Grilli, McCutchen stayed put, high on Pirates’ potential

BY GORDON WITTENMYER

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball

gwittenmyer@suntimes.com

May 23, 2013 

Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen (22) is greeted by teammate Neil Walker (18) while returning to the dugout after scoring on a single by Pirates' Garrett Jones during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Last winter, the Cubs made an aggressive run at the best closer in the National League right now.

“It was a tough choice,” Jason Grilli said.

But Grilli turned down “a little bit more money” to re-sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates instead of Theo Epstein’s Cubs.

The best center fielder in the league also is a guy Cubs’ brass identified as a possible long-term target once he reached free agency in a couple of years — until ­Andrew McCutchen signed a six-year ­extension with the Pirates before last season.

“I didn’t want to be anywhere else,” McCutchen said Wednesday, before doubling twice and scoring the only run against Cubs ace Jeff Samardzija in the Pirates’ 1-0 ­victory at PNC Park.

What in the name of Honus Wagner is going on around here?

Since when do the Cubs routinely lose players — free agents or otherwise — to the Pirates? Wasn’t it only 10 years ago that Jim Hendry fleeced the Pirates to acquire a young Aramis Ramirez for marginal prospects because the Pirates needed to shed payroll?

Now exciting young players such as McCutchen — who was in kindergarten the last time the Pirates had a winning season — don’t want to go anywhere else?

“I’ve seen us moving in the right direction and getting better every day,” McCutchen said. “That’s something I wanted to be a part of.”

As if it weren’t bad enough that the Cubs stare up in the NL Central standings when they looked across the field at the Pirates this week.

Welcome to the new, upside-down age of baseball economics — in which new revenues across the game have fueled the trend of locking up young players long before their free-agency years.

The Cubs’ economic advantages have been wiped out in part by the industry-wide growth and in larger part by the MLB-high debt that new ownership assumed with its 2009 purchase.

The Cubs’ spending power has decreased just as most teams’ spending power has increased. And premium free agents in their 20s aren’t reaching the market anyway.

Go ahead, Branch Rickey, try to rebuild a ballclub now, before losing your fan base.

The result is playing out this week in Pittsburgh, where the Cubs’ $1.35-million free agent reliever Shawn Camp gave up a decisive grand slam Tuesday — about an hour before Grilli converted his 18th save in as many chances to beat the Cubs.

Grilli said he “definitely” considered the Cubs last winter and sounded impressed with Epstein’s pitch and vision.

But after spending last season in Pittsburgh, playing for manager Clint Hurdle, in spectacular PNC Park and coming close to ending that streak of losing seasons, Grilli couldn’t see leaving — not even for Chicago, not even for more money, no matter how smart all those guys in the Cubs’ front office are.

“There’s a lot going on here in this organization that I wanted to continue to be a part of,” he said.

“I don’t want to have to face Andrew McCutchen for God’s sake,” he added. “There’s a lot of good players and a lot of talent in this organization. It really excited me because I got to see it with my own eyes. A lot of teams that used to look at this organization and team as a doormat can’t do that anymore.

“I want to win. I want to do something special. I was part of ­Detroit winning [in 2006]. And I can’t imagine, if we can pull of the magic that once was here in ­Pittsburgh, I think people will be swinging from the Clemente Bridge and all kinds of stuff.”

Didn’t players used to say that about the Cubs?

Liriano dominates as Pirates edge Cubs 1-0

By WILL GRAVES (AP Sports Writer)

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/pit

May 23, 2013

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Francisco Liriano delivers during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Francisco Liriano's fastball is going where he wants it to. The Pittsburgh Pirates are following suit.

The veteran left-hander continued his torrid start, scattering two hits over seven innings and the Pirates edged the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on Wednesday night.

Liriano (3-0) struck out nine and walked just one to remain unbeaten since making his season debut against the New York Mets two weeks ago.

''What was it, one walk, nine punchouts and two hits?'' Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. ''Man, that's clean stuff.''

You won't find the Cubs arguing after Liriano escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the third inning unscathed and then cruised. The Cubs went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and are hitting just .160 (4 of 25) with runners on base during their three-game losing streak.

''It's the same old song and dance,'' Chicago manager Dale Sveum said. ''We get people on but can't get them in.''

Mark Melancon survived a bumpy ninth inning for his first save of the season. The Pirates were forced to sit closer Jason Grilli - whose 18 saves lead the majors - after he labored through 34 pitches in a 5-4 win on Tuesday.

The road to Melancon's first save since Aug. 26, 2012, while pitching for Boston wasn't exactly smooth.

The Cubs put runners on first and second with one out but couldn't tie things up. Melancon, who has served as the primary setup man this season, didn't feel any extra jitters getting the last three outs.

''I do it every night, it's just in the eighth inning instead of the ninth,'' Melancon said.

Andrew McCutchen doubled twice for the Pirates and scored the game's only run on an RBI single by Garrett Jones in the first. Pittsburgh has won 10 of 12 to move 10 games over .500 (28-18). The Pirates have also won six straight one-run games.

''I love the way we're going about our business,'' Hurdle said.

