Our Top 5 Saratoga Race Course Races of the Meet

Labor Day brings the end to the 2013 season at Saratoga Race Course.

As has been the case in the past, the 150 year old oval has seen some memorable moments during the course of the 2013 meet.  Here's our pick for the top 5 moments from 2013 at the Spa as we enter closing weekend

5 - Wise Dan, Fourstardave (G2)

The reigning Horse of the Year recipient came to the Fourstardave Handicap on Saturday, August 10th, looking to remain strong on his path to the Breeder's Cup Mile.

Carrying 12 pounds more than the competition, Wise Dan did not disappoint his backers through a stretch drive gaining on front-running King Kreesa.  Wise Dan's win was his 8th in a row, and 13th out of 15 starts.  

4 - Brazen Persuasion & Bahnah, Schuylerville (G3)

Six furlongs wasn't enough as these two 2 year old fillies hit the wire together in a head-bob finish on opening day of the 2013 Saratoga Race Course meet.  

Yes Liz was trying to set up the race for her stablemate, Elena Strikes, by dueling with Brazen Persuasion through the race's opening 3 furlongs.  As Yes Liz tired, Elena Strikes started to give chase, but Brazen Persuasion still had something left in the tank.

Bahnah then caught up to the pace-setter, entering a head-bob duel to the wire.  But at the wire, Bahnah was unable to stick enough head in front, as the photo showed both horses touching the wire together for the dead heat.

3 - Laughing, Diana (G1)

Laughing survives many challenges in the Grade I Diana.

Laughing turned aside her early duelers, then won the race to the wire with Stephanie's Kitten and Dream Peace trying to catch the 5 year old Mare.  The win would be Laughing's second win of 2013.  She would later go on to win the Ballston Spa Cup (G2) on the Travers Day undercard, narrowly beating a late-closing Pianist by a neck.

2 - Cross Traffic, Whitney (G1)
Cross Traffic goes wire-to-wire for his first Graded Stakes victory.

After a tough break resulted in a second place finish in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park, Cross Traffic proved that he deserves to play with the Grade I horses with a front-running victory piloted by John Velazquez.

Cross Traffic saw some pressure late by Successful Dan, but was able to hold on by 3/4 lengths at the wire. Last year's winner, Fort Larned, was unable to duplicate his success from the previous year and finished a disappointing 5th.

1 - Will Take Charge, Travers (G1)

The Travers and Whitney always provide great races, and it's always tough to choose between the two when it comes to one of the best races of the Spa meet.  Last year it was easy - Alpha and Golden Ticket's dead heat made the Travers the best race of the 2012 meet.

This year's nod goes to the Travers because of yet another exciting finish, this time thanks to Moreno, Orb and Will Take Charge.  The latter of the three was sitting three lengths back at the 1/16th pole, then gained a strong surge that allowed him to pilot past Moreno and Orb, winning the photo by a well-defined nose.

Will Take Charge came into the race after an inspiring 2nd place finish in the Jim Dandy (G2), finishing 2nd behind Palace Malice. The win was his second graded stakes win, coming in the Rebel (G2) back in March at Oaklawn Park.  Will Take Charge ran all three races of the Triple Crown, however faring no better than 7th in the Preakness.

With a strong lineup of races this weekend, it's possible any of the remaining 45 races could knock off these 5.  But entering closing weekend, these five are prime examples of why Saratoga Race Course is the Summer Place to Be.

Midday Recap: Not what they had in mind

Carlos Torres fans 6 as the Mets win.  It's becoming crunch time in the playoff chase.  And the NFL gets a huge weight lifted off their shoulders as the regular season gets set to begin next week.

Gary Wiepert | Associated Press

But the big story today is the Buffalo Bills 35-13 loss to the Detroit Lions in the final game of the preseason. New roster members Matt Leinart and Thaddeus Lewis had a tough time generating offense, with the former of the two completing only 3 of 10 passes for 11 yards.  Leinart also threw two picks as he played for much of the first half before being pulled in favor of Lewis.  Lewis completed 7 of his 16 passes for 132 yards, including a 4th Quarter touchdown.

Kellen Moore scored 2 touchdowns, going 10/18 for 78 yards for the Lions.  Shaun Hill completed 4 of 5 passes, two for touchdowns.  Matthew Stafford had a tough time, with only one completion out of 6 passes.

