ANAHEIM, Calif.
. - The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned goalie Justin Pogge to their
minor-league affiliate in San Antonio, clearing the way for new goalie
Vesa Toskala.
Pogge was recalled from the AHL on Jan. 31 after the Ducks traded goalie
Jean-Sebastien Giguere to Toronto in a deal for Jason Blake and
Toskala, the former San Jose backup who never got a firm hold on the
Maple Leafs starting job in two and a half seasons with the club.
After spending the past week clearing up immigration issues, the Finnish
goalie is expected to practice with the Ducks on Sunday morning before
their home game against Los Angeles on Monday night.
Toskala is expected to be the Ducks backup to Jonas Hiller, who seized
the starting job from Giguere last season.
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The league and NHL Players Association announced the cap would increase from US$64.
. Both teams have had exceptional runs so far in the playoffs and now
the great test of who gets to represent the conference with a chance to
win a title in the NBA Finals in June.
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After managing just two goals total in the first three games of the
series, the Devils have beaten Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick four
times in the last two games.
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Quick made 38 saves to earn his NHL-leading fifth shutout, and
Trent Hunter and Jarret Stoll scored to lead the Kings past the Chicago
Blackhawks 2-0 on Wednesday night.
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With the score tied, 99-99, the Sixers Andre Iguodala had his shot from
the top of the key waived off after instant replay revealed the ball was
still on his fingertips as the time expired.
Chris Kaman logged 24 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in
regulation, while Baron Davis chipped in 20 points and 13 assists for
Los Angeles, which has won three of its last four.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Now
that Zack Greinke has that long-awaited first victory in a Los Angeles
Angels uniform, he sees no reason why he cant pile up some more and help
keep the team in the playoff hunt.
Greinke ended a winless streak of eight consecutive starts going back to
his time with the Milwaukee Brewers, and Albert Pujols backed him with a
homer and four RBIs in a 9-6 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday
night.
"Theyve been playing great behind me, but Ive just pitched bad the last
couple of outings. So it was nice to put up a decent performance,"
Greinke said. "I was trying to establish the fastball, mix in the
off-speed stuff every now and then and throw strikes with everything."
Greinke (1-1) allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings, struck
out five and walked one. The 2009 AL Cy Young winner, who came to Los
Angeles in a deal with Milwaukee on July 27 for three prospects, gave up
12 runs in 19 innings over his first three starts for the Angels. He
was 9-3 with a 3.44 ERA in 21 starts this season for the Brewers.
Erick Aybar also went deep for the Angels.
LaTroy Hawkins inherited a 9-4 lead from Greinke and gave up a two-run,
two-out homer by former Angel Casey Kotchman in the eighth. Kevin Jepsen
got the third out and Ernesto Frieri pitched a perfect ninth for his
14th save in 15 attempts.
Greinke was cruising with a 4-0 lead before hitting cleanup hitter
Carlos Santana on the backside with two out in the fourth. Teammate
Howie Kendrick was hit by Ubaldo Jimenez in the first inning, and plate
umpire Phil Cuzzi issued a warning to both benches.
"Theres so much inconsistency with that rule, its sickening," Cleveland
manager Manny Acta said. "I mean, I think the whole ballpark knew that
Kendrick wasnt hit on purpose -- but I think the whole ballpark knew
that he hit Santana on purpose. So if the umpires assume that he hit him
on purpose, then whats the ruling?
"Now were going to give a warning so that we cant retaliate? Its not
fair," he added. "I understand that theyre just trying to cover
themselves, but thats not right. The rule says if youre sure that a guy
hit a batter on purpose, you can throw him out. But youve got to give
the other guy a shot to do something about it."
Before plunking Santana, Greinke had hit only one of 1,010 batters over
his previous 39 starts and 247 innings -- Pittsburghs Matt Diaz last
Aug. 22.
"Ive hit one guy this year now and have been warned twice," Greinke
said. "I was just trying to establish other pitches and just pulled that
one a little bit. People seem to think that any time I throw inside, Im
hitting guys on purpose. I dont understand it."
Michael Brantley deposited Greinkes next pitch deep into the elevated
seats in right field for his fifth homer, cutting Cllevelands deficit to
4-2. .
But the Angels responded in the bottom half with a leadoff homer by
Aybar and a three-run shot by Pujols, who basically swung one-handed at a
2-2 pitch and sent it on a high arc into the first row of seats just
inside the left field pole.
Pujols added a run-scoring double in the sixth, increasing his RBI total
to 82. The three-time NL MVP had no homers and just five RBIs in his
first 27 games with the Angels.
Jimenez (9-12) gave up eight runs and eight hits through four innings,
matching a career worst for earned runs allowed. He is 2-7 with a 5.62
ERA over his last 10 starts, including a 3-0 loss to Angels ace
Jered Weaver on July 2 at Cleveland.
Jimenez threw 26 of his 72 pitches during a four-run first, ending an
eight-game stretch in which the Angels failed to score in the opening
inning. It took them just 12 pitches to get five baserunners and three
runs before the right-hander could record his first out.
"We know he has a splitty with pretty good movement, so we just tried to
make him get the ball up and not miss those pitches," right fielder
Torii Hunter said. "He did and we were able to capitalize on the pitches
he left up."
Mike Trout, who has scored a major league-leading 91 runs in 94 games,
doubled and came home on Hunters single. Kendrys Morales, Mark Trumbo
and Chris Iannetta also had RBI singles for the Angels, who were just 3
for 28 with runners in scoring position during their previous four
games.
"Its been a while, but thats baseball," Hunter said. "We feel bad about
whats been going on. Our team shouldnt be losing the way weve been
losing -- not with this ballclub."
Indians right-hander Roberto Hernandez, who was suspended by Major
League baseball for age and identity fraud, has been added to the
Indians 25-man roster and will start Wednesday nights series finale.
Hernandez, formally known as Fausto Carmona, was arrested in January
outside the U.S. consulate in the Dominican Republic while trying to
renew his visa -- which he finally was granted on July 21. He returned
to Cleveland in July and has made four minor league starts while serving
a three-week suspension. Hernandez was found to be 31 years old, three
years older than his listed age.
NOTES: Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher served the one-game suspension
he received Tuesday from MLB following his nose-to-nose confrontation
with umpire Mike Estabrook, who ejected him for arguing balls and
strikes three batters into Weavers 4-1 loss to Seattle on Sunday.
Butcher also was fined an undisclosed amount. ... The Indians placed RHP
Josh Tomlin in the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 13,
because of inflammation in his elbow. Its his third career stint on the
DL and second this season, after being sidelined from May 12-27 with a
sore wrist.
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