Chicago's Jeff Samardzija (2-6) nearly matched Liriano pitch for pitch, giving up just three hits in seven innings, but received little help once again.

The Cubs have scored just 10 runs in Samardzija's losses. The right-hander's only issue came in the first when McCutchen doubled with two outs then scored on a single by Jones.

It would be all the cushion the Pirates needed while Samardzija lost a 1-0 decision for the second time in a month.

''You take it with a grain of salt,'' said Samardzija, who walked one and struck out eight. ''That's just the way the game goes sometimes. You give up five runs and get a win sometimes.''

Or, in the case of the Pirates, whenever Liriano is on the mound.

The Pirates agreed to terms with the former All-Star in December, but Liriano signed a more incentive-laden deal after breaking his right (non-throwing) arm in a freak accident on Christmas Day.

It's certainly looking like a bargain now. The left-hander has spent most of the five seasons attempting to regain the form he showed as a 22-year-old phenom with the Minnesota Twins in 2006, when he went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and made the All-Star team on his way to finishing third in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

His path to stardom was sidetracked by Tommy John surgery in 2007, though he appears to have found a home in Pittsburgh.

Mixing his offspeed stuff with a rejuvenated fastball refined by a tweak to his delivery, Liriano has joined A.J. Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez in giving the Pirates a respectable top of the rotation.

''I think I work hard in the offseason, location-wise with my fastball and everything is working so far,'' Liriano said. ''Pitching is all about location so when you can locate your pitches, you have better results.''

He was solid in his first two starts in wins over the Mets and Milwaukee. He was spectacular at times against the Cubs. He retired 14 of 15 batters at one point and managed to expertly wiggle out of the lone spot of trouble in the third when the Cubs loaded the bases with no outs following a Cody Ransom single, a walk and an error.

In a way, Liriano had the Cubs right where he wanted them.

Chicago began the night hitting just .218 with runners in scoring position, the second-lowest in the majors.

The number dropped a bit more after Julio Borbon hit into a fielders' choice, Starlin Castro struck out and Anthony Rizzo flew out to right to end the threat.

No Cub made it to third base over Liriano's final four innings and Pittsburgh's bullpen made it hold up. The Pirates are 21-1 when leading after seven innings this season.

Tony Watson worked the eighth and the Cubs made Melancon work in the ninth.

Alfonso Soriano reached on strikeout-wild pitch and Wellington Castillo singled with one out. Nate Schierholtz and Darwin Barney both lofted weak fly balls to shallow right field that Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker corralled with ease.

NOTES: Chicago's Darwin Barney, who went 4 for 4 in the series opener on Tuesday to raise his average from .192 to .223, went 0 for 3 ... Pittsburgh's left-handed starters are 8-1 at PNC Park this season ... The series wraps up on Thursday. Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.78 ERA) will make his first start against the Cubs. Edwin Jackson (1-6 5.76) starts for Chicago. Jackson is 4-1 with a 3.09 ERA against the Pirates in his career.

Pens Insider: A nuclear reaction

By Chris Bradford cbradford@timesonline.com |0 comments

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

May 23, 2013

Pittsburgh Penguins' Jarome Iginla (12) celebrates a third period goal with teammates Kris Letang (58) and Jussi Jokinen (36) during NHL hockey playoff game action against the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

Jarome Iginla and James Neal each scored twice and the Penguins routed the Senators 7-3 on Wednesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis also scored for Pittsburgh, and Tomas Vokoun made 30 saves. Down 2-1 after the first period, the Penguins scored twice in a 40-second span early in the second and added four goals in the first 10 minutes in the third. Milan Michalek, Kyle Turris and Daniel Alfredsson scored for Ottawa. Senators goalie Craig Anderson was benched after Pittsburgh’s sixth goal, and Robin Lehner finished the game. (AP)

STORYLINES

Trey bien There is one universal truth in a seven-game playoff series: It’s far better to be up 3-1 than tied 2-2. That’s what the Penguins earned in Game 4 with their 7-3 win Wednesday at Scotiabank Place. While no one played the “must-win” card before the opening faceoff, Senators D Marc Methot confirmed it essentially was. “This is a huge game, that’s an understatement,” Methot said. “I think we say that every single game in the playoffs but (Wednesday night), if you lose, you’re down 3-1 and headed into impossible territory in Pittsburgh.” But it’s not as impossible as Methot may have thought. The last time the Penguins held a 3-1 series lead they lost the final three games against Tampa Bay in the first round in 2011. “Anytime you get in that situation and an opportunity to close it out, you want to do it,” said captain Sidney Crosby. “We know they’ll be at their best. We have to be the same way or better.”

Have and have-dots During the first round of the playoffs, the Penguins had been one of the better teams at the faceoff circle. In this series against Ottawa, however, it hasn’t been up to Dan Bylsma’s standards. After failing to win 50 percent in any of the first three games (46, 47, 48), Bylsma mixed up his lineup for Game 4 on Wednesday. After being scratched the last five games, Jussi Jokinen returned to the lineup to help out. Although the Penguins didn’t get above 50 percent (they won 48 percent again), Jokinen did his part by winning six of 10 draws against the Senators. That’s actually slightly below his team-best 63 percent from the regular season. Entering Wednesday‘s game, the Penguins had won 49.4 during the playoffs, ranking fifth among all teams still in the Cup hunt. “Faceoffs are kind of a funny thing,” said C Brandon Sutter. “One night you win a lot and the next you have a tough time with it. When you’re going well, you want to be out there taking faceoffs. But sometime’s it’s good to have a couple other guys step in and take them.”.