For the Bills, it ends a preseason they would rather forget.  Things looked promising for the Bills through the first two games, but then injuries started to plague the team.  EJ Manuel's knee injury being the toughest, as he looked very good through the first two preseason games, and according to reports he was also looking very good through camp too.

Kevin Kolb's possible career-ending concussion also hurt the Bills, resulting in the pickups last week of Thaddeus Lewis and Matt Leinart.

And with the New England Patriots looming the 2nd Sunday of September to kick-off the 2013 season, the Bills needed a confidence booster last night against the Detroit Lions.  But with the loss, the Bills have more questions than answers, and there's still a question of whether or not EJ Manuel will be ready to go for the season premiere on September 8th.

Link: Detroit Lions @ Buffalo Bills Boxscore via Yahoo! Sports

MIGHTY MET

Seth Wenig | Associated Press

Carlos Torres has proven his versatility throughout the season with the New York Mets. The Kansas State alum has made appearances for the Mets both from the bullpen and in the starting rotation.  With Matt Harvey sidelined for the year, as well as other starting rotation injuries, Torres made his return to the starting rotation yesterday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Torres looking good early, striking out the side in the 2nd inning.  He would get run support in the 3rd inning as Daniel Murphy doubled home Eric Young.  Then Anthony Recker would add to the Mets score as he homered to left field to bring home himself and Justin Turner in the 4th.

Torres would continue to be scoreless until the 7th, when he surrendered back-to-back singles to lead-off the inning, and then a sac fly from Darin Ruf would bring home Chase Utley to end the shutout and also Torres's day.

Scott Rice came in to end the 7th, and then Eric Young would triple with the bases loaded to add to the Mets lead, as they would go on to win 11-3.  The 11 runs is the most compiled by the Mets at Citi Field since their opening day game against the San Diego Padres on April 1st.

Torres went 6 2/3rds innings, allowing the lone run in the 7th inning.  He struck out 6 and walked no one in the win.  In his 55 innings of work this year, Torres has allowed only 7 walks.

CHASING OCTOBER
The New York Yankees kick off a three-game series tonight against the Baltimore Orioles.  For the Yankees, this could be a critical series as the Yankees are 8 games back of first place Boston, and 5 games behind the Oakland A's for the last wild card spot.  The Yankees are 5-7 against the O's this year.

Speaking of the A's, they're starting up three games against the Tampa Bay Rays out in California.  Tampa Bay holds the 1st Wild Card spot, but only by a half-game.  Cleveland enters a critical three-game series in Detroit, made more critical after being swept by the Atlanta Braves.  Out 6 1/2 games in the AL Central, the Indians are looking to break their cold streak of late, hindered by their 31-36 record on the road.

Meanwhile in the National League, it is becoming likelier with each passing day that it is going to be three from the NL Central getting into the postseason.  Cincinnati holds the second wild card spot, with a 6 game lead over the Arizona as the nearest team outside looking in.  The Pirates remain 21 games over .500, and only need 5 more wins in order to end their 21 year streak of losing.

PRESEASON ROUNDUP

Bill Kostroun | Associated Press

All 32 NFL teams were in action on Thursday as the preseason wrapped up.  Matt Simms shined as he went 33 for 44 for 285 yards as the New York Jets 27-20.  Simms is expected to be the No. 3 QB on the Jets depth chart, and is likely to back up Geno Smith as Mark Sanchez has been announced as out for their first regular season game.  The Jets overcame 5 turnovers by dominating the time of possession battle, and used their 26 1st Downs to their advantage. Kahlil Bell had both of the Jets rushing touchdowns, gaining 80 yards on 21 carries.

The Giants ended their preseason with a 28-20 loss against the New England Patriots.  Down 20-14 entering the 4th Quarter, the Patriots used two touchdown tosses by Tim Tebow to fuel them to victory.  Tebow completed 6 of 11 passes for 91 yards, but was sacked four times for a loss of 25 combined yards.  Eli Manning completed 6 passes for 74 yards, and Curtis Painter went 8 for 11 for 94 yards.  However, the Giants lost backup RB Andrew Brown, who for the 2nd straight year broke his left leg.

