison Square Garden in the month of May. New York fans will be able to continue exuding that boisterous energy they not only paraded at home, but in the City of Brotherly Love when they overtook the Wells Fargo Center.
The Pacers are set to face a tougher challenge, having prevailed against the injury-plagued Bucks. Nonetheless, their six-game series victory deserves recognition.
Unsurprisingly, the Knicks are the favorite to advance past this series. What is a tad shocking, though, is just how big of a favorite they are.
Most sportsbooks have New York listed around the price of -265, whereas Indiana can be found in the range of +200 to +225.
4. Pirates hit grand slam to give Angels third straight loss
Tyler Anderson allowed a grand slam and the Pirates handed the Angels their third consecutive loss, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Michael Huntley.
With the Angels offense struggling so badly, all it took was one mistake by Tyler Anderson to give the Angels their third straight loss.
The mistake came in the third inning via a grand slam from Edward Olivares and the Angels lost 4-1 Monday.
Anderson was unblemished for the rest of his 6.1 inning start with six hits and five strikeouts.
Unfortunately for Anderson and the rest of the Angels pitching staff, the team’s bats have been quiet and the pitchers have little room for error.
Monday was the third straight game in which the Angels have only scored one run.
This time the lone run was a solo home run from Zach Neto in the sixth inning. The home run was his third of the season and his thirteenth RBI which is the third most on the team.
5. Reflections on Kentucky Derby: Photo finish, star jockey, risk-taking trainer
The Sporting Tribune's Louie Rabaut was at Churchill Downs and offers his reflections on Kentucky Derby 150.
The sports media world is full of hyperbole. This is especially true in 2024.
On a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, they asked a simple question: “Did LeBron save his legacy by not getting swept by the Nuggets?”
This is, of course, a silly question. I host a two hour weekday radio program here at the ESPN affiliate in Louisville, and we have a schtick on the show of making fun of these types of segments.
We ask silly questions like “How does a three-way finish in the Kentucky Derby affect Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys? We talk about it NEXT.” Not everything is about the NFL, not everything is about the Cowboys, not everything is about LeBron’s status as one of the greatest athletes in our nation’s history.
But I’ll get the hyperbole out of the way immediately: Given all the factors, the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby is the best race I’ve ever seen.
The race itself was near-perfect. The early pace was fast, but expected; the pack was tight enough that everyone had a chance; and that finish – the first photo finish involving three horses in the Kentucky Derby since 1947. It was incredible to watch.
6. Ducks hoping to celebrate Celebrini after NHL draft lottery
Anaheim's 11.5% chance to win top overall pick could mitigate frustration of losing out on Crosby, Bedard, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Danny Evans.
The Anaheim Ducks have a difficult relationship with ping pong balls.
On July 22, 2005, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim entered the draft lottery with two ping pong balls in the hopper and a strong chance to win the right to draft a promising rookie forward named Sidney Crosby. Instead, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the lottery and selected Crosby, who has since led them to Stanley Cup championships in 2009, 2016, and 2017. Anaheim settled for the second pick, which they used to select Bobby Ryan, who still ranks eighth all time in Ducks history with 147 goals.
Last season, the Ducks had the highest possible odds of winning the draft lottery and selecting Connor Bedard, a so-called “generational”, goal-scoring forward in the mold of Crosby. But Anaheim again failed to win the top pick. They finished second again, drafting Leo Carlsson (12-17-29 as a rookie)—a more-than-acceptable consolation prize.
Tuesday night, the 2024 NHL draft lottery will be broadcast on ESPN at 3:30 p.m. PST, and again Anaheim is in position to earn the first overall pick. Officially, the Ducks hold the third-highest odds of winning the lottery, behind only the two teams who finished last season with a record worse than Anaheim’s: the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks.
7. Video of the Day
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8. Ticket Time
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
7:00 p.m. – Marlins at Dodgers – $24
9. On the Air
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
3:30 p.m. – Angels at Pirates – Bally Sports West
7:00 p.m. – Marlins at Dodgers – SportsNet LA
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
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