Power supply Brooks Orpik doesn’t get a lot of time on the power play, but the stay-at-home defenseman had a theory why the Penguins’ slipped to No. 2 on the man advantage in the playoffs. Sure, an 0-for-6 night in Game 3 didn’t help, but that is far more the norm in the postseason according to Orpik. “League-wide, a lot of the game have been more 2-1 than 4-0,” he said. “I don’t think it’s just our team. I think teams are really concentrating more defensively this time of year.” That wasn’t the case Wednesday as defense went out the window in the Penguins’ 7-3 win. Pittsburgh converted two of five chances, both in the third period from James Neal and Jarome Iginla. For both Penguins, it was their first of the series. “We stuck with it,” said Neal, who earlier in the game rang a shot off the post. “It was great to be able to find one. It gives you a boost.”

KEY MOMENT

Trailing 2-1 to start the second, after what can only be called a sloppy first period, the Penguins looked poised and ready to claw themselves back into the game. LW Chris Kunitz scored on a breakaway just 1:08 in the period, giving the Penguins a burst and then it was their turn to take the lead. At 1:48, Senators D Erik Karlsson was knocked down in a battle with C Evgeni Malkin back in the Penguins’ zone as Pittsburgh went on the attack. Malkin shuffled a pass to RW James Neal, who collected the puck and flipped it ahead to D Kris Letang. He slid down the right wing boards before lashing a shot towards the goal. Senators G Craig Anderson lost control of the rebound -- as he had done several times during the game -- and RW Jarome Iginla was there to knock home the rebound from point blank range. That finished off two goals in a span of 40 seconds of the Penguins, giving them a 3-2 lead. (Brian Metzer)

NOTEWORTHY

-- Senators D Sergei Gonchar had a rough evening. He saw his two-game scoring streak come to an end, took a third-period penalty that led to a Penguins goal, was beaten in a battle in front of the net by Pascal Dupuis, who scored a shorthanded goal, and registered a minus-4.

-- Pittsburgh, of course, is the only town to have all of its pro sports team wearing the same colors. On Wednesday the Penguins said they were very appreciative that the Pirates would wear hockey sweaters on their upcoming road trip to Milwaukee and Detroit in a nod to the Stanley Cup playoffs. “It’s always cool to have those guys come over, and Steelers come over,” said D Brooks Orpik.” Our guys like to go over to their games. It’s good to get other athletes in the same city involved.”

-- The Penguins are now 5-1 in their last six postseason games immediately following an overtime loss. The only time that didn’t hold up was in Game 2 last season against Philadelphia.

-- The Penguins organization got some good news down on the farm. In the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs , Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defeated Providence 5-0 in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Baby Pens became the third AHL team to overcome a three-game deficit and the first to win Game 7 on the road. WB-S will play Syracuse next.

-- The Penguins pushed their all-time record in Games 4 to 25-25, 17-13 on the road, and are 8-2 in their last 10 Games 4. They have pushed their record against the Senators in the playoffs to 12-7, 7-3 on the road and are now 5-1 all-time following an overtime loss, with the only loss coming in Game 2 against the Flyers during the opening round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

-- RW Beau Bennett also returned to the line-up for the first time since Game 3 of the Islanders series, picking up two shots on goal and a plus-one.

-- C Sidney Crosby picked up two points (one goal), put six shots on goal and won 65 percent of his faceoffs.

-- C Evgeni Malkin has been shut out in back-to-back postseason games for the first time since Games 6 and 7 against the Canadiens in 2010. Malkin has seven points (three goals) in 10 playoff games in Ottawa.

-- D Kris Letang record four assists in the game to tie the Penguins all-time mark for assists in a single postseason game. Nine Penguins have matched the effort.

-- G Tomas Vokoun made 30 saves in the victory, while his counterpart Craig Anderson stopped 32 of 38 shots before giving way to Robin Lehner for the second time in the season. Lehner faced just four shots, but surrendered one goal.

-- Senators’ RW Daniel Alfredsson extended his scoring streak to three games with two points (one goal). He has picked up four points (two goals) over that span.

-- Senators’ RW Erik Condra saw his four game scoring streak snapped in the loss. He has picked up six points (one goal) over that span.

-- Senators’ LW Colin Greening saw his three game scoring streak snapped, he has picked up three goals over that span.

It’s about time for these Penguins

The Penguins' James Neal celebrates his third-period goal against the Senators on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.

About Dejan Kovacevic

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Sports Columnist Dejan Kovacevic can be reached via e-mail

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By Dejan Kovacevic 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
http://triblive.com/sports
Published: Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 3:14 p.m.Updated 5 hours ago 

OTTAWA — Maybe, just maybe, these Penguins finally got sick and tired of looking so eminently beatable.

Tired of blowing leads.