SETTLEMENT
The National Football League has announced a settlement with over 4,500 retired players.  The settlement is worth over $750 million, and will help those retired from the National Football League who suffered from symptoms from dementia or other concussion-related issues.

Former Washington Redskins Quarterback Mark Rypien told the Associated Press that help is coming for those who need help, but it is sad because this couldn't be done earlier to help prior cases.  Rypien is well-familiar with the issue, having suffered two concussions during his 11 seasons in the league.

The settlement removes what would have been a major distraction for the league as the season gets closer to the start of the regular season, which kicks off next Thursday.

BREAKING: Matt Harvey heading to DL

SB Nation

Breaking news coming from Flushing and it's not good for Mets fans, as Matt Harvey is likely done for the season with a torn UCL in his elbow.

The torn UCL was discovered today after undergoing an MRI examination for forearm tightness, especially after his last start against the Detroit Tigers where he allowed a career-high 13 hits.  Although reports have noted that this type of injury could require Tommy John surgery, the Mets ace tells reporters that he is going to do all he possibly can to avoid surgery.

Matt Harvey started in 26 games this season, earning decisions in 14 of his starts.  Carrying a 9-5 record, Harvey logged 178 innings where he gave up 45 earned runs to give him a 2.27 Earned Run Average.  His strikeout-walk ratio is 6:1 for the year, with over 190 strikeouts to counter his 31 walks allowed.

More information about Matt Harvey's injury to come, both on-air during the Mets series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies tonight starting at 6:30PM, and on Twitter as more information comes available.

2013-14 Adirondack Phantoms Schedule Unveiled

26 Friday/Saturday home games headline the 2013-14 schedule for the Adirondack Phantoms.

In the schedule, released yesterday by the American Hockey League, the Phantoms will play 36 games at the Glens Falls Civic Center, 2 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, and 38 away games. Of the 76 games, the Phantoms will play 12 against local rivals, the Albany Devils, with another 10 against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The season opener pits the Adirondack Phantoms against the Hershey Bears at the Giant Center in Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 5th, one week before their home debut against the Hartford Wolf Pack, who returned to that name after a couple years playing as the Connecticut Whale.

"Opening night is always special and a really big evening," says Chris Porreca, who is the Executive Vice President of the Adirondack Phantoms and anticipates a great crowd for the match up between Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers affiliates.

The schedule also includes two games in Philadelphia, an increase over past years when the Phantoms played one game in the City of Brotherly Love.  This year, the Phantoms play a Saturday afternoon matinee against the Hershey Bears on Saturday, February 1st at 1PM, then play a traditional Saturday evening game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday, February 22nd.

In addition, the Phantoms will play holiday matinees on Columbus Day and on Martin Luther King Day.  On Columbus Day, the Phantoms premiere their 2013-14 rivalry against the Albany Devils with a 2PM game at the Times Union Center.  Then on Martin Luther King Day, the Phantoms make way to Springfield, Massachusetts, for a 3PM game against the Springfield Falcons.

As in past seasons, the Adirondack Phantoms can be found on Classic Hits Q101.7, both on-air in the Glens Falls area and online at www.classichitswnyq.com.

2013-14 Adirondack Phantoms Regular Season Schedule (Home Games in BOLD)
Saturday, October 5 Friday, October 11 Saturday, October 12 Monday, October 14 Friday, October 18 Saturday, October 19 Friday, October 25  Saturday, October 26 Wednesday, October 30	at Hershey Bears at Hartford Wolf Pack vs. HARTFORD WOLF PACK at Albany Devils at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. SPRINGFIELD FALCONS vs. NORFOLK ADMIRALS at Binghamton Senators vs. SPRINGFIELD FALCONS	7:00 7:00 7:00 2:00 7:05 7:00 7:00 7:05 7:00
Friday, November 1 Saturday, November 2  Friday, November 8 Saturday, November 9 Sunday, November 10 Friday, November 15 Friday, November 22 Saturday, November 23 Wednesday, November 27 Friday, November 29 Saturday, November 30	vs. BINGHAMTON SENATORS vs. ALBANY DEVILS at Springfield Falcons at Albany Devils at Bridgeport Sound Tigers at Binghamton Senators vs. BINGHAMTON SENATORS vs. ALBANY DEVILS vs. WILKES-BARRE/SCR. PENGUINS at Albany Devils vs. SYRACUSE CRUNCH	7:00 7:00 7:00 5:00 3:00 7:05 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00
Wednesday, December 4 Friday, December 6 Saturday, December 7  Friday, December 13 Saturday, December 14 Friday, December 20 Saturday, December 21 Thursday, December 26 Friday, December 27 Saturday, December 28 Tuesday, December 31	vs. BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS vs. HARTFORD WOLF PACK vs. UTICA COMETS at Hartford Wolf Pack vs. MANCHESTER MONARCHS at Norfolk Admirals at Norfolk Admirals at Springfield Falcons at Albany Devils vs. PROVIDENCE BRUINS vs. WORCESTER SHARKS	7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:30 7:15 7:00 7:00 7:00 5:00
Friday, January 3 Saturday, January 4 Friday, January 10  Saturday, January 11 Wednesday, January 15 Friday, January 17 Saturday, January 18 Monday, January 20 Saturday, January 25 Sunday, January 26  Wednesday, January 29 Friday, January 31	vs. HERSHEY BEARS vs. ALBANY DEVILS vs. WILKES-BARRE/SCR. PENGUINS at Binghamton Senators vs. BINGHAMTON SENATORS vs. HARTFORD WOLF PACK vs. ALBANY DEVILS at Springfield Falcons at Albany Devils vs. HARTFORD WOLF PACK at Hartford Wolf Pack vs. HERSHEY BEARS	7:00 7:00 7:00 7:05 7:00 7:00 7:00 3:00 2:00 3:00 7:00 7:00
Saturday, February 1  Tuesday, February 4 Saturday, February 8 Sunday, February 9 Friday, February 14  Saturday, February 15 Sunday, February 16 Friday, February 21 Saturday, February 22 Friday, February 28	vs. HERSHEY BEARS (at Philadelphia) at Hartford Wolf Pack at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Bridgeport Sound Tigers vs. PORTLAND PIRATES at Albany Devils at Portland Pirates vs. ALBANY DEVILS vs. BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS (at PHI) at Utica Comets	1:00 7:00 7:05 3:00 7:00 5:00 4 :00 7:00 7:30 7:00
Saturday, March 1 Sunday, March 2 Friday, March 7 Saturday, March 8 Sunday, March 9 Friday, March 14 Saturday, March 15 Sunday, March 16 Friday, March 21 Saturday, March 22 Sunday, March 23 Wednesday, March 26 Friday, March 28 Saturday, March 29	at Syracuse Crunch vs. SYRACUSE CRUNCH at Manchester Monarchs vs. SPRINGFIELD FALCONS at Providence Bruins at Hartford Wolf Pack at Hershey Bears at Bridgeport Sound Tigers at Utica Comets vs. HARTFORD WOLF PACK vs. SYRACUSE CRUNCH at Springfield Falcons at Syracuse Crunch vs. SPRINGFIELD FALCONS	7:00 5:00 7:00 7:00 4:05 7:00 7:00 3:00 7:00 7:00 5:00 7:00 7:00 7:00
Friday, April 4 Saturday, April 5 Sunday, April 6 Friday, April 11 Saturday, April 12 Sunday, April 13  Wednesday, April 16 Friday, April 18 Saturday, April 19	vs. NORFOLK ADMIRALS vs. BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS vs. ALBANY DEVILS at Worcester Sharks at Bridgeport Sound Tigers vs. UTICA COMETS at Syracuse Crunch vs. BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS at Hershey Bears	7:00 7:00 3:00 7:30 7:00 5:00 7:00 7:00 7:00

Midday Recap - Harvey ND'd again, Giants fall flat

Matt Harvey gets another no decision. The Giants falter against the Colts. And the Bills may have figured out their week 1 starter. Only 1 problem.

But the big story is the bean heard around the world in Beantown last night.

Ryan Dempster took exception to Alex Rodriguez playing under appeal of his suspension and in the 2nd inning, delivered his first offering to A-Rod way inside, nearly plunking the 3rd baseman. The 2nd and 3rd pitches to A-Rod also were inside, but not as close. But the 4th pitch came inside and plunked A-Rod below the elbow.