Tired of blowing coverages.

Tired of blowing chances to bury lesser opponents.

About time, huh?

“I think we showed we're for real,” Pascal Dupuis was saying after the 7-3 body slam of the Senators in Game 4 of this Stanley Cup playoff series Wednesday. “I believe that.”

Yeah, about time somebody started doing that, too.

Because the way things were going in the first period, it looked like the Penguins were bound on the first boat back to Long Island Lapse Land. They were atrocious. They were awful on the power play, allowing another short-handed goal right away. Awful on handing Kyle Turris an open net later on. Awful on …

I know, I know. You don't want to read any of that.

Which is fine because if there's any staying power for what the athletes did after the first intermission to compose themselves, then assert themselves, you might not be reading it so regularly anymore.

James Neal and Jarome Iginla finally busted out, two goals each. Sidney Crosby scored … my goodness, what was that? The seven-goal tidal wave shut up silly talk that Craig Anderson might have been getting in their heads. Tomas Vokoun typically never lost equilibrium. The power play figured it out. The penalty-killing sharpened. The hits started happening.

And nobody stood out in this regard quite like Kris Letang. All he did was shrug off a harrowing first period — partly at fault on both Ottawa goals — to the tune of four assists thereafter.

Letang is as tough on himself as anyone. Couldn't help but wonder if he had a few harsh words in the mirror during that intermission.

“No, not really,” he replied. “There were just a couple of things that happened. I got in between blocking a shot and making it tough on Tomas on the second one. ... But we knew what we wanted to do, and we stayed with it. All of us.”

He wasn't alone in sounding that way in a locker room that carried a confidence factor unlike any of this postseason.

Listen to Vokoun: “We played great. Obviously, it was a tough start. But that's the thing about this team: We shake it off.”

Iginla: “Our attitude was really good, really focused.”

Crosby: “We made a few mistakes. But besides that, we were carrying the play.”

Brooks Orpik: “Once we got going, we really sensed they couldn't keep up with that.”

Couldn't keep up?

Oh, boy.

The confidence doesn't surprise me, to be honest. The Penguins have been building toward this for a while, and they — notably Dan Bylsma — were particularly wise to focus on the positives of Game 3 rather than the disastrous final minute of regulation.

Even seemed like, to a degree, they fed off it.

“I think we were just so frustrated by the way we gave away that last one,” Orpik said, spitting out “frustrated” the way you say “Flyers.” “Everybody knew this series should have been 3-0. I mean, you talk about moving on, getting past it … I don't think you can. I think you carry over that frustration and kind of take it out on them.”

Take it out on them?

Hey, whatever works.

Fact is, even if the Penguins still are trying to find themselves strategically, even if some personnel still need shifting, this team is absolutely loaded with talent.

Don't forget that among all these ups and downs so far.

They've got it all.

And maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of the end of that looking like a potential waste as opposed to … oh, I'll just share Letang's closing thought with me: “We're not done, you know. We're not. But it's important that we're confident. It's huge, actually. I remember back in 2009, anytime something would go wrong in one period, we were so confident in our game that we could come right back and play the right way and win. That's how I'm starting to feel about this team.”

I don't have to remind how 2009 wound up, right?

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Neal picks a good time to find his mojo

By Scott Burnside | ESPN.comhttp://espn.go.comMay 22, 2013

OTTAWA -- A crucial fourth game that began with an optimistic bang for the Ottawa Senators ended with an embarrassing whimper.

There was something more than a little symmetric about the Penguins’ emphatic 7-3 victory in Game 4: A playoff year that began with a whimper for sniper James Neal took a decidedly more upbeat turn in Game 4 on Wednesday night as he scored twice, including the game winner, and added an assist.

It is a turn of events that bodes ill not just for the seemingly overmatched Senators, but those teams that might yet encounter the Penguins this playoff year.

"He’s a guy who just needs one. And he’s been talking about that and felt that last game, but he came through for us and was a big factor -- his line and the power play -- in getting those two goals," coach Dan Bylsma said after the game.

Trying to force the heavily favored Pittsburgh Penguins into a best-of-three showdown by evening this Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece, the Senators got a dramatic early short-handed goal from Milan Michalek and took a 2-1 lead into the second period. But they were ultimately overwhelmed as the Penguins scored twice in 40 seconds early in the second and then chased starting netminder Craig Anderson for the second time in three games with four more in the first half of the third period.

By the end of the evening, with the Scotiabank Place faithful gamely chanting for the Senators, it was difficult to recall that this game started with such promise for the home side.

Although the place was fairly buzzing early on as the first period went along, it was Pittsburgh that carried the play, and the best line on the ice by a wide margin throughout the night was the trio of Neal, Jarome Iginla and Evgeni Malkin.

This was noteworthy because Bylsma has tried different ways to get his considerable offensive pieces in the right place this spring. And there has been much discussion and tinkering aimed at getting it just so.

Much of the focus has been on Iginla, given his stature in the game and the drama that accompanied his acquisition by the Penguins at the trade deadline. But, really, the key is Neal.

While Iginla spent time playing with Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis and flip-flopped from one wing to another, Neal’s slow start to the playoffs made finding the right groove more difficult.