A-Rod was displeased, but more displeased was Skipper Joe Girardi about Dempster only getting a warning instead of an ejection on what he saw was a blatant bean.  A fired up Girardi caused the benches to clear, fueling up a rivalry that hasn't been much to talk about otherwise this year.

After the plunked Rod, all eyes were on C.C. Sabathia to see if he would retaliate and hit a batter, but through 6 1/3rd innings, he did not.

The Yankees would go on to win the game 9-6 as Sabathia earned his 11th win of the season.  Ryan Dempster was charged with his 9th loss of the year.

Boston Pride: Fans at Fenway Park did give an ovation to Mariano Rivera as he walked out onto the field in the middle of the 9th inning, before earning his 36th save of the season.

AGAIN
Matt Harvey remains at 9-4 for the year after a no-decision start on Sunday against the San Diego Padres.

Things were going well for Harvey until the 5th inning, when he started the inning by plunking Logan Forsythe on the first pitch, and then surrendered a single by Nick Hundley.  Both would be brought home to tie the score at 2-2.

Then in the 6th inning, a single to Jedd Gyorko started the inning.  He would be stranded, however, after Logan Forsythe grounded out.

That would be all for Harvey, as after a two-out double by Omar Quintanilla, Terry Collins decided to pinch-hit for the pitcher, sending Andrew Brown to the plate.  That move proved to be good when Brown doubled home Quintanilla for the go-ahead run, putting Harvey back in line for the win.

But that wouldn't last, as Gonzalez Germen would get into trouble, surrendering a walk to Yonder Alonso.  Chase Headley doubled to right, but the strong arm of Marlon Byrd kept Alonso at 3rd until Chris Denorfia singled him home.

After a scoreless top 9th, and Pedro Feliciano on the mound for the Mets, Will Venable took a 1-2 slider deep for the Mets 12th walk-off loss of the year, as the Padres won the back 2 games to split the four game series.

Fly like a Byrd: Marlon Byrd came within inches of extending the Mets lead in the 8th inning when he crushed a ball to deep center.  However, a jumping grab by game-winner Will Venable at the wall brought the 2nd out of the inning.  It was a close call, as the downward trajectory of the ball would possibly have clipped the top of the wall.

Infield Singles: The Mets surrendered three infield singles during the game.  Two of those three brought men home, as Venable's soft grounder to Justin Turner in the 5th allowed Forsythe to score and Nick Hundley to move over to 3rd, where he would be brought home with the next batter's sac-fly.  Then in the 8th, Denorfia's single to Quintanilla brought home Alonso to tie the game once again.

Walk it Off: The Mets are now 31-34 on the road, with 12 of those losses of the walk-off variety. The 12 walk-off losses this season ties them for the most in the majors with the Miami Marlins.

Detour: The Mets have a detour on their way home from the west coast as they play a make-up game against the Minnesota Twins. There will be friendlier weather for the Mets this time at Target Field as the high is forecasted to reach 90, a considerable difference from the snowy conditions that brought about the postponement back in April.  Dillon Gee will start for the Mets, and Kyle Gibson gets the nod for the Twins. Pregame Coverage: 1:30PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio

GIANT FAIL
The Giants lead, but cannot stay ahead as the New York Giants lose to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night.

FOX Sports - Image Source

The Giants took the lead on a Josh Brown 25 yard field goal.  But four minutes was all it took for the Colts to seize control of the lead with Andrew Luck's pass to Reggie Wayne for the 28 yard touchdown reception.  Adam Vinatieri showed he has kicking power still at the end of the first quarter, as he booted a 52 yard field goal for the 10-3 Indy lead.

In the 2nd quarter, the Colts got a 18 yard touchdown reception as Luck and T.Y. Hilton combine efforts.  But two Josh Brown field goals would move the Giants back within a possession at the end of the half.

Both teams would trade a field goal in the 2nd half, and the Giants would go down 20-12.

Sacked Pack: Eli Manning went 8-for-17 for 91 yards, including a pick as he obtained a 39.1 QB rating in the game.  The other two on the Giants depth chart weren't much better - David Carr's 7/11 was better, but 3 sacks helped shut down drives fast.  Ryan Nassib's 2 sacks didn't help either, combined with his 2/6 passing.