Slowed by a concussion late in the regular season, Neal played in Game 1 against the Islanders and then missed the next two. He had just one goal heading into Game 4 and looked out of sorts.

The fact that he had scored just three postseason goals in 12 games was no doubt adding to the angst.

But on Wednesday night, Neal was the dangerous offensive presence that saw him score 61 times during his last 120 regular-season games.

He actually looked like he’d scored early in the first period when a shot beat Anderson but caromed off the inside of the post. But with 5:04 left in the first period, Neal stepped into a hard wrist shot off the draw after Iginla had tied up center Zack Smith and beat Anderson to tie the game at 1-1.

"That first one we got was a pretty special shot by James. I don’t think very many guys can pull that one off to be able to get the first one by him," Bylsma said.

Although the Senators answered quickly with a Kyle Turris goal to regain a one-goal lead, the Penguins would begin their dismantling of the Senators with two goals in 40 seconds in the first two minutes of the second period.

Neal would earn an assist on the second of those goals, and later he would add what would turn out to be the winning goal on the power play, pounding home the carom of a Crosby shot from the opposite side of the net.

"I thought you saw it from Nealer right away. It was good that he got the goal right away, because I think he got that goal and you could kind of see his confidence grow exponentially right away and the rest of his game started getting a lot better," defensemanBrooks Orpik said.

"Not just his offensive game," Orpik added. "He looked like he had more jump and his defensive game was better and he was just going. I think it just shows you how big confidence is in this game."

How demoralizing was the Penguins’ onslaught?

Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson, who reached the 100-point plateau in playoff scoring with a power-play goal with the game out of reach in the third, was asked whether it was feasible to win three straight against this Pittsburgh team.

"Probably not," he answered with brutal candor. "With their depth and their power play right now, it doesn’t look too good.

"I’m just saying that I don’t think there’s much going for us. Maybe that’s the way we like it."

Senators coach Paul MacLean didn’t take any questions from reporters but simply held up a copy of the scoring summary.

"I think everything’s right here," he said.

"It’s 7-3. See you in Pittsburgh. We’re going to Pittsburgh and we’re coming to play. Have a good night," he said before exiting the press room.

In the short term, if the triumphant return of James Neal to form Game 4 has any traction, it means big trouble for an Ottawa Senators team now down to its last out in this series and its season.

"Felt good, obviously,” said Neal who is now enjoying his deepest playoff run as an NHLer. "I felt a little snake-bitten after having some good looks and not being able to finish. But our team’s been playing well, so as we’re winning; I’m not too worried about scoring. But it did feel good to chip in tonight.

"You’re always tough on yourself, you know what you’re capable of but, at the same time, if you start gripping the stick too tight and putting too much pressure on yourself, you’re just making it harder.

"You just want to enjoy this and have fun with it. It’s exciting playing in the playoffs and being in the second round and playing with a special group of guys. Saying that we found a way to get another win and going into our rink in a great spot."

But, big picture, if the Penguins do close out the Senators and the Boston Bruins do not have another epic playoff collapse having built a 3-0 series lead against the New York Rangers, it sets up an intriguing matchup in the Eastern Conference finals between two teams whose strength is a balanced attack.

If Neal and his linemates, who on this night combined for four goals and an assist, are rolling, that will present a mighty challenge for whomever they might face.

"Those guys have been playing good hockey and I think in the playoffs obviously everyone’s under the microscope, especially the guys that score a lot," Crosby said. "So to see them score, I mean, that’s great, but they’ve been doing a lot of good things for us."

Pens show a champ’s resolve

BY WAYNE SCANLAN, POSTMEDIA NEWS
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/hockey
May 22, 2013

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his goal with Tyler Kennedy and Matt Niskanen (2) as Jean-Gabriel Pageau of the Ottawa Senators skates by dejected during third period action in the fourth game of the Eastern Conference semifinal at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, May 22, 2013.

Photograph by: JEAN LEVAC , OTTAWA CITIZEN

OTTAWA — For days the Ottawa Senators have talked about getting the lead.
They finally got one. Holding onto it was another story.

A thorough 7-3 victory by the Penguins sends the series back to Pittsburgh where the home team, up three games to one, will have a chance to clinch, and where the Senators’ pesky ways will be put to their sternest test.

Players like to say that each playoff series takes on a life of its own, with ebbs and flows, huge swings in momentum that can end as abruptly as they begin. The Senators hoped a miraculous comeback to win Game 3 would create some doubt in the Pittsburgh room before Game 4. Apparently not. The Penguins rebounded with a champion’s resolve.

The Senators’ new strategy appeared to be to let the Penguins go on the power play. In the first two games, Pittsburgh used to the extra man to bury the Sens at the Consol Energy Center. At times in Ottawa, the power play was the Penguins’ curse. In the end, the ‘power’ emerged.

It was while playing shorthanded (until Craig Anderson raced to the bench for an extra skater) that captain Daniel Alfredsson scored the magical goal Game 3 that kept Ottawa from being down 3-0 in the series.