Mellow Yellow: So if through most of the stats, the Giants were equal to the Colts, how did they lose the game?  Negative yardage could be a reason.  44 yards lost to sacks and the 10 yellow flags that accounted for 96 penalty yards did not help the G-men.

SIDELINED
After looking nearly unstoppable in the preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, it appeared as if the 1st round draft pick was going to be named the Buffalo Bills starter for the 1st regular season matchup against the New England Patriots.

After all, EJ Manuel went 10/12 in the 3rd quarter, passing for 92 yards as his arm helped lift the Buffalo Bills to victory over the Minnesota Vikings, 20-16.

However, Saturday, it was learned that EJ Manuel will be sidelined for the remainder of the preseason, there is some swelling going on with his knee that needs to be looked at, and that Kevin Kolb will be getting the start in the 3rd preseason game against the Washington Redskins [4:30PM, 1410 CBS Sports Radio WENU].

At this time, Manuel should be back with the Bills in time for the regular season.

HIGH TIME
Kids take to the field for the first time today as high school football practices begin across New York State.  Some schools, especially downstate, decided to make this a special occasion by opening practice at Midnight.

Locally, we'll be keeping an eye on how all our local teams are doing and will provide reports as the high school football season draws closer.

Our first game of the year will take place on Saturday, September 7th as the Troy Flying Horses take on the Queensbury Spartans in a Class A match.  Broadcast will be on 1230 FOX Sports Radio starting at 1:15PM.

A full listing of our scheduled broadcasts can be found here.

WMML/WENU 2013 High School Sports Schedule

A minimum of 6 local high school contests will be featured on 1230 FOX Sports Radio over the course of the fall High School Football season.

In the 2nd year of broadcasting local high school sports, the two sports stations will broadcast 6 regular season games, with a 7th to be determined at the end of September.  The slate of games includes coverage of almost every school in the tri-county area, including Glens Falls, Queensbury, Hudson Falls, Lake George, South Glens Falls and more.

Coverage of each game begins 15 minutes prior to kick-off with a pregame show that includes game previews, coach interview and more. In-game coverage will also include Twitter and Facebook updates, as well as real-time updates via MaxPreps's Quixcore tool.

The broadcast team will regularly be made up of John Lawrence and Rick Harrington.  The two teamed up last year to broadcast several games in the area, including the championship game when the Glens Falls Indians met up with eventual Class B champs Maine-Endwell at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

A game featuring two semifinalists in the Class A Sectionals last year will lead off the coverage as the Troy Flying Horses take on the Queensbury Spartans at Queensbury High School on Saturday, September 7th.  Other games on the schedule include a rematch of last year's Salem/Warrensburg game where the Burghers scored the game-winning touchdown with less than 30 seconds left to beat the Salem Generals, as well as the 2013 Jug Game between the Hudson Falls Tigers and the Glens Falls Indians.

The 7th week, which is the final game of the regular season, is reserved as a "Flex Week", as a determination of that game will be based on playoff implications and should be announced at the end of September. In addition, more games could be added through the season.

Update: We have learned that the Lake George/Whitehall game is a Saturday afternoon game, therefore the schedule has been updated to reflect the time change.  The time change will now allow us to air the game on 1230 FOX Sports Radio instead of 1410 CBS Sports.

2013 High School Sports Schedule

Saturday, Sept. 7: Troy at Queensbury - 1:30PM

Saturday, Sept. 14: Bishop Maginn at Queensbury - 1:30PM

Saturday, Sept. 21: Salem at Warrensburg - 1:00PM
Saturday, Sept. 28: Lake George at Whitehall - 1:00PM

Saturday, Oct. 5: Broadalbin-Perth at Glens Falls - 1:30PM

Saturday, Oct. 12: Glens Falls at Hudson Falls - 1:30PM

Fri/Sat, Oct. 18/19: FLEX WEEK - TO BE ANNOUNCED

#30#

Midday Recap: Man dies at Braves game, and a few misses

Yu Darvish comes close for a 2nd time. Two mis-fields by Daniel Murphy and an errant throw leads to the Dodgers 6th straight win. And Mariano Rivera takes a day off after blowing three straight save chances.