And it was shorthanded that the Senators finally secured their first regulation lead of the series, two and a half minutes into Game 4 when Milan Michalek split the defence and chipped a shot over the glove hand of Tomas Vokoun.

It was a work of art, and a burst not often seen from Michalek and his aching knee, but when he saw the wide gulf between Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, Michalek reached deep within and summoned something out of a healthier past to explode between the two Penguins and get in alone on Vokoun. Malkin, the celebrated Russian forward, had been playing the point, and seeing him victimized had to cause a new headache for Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma, suddenly worried about the defensive deficiencies of his once potent power play. (The headache wouldn’t last).

One shot for the Senators. One goal. It was going to be a good night, wasn’t it? Appeared so, even after a tying goal by James Neal a few minutes after Michalek’s shorty.

Vokoun, while he’s a game battler, leaves precious minerals lying around his goal crease and the Senators mined one before the first period was out to restore their one goal lead.
Kyle Turris picked up the nugget of gold after a Jakob Silfverberg backhand shot was left lying there. And there could have been more.

In the dying seconds of the first, Colin Greening tried to extend his goal scoring streak to four, but his shot sailed wide.

That didn’t stop a packed house from celebrating a 2-1 lead as teams skated off the ice from the first 20 minutes. If only the intermission could have lasted a little longer . . .

Just 1:08 into the second, Chris Kunitz was left alone to sail in on a breakaway and he buried it between Anderson’s pads to remind everyone that the East’s top seed was not going to go away quietly because they’d hit a rough patch.

The Kunitz goal came as such a shock, the Senators were numb to a subsequent chance that Jarome Iginla converted with a rebound goal a mere 40 seconds after Kunitz.
Just like that the Penguins had their first lead since famously blowing a one-goal advantage with 29 seconds remaining in Sunday’s game at Scotiabank Place. And they built on that lead.

Not surprisingly, after Ottawa’s latest shorthanded strike, the Penguins used two defencemen on a power play in the third period, and this time the Penguins struck – Neal again. And then the supreme insult, a Pittsburgh shorthanded goal by Pascal Dupuis, set up by Matt Cooke, considered a villain in this region, but who has been a highly effective player in this series.

The rout was on. After goal six, by Sidney Crosby, Anderson was hooked for a second time this series. Odd, how it always seems to be after 87 scores.

“Be good enough to win, it doesn’t matter how you do it at this time of year,” Anderson said prior to Game 4.

The Penguins were more than good enough this night.

By the third, the Senators had to open up play, always dangerous against the Pens.

Anderson himself was under siege as he might have expected – the Penguins came hard, and came shooting. While he wasn’t called on to make 49 of 50 shots as he did in a double-overtime victory in Game 3, Anderson knew this night was about survival. And he didn’t survive it.

Bylsma had said of the Senators goaltender: “He’s one of their best players if not their best player. We have to do a better job on opportunities to break him.”

They did, but bet on Anderson returning in Game 5, hoping for better support.

Alfredsson’s third period goal, his 100th career NHL playoff point, gave the fans something to cheer about as they left the building, hoping it wasn’t for the last time this season.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

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Pirates, Cubs' bullpen spoil Garza's return

By John Perrotto, The Sports Xchange

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/pit

May 22, 2013


Pittsburgh Pirates' Travis Snider hits a grand slam off Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Shawn Camp during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh Tuesday, May 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH -- The good news for the Chicago Cubs was thatMatt Garza was nearly flawless while making his first major-league start in exactly 10 months.

The bad news was that the bullpen struggled again as Travis Snider's pinch-grand slam keyed a five-run sixth inning against three relievers and rallied the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-4 victory on Tuesday night at PNC Park.

Garza pitched five scoreless innings and allowed only one hit while the Cubs built a 3-0 lead.

Garza was activated from the disabled list before the game after injuring his left lat muscle in spring training. He also did not pitch after July 21 last season because of a stress reaction in his right elbow.

"He was really good," Chicago manager Dale Sveum said. "He had a really good slider. His command, for it being his first time back, was outstanding. Even when he missed, he didn't miss by much. His velocity was good, too, consistently at 93-94 mph. He was just outstanding."

The bullpen was not.

Hector Rondon retired only one of the four batters he faced and left the bases loaded for James Russell (1-1) with one out as Neil Walker doubled, Garrett Jones singled and Russell Martin walked. Russell, a left-hander, then walked left-handed hitting Pedro Alvarez to force in Walker with the first run.

Sveum called on Shawn Camp, who got Gaby Sanchez to fly out for the second out. However, Snider then batted for shortstop Clint Barmes and hit his first career grand slam into the first row of seats in right-center field to put Pittsburgh up 5-3.

Camp's blown save was the 10th by the Cubs already this season.

It was Snider's second home run of the season and the Pirates' first pinch-grand slam since Jason Michael hit one off Adam Wainwright at St. Louis in June 2008.

"Tonight was probably the calmest pinch-hit at bat I've had," Snider said. "(Manager Clint) Hurdle gave a good speech before the game, just talking about situations that come up, whether it's in the sixth inning, the first inning, the eighth inning, the ninth inning -- the game's the game and overthinking those situations isn't going to make it any easier for you if you don't get a hit."

It also helped that Snider was teammates with Camp in Toronto.

"I knew he was going to try to pitch around me as much as he could without, obviously, walking me," Snider said. "He's the kind of guy who tries to get you to chase pitches out of the zone. I got ahead of the count and was able to sit back on a changeup."

Garza was removed from the game after throwing 82 pitches. He walked three and struck out five. The most he had thrown in minor leagues in his rehab starts was 75 pitches last Thursday in six shutout innings for Triple-A Iowa.

Garza carried a no-hitter into the fifth until Barmes broke it up by lining a one-out single to right.

"I was happy with the way I pitched, but what bothers me is that I couldn't make it past the fifth inning with the pitch count," Garza said. "I'm sure the guys in the bullpen weren't expecting to have to come into that game that early and it I'm sure it was a factor in what happened (in the sixth inning)."

Wandy Rodriguez (5-4) pitched six innings and gave up three runs and six hits, raising his home record to 4-1 this season with his fourth consecutive quality start. He had five strikeouts and no walks.

Jason Grilli got through a rough ninth for his National League-leading 18th save in as many chances, allowing the Cubs to cut the gap to 5-4 on Starlin Castro's two-out single that scored Darwin Barney, who had tripled to cap a 4-for-4 night. Grilli struck out Anthony Rizzo with runners on the corners to end it.

Jordy Mercer went 2 for 2 and was the only Pirates player with multiple hits despite not entering the game until the sixth as a pinch-hitter.

Alfonso Soriano added two hits for Chicago.

Garza also helped the Cubs with his bat as his two-run double capped a three-run second that broke a scoreless tie.

Soriano led off with a single and moved to third on Wellington Castillo's one-out double. One out later, Barney drove home Soriano with a single and then Garza lined a two-run double to right field.

"Wandy's a real pro," Hurdle said. "No one wants to get clipped by the bottom of the batting order and he gave up three runs in the blink of an eye. He held fast after that, though. He did a great job of keeping us in the game."

NOTES: Chicago designated RHP Michael Bowden for assignment to clear a roster spot for Garza. Bowden was 1-2 with a 3.78 ERA in 13 games. ... The Cubs claimed RHP Eduardo Sanchez from St. Louis and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. He had one save and a 3.72 ERA in nine games with Triple-A Memphis. ... Pittsburgh activated RHP Jose Contreras from the bereavement list and optioned RHP Jared Hughes to Triple-A Indianapolis. ... Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen returned to the lineup after missing Sunday's game against Houston with a sore right knee. ... Pittsburgh LF Starling Marte, who is 6 for 34 (.176) in his last eight games, did not start but entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning while OF Jose Tabata started in left. ... Pirates RHP Charlie Morton (Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in June 2012) pitched 4 2/3 innings in a rehab start for Double-A Altoona on Tuesday night and allowed two runs and four hits with two walks and three strikeouts while throwing 80 pitches in an Eastern League game at Reading. He is expected to make one more minor-league start and then be re-evaluated. ... Chicago RHP Jeff Samardzija (2-5 3.49) will start Wednesday night against LHP Francisco Liriano (2-0, 1.64).

Senators relish chance to tie series vs. Pens

The Associated Press

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/teams/pit

May 21,2103

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, left, talks with teammate Evgeni Malkin during the team's practice ahead of Game 5 in their NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference semifinal against the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa, Ontario, on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Patrick Doyle)

OTTAWA — After a win in Game 3, the Ottawa Senators are confident they can tie their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Senators trail the Penguins 2-1 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series heading into Game 4 Wednesday.

"The next game is the biggest game of the year, that's the way it is," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "No matter what happens you treat it (as the biggest game) and when that's done you do the same for the next one."

The Senators' confidence in themselves and their ability to rebound has been the benchmark of their season. Ottawa's 2-1 double-overtime win Sunday night was just another example.

Alfredsson tied the game at 1-1 with 29 seconds remaining in regulation and Colin Greening went on to score the winner at 7:39 of the second overtime.

The Senators know that the Penguins will want to rebound in Game 4 and try to take control of this series.

"We can't stray too far from our game plan," Ottawa defenseman Marc Methot said. "Last game in particular we were so strong defensively and that's a huge key. We know we're going to get our opportunities offensively in their own zone."

For the Penguins, getting a split in Ottawa means a chance to clinch the series back home.

"I think every game the more the series goes on the more important each one gets," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "You can see the desperation they have. They want to make sure it's 2-2 going back to Pittsburgh and obviously we know the scenario is to come here and get one of two on the road and go back home with a chance to finish off the series would be great.

"I don't think we have to change anything to do that. Our desperation's been there, our compete level has been there and we believe that if we play the same way as last game and limit a few mistakes that we have a good chance of getting the win."

Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke knows that the Senators have likely gained confidence from their win.

"The playoffs are a race to four wins through seven games," Cooke said. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We knew the Sens weren't just going to roll over and give us all four games. Whether we lose 2-1 or 7-1, it's one loss and that's the way we have to view it."

The Penguins are confident and see no reason to panic or change their game plan.