But the big story this morning is the unfortunate death of a "lifelong Braves fan". According to authorities, Ronald Homer Jr., fell 65' to his death during the Atlanta Braves game with the Philadelphia Phillies last night. In an interview with the Associated Press, his mother said her son was a fan of the team through their bad days and their good days.

Police say the deadly fall appears to be an accident, and that there's no sign of foul play. There's no word at this time how Homer fell to his death. An autopsy will take place today.

DAZZLING DARVISH
If Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish wasn't already in the discussion for AL Cy Young candidates, he helped his case yesterday, striking out 15 against the Houston Astros over the course of 8 innings.  If that wasn't enough, Darvish for the second time this season, flirted with a no-no against these Astros.

The one hit he did allow came against Carlos Corporan, who homered with one man out in the 8th inning.  Joe Nathan came in the 9th inning to save Darvish's effort.

Darvish is 12-5 on the season, with a 2.64 ERA that ranks 4th in the American League. His 207 strikeouts is tops in the Majors, 29 better than Matt Harvey and Seattle's Felix Hernandez, who are tied with 178.  The .184 batting average hitters have against Darvish is 2nd to NL Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Back in April, Darvish came one out away from a Perfect Game in his first start when Marwin Gonzalez singled up the middle for the lone Astros base runner.

MISS MURPHY
Things were going fine for Jenrry Mejia for 5 innings.  He sat the first 8 batters he faced, and allowed only 3 singles through those 5 innings.  Plus thanks to 4 straight singles in the 2nd, he had a 2-0 cushion to work with.

Then came the 6th inning.  The Dodgers began the inning with two singles that were both misfielded by Daniel Murphy, one on a grounder that he couldn't get control of in time to throw out Carl Crawford and then only got a piece of a liner to right field from Mark Ellis.  As both weren't outright errors, they were registered as base hits, allowing the Dodgers to set up 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Adrian Gonzalez singled to center, bringing Crawford home, but then an errant throw from Juan Lagares to Wilmer Flores allowed the Dodgers to tie the game.

A Yasiel Puig sacrifice fly would bring Gonzalez home as the Dodgers took the lead and never looked back, winning the game 4-2.

Killer 40 Minute Span: In about 40 minutes, the Mets went from looking good against the league's hottest team to being another victim. After falling behind 3-2, the Mets had a sparkling opportunity in the 7th inning when Eric Young singled to load the bases with 1 man out. But two very questionable calls against Juan Lagares would help Ronald Belisario and subsequent reliever Paco Rodriquez get out of the mess.

On a 2-0 count, Lagares checked his swing, but according to 1st Base umpire Jeff Kellogg, he went enough around for the strike.  After three straight fouls, Lagares finally got the 3rd ball, putting the count full. The 8th and final pitch of the at bat appeared on camera to be outside, but Home Plate Umpire Chad Fairchild called strike three for the 2nd out.

Daniel Murphy was able to hit the ball deep, but Yasiel Puig's speed allowed him to get to the warning track in time to catch and end the Mets threat, leaving three on the bases.

The Mets had another threat in the 8th inning with runners on 1st and 2nd with two men out, but Justin Turner would strand them as he was called out on strikes.

In the 9th, Josh Satin hit the ball fairly deep, but a running Jerry Hairston would reach in time for the 1st out.  After two strikeouts, Kenley Jansen would earn the four-strike save for the Dodgers.

MISSING A NIGHT
Hiroki Kuroda went 8 innings, striking out 7 as the New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1, but the big discussion was the lack of Mariano Rivera in the game.

After blowing 3 straight saves, Rivera opted to take the night off, resulting in David Robertson earning his first save of the year for the Yankees. Rivera's night off didn't sit well for Yankees fans, who in the 9th inning were chanting for his appearance in the game, especially after Boon Logan allowed a single on his second offering to J.B. Shuck to open the 9th, then Robertson walked Mike Trout and gave up a double to Josh Hamilton to set up runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out with only a 1 run lead.

But Roberston calmed down with the bases loaded, and got both Mark Trumbo and Chris Nelson to strike out to end the game.

Mariano Rivera told reporters after the game that this simply was a day off and not a forced sitting after blowing three save opportunities in a row, and that he will be back during this four game series against the Angels.