"You have to believe in your game," Crosby said. "I think teams who get here believe in their game at this point. Sometimes in the playoffs you lose a tight game and you trust that if you play the same way in the next one you have a chance to win."

Senators defenseman Chris Phillips said much of the Senators success has come from their ability to stay grounded.

"You'd be absolutely beat if after every game that's all you did was think about the last game or worry about the result of the next game or riding highs or being down if you lose the previous one," Phillips said. "It's all about the process and playing and on the days off not even thinking about hockey and removing yourself from it.

"Physically as much as mentally you have to be rested and get ready for the next game. As far as this group is, it's not about getting caught up in the results it's going and playing the game the way we can and we'll deal with the results at the end."

Notes: Ottawa D Eric Gryba is expected to skate Wednesday morning, but not expected to play in Game 4. ... Pittsburgh LW Jussi Jokinen could be back in the lineup Wednesday.

Pens improve under microscope

The Penguins' Kris Letang breaks up ice with the puck during the first period against the Senators on Sunday, May 19, 2013, at Scotiabank Place at Ottawa.

About Dejan Kovacevic

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Sports Columnist Dejan Kovacevic can be reached via e-mail

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By Dejan Kovacevic 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
http://triblive.com/sports/
Published: Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 10:57 p.m.Updated 7 hours ago 

OTTAWA — Analyzing hockey can be like molecular science, if you think of it in a weird way: The sport looks more chaotic than it is, it's never just what's in plain eyesight, and it's sometimes more beneficial to study all those microscopic moving parts rather than the collective mass.

To wit, I humbly offer as Exhibit A in this science class, your own symbolically protozoan Pittsburgh Penguins.

As a mass, let's not kid anyone: They're a bummer right now. They're about to play the Senators in a Game 4 that should have come with a shot at ending this Stanley Cup playoff series, except they blew Game 3.

Badly.

Tempers flared with Daniel Alfredsson's tying goal, and the heat only multiplied once Colin Greening batted home that rebound in double-overtime. It was a terribly tough outcome, in no small part because the scope of the series had suddenly changed.

But the Penguins' players?

Eh, not so much.

At least not from what I could gather after a survey of the locker room Tuesday that might look to you more chaotic than it really was …

Start with Kris Letang.

No one was more visibly distressed after Alfredsson's goal Sunday. He barked, raised his arms … at whom exactly we won't know, but he was on fire. Brooks Orpik had to settle him once back at the bench.

By Tuesday …

“It helps to have the two days off,” Letang told me at his stall after the first practice since that goal. “It gives us a chance to regroup. We know we made some mistakes at a certain area, and we'll get better for it going into Game 4.”

I pressed for more. I mean, the guy's barracuda-intense by default, and he'd been really ticked.

“No, I know. I was pretty upset. We had a mental breakdown when we were mostly in control all game. I'm emotional. I want to win every game, every shift. But it's a seven-game series. That's the beauty. We'll be better for it.”

Letang's upbeat stance was mostly echoed through the room, no doubt a credit to Dan Bylsma's encouraging words to the athletes right after Game 3. He reminded them that they played their “best road game of the playoffs,” that they essentially silenced the Senators but for those fatal few seconds of regulation.

Be sure it was received.

Chris Kunitz, another of countless culprits on Alfredsson's goal, looked like he had at least some of his load lifted.

“You make one mistake,” he said, “but you can't go back out there holding your breath.”

Tomas Vokoun, collected as ever, carried himself as if he'd just finished a crossword puzzle rather than a deflating, dehydrating loss.

His eyes stayed on the prize.

“Everybody in this game wants to win the Stanley Cup,” Vokoun offered, unsolicited, to a question about this late stage of his career. “If we play like we can, we have a chance. We know that.”

Sidney Crosby, too, was characteristically pragmatic.

“You learn from the game, win or lose,” the captain said. “And you move on.”

Like I said, healthy. All of it.

And nothing had a healthier feel than the universally held sentiment that, rather than viewing the Alfredsson goal as revisiting all those Long Island lapses from the first round, all concerned were focused instead on how much they've improved defensively.

Which they have.

Shots won't show it, given Ottawa's fire-from-anywhere approach, and you won't even gather much from the Senators totaling only six goals so far. But the Penguins' coaches independently track quality chances allowed, and Game 3 was among their stingiest, according to players. I believe it. Yet again exempting the Alfredsson goal, the Penguins forced Ottawa forwards wide, held their own in front of the net — a constant in this series — and authoritatively cleared Vokoun's rebounds.

“That's the biggest thing, everyone working together to keep them out of the good scoring areas,” Matt Niskanen said, “and I think we did a pretty good job of that.”

The best job, I'd say, since that defense-driven 15-game winning streak.

“Yeah, I think so,” Douglas Murray said. “The best part is that it's easier to continue good habits than to change bad ones. Hopefully, we can sustain what we did well. We made the simple plays, our guys were skating, we were physical … those are easy things to say to do, but we were doing all of that. I think we had it for that stretch of the regular season, then kind of lost if for a little bit, and now it's back.”

If you have a problem with that assessment, take it up with Professor Crankshaft.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4053484-74/game-goal-alfredsson?printerfriendly=true#ixzz2U1AjX1fI 
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