Giants, Dodgers get glimpse into futures
If you’re a passionate sports fan and had designs on a Saturday getaway — say, a camping trip in the wild — you might want to reconsider. The Warriors host Game 1 of the second round, the Sharks have a big game in Las Vegas, and a kid throwing 100 mph will spice up the Giants-Dodgers rivalry at AT&T Park.
That’s quite a doubleheader the Giants have lined up. The 7 p.m. nightcap finds Johnny Cueto facing the Dodgers’ Alex Wood, and those are two of the most effective National League pitchers to date. But it’s the first game, with a 1 p.m. start, that has gained the scouts’ attention.
Chris Stratton, who looks like a fixture in the Giants’ rotation for years to come, will face right-hander Walker Buehler, the best prospect in the L.A. system and perhaps the down-the-line successor to Clayton Kershaw as the Dodgers’ ace. Buehler made his first start of the season on Monday against Miami and threw a first-inning pitch clocked at 101 mph — reported to be the second-fastest pitch in the big leagues this season (behind St. Louis reliever Jordan Hicks; the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani subsquently joined the party, hitting 101 against Houston on Tuesday).
At 6-foot-4 and 175 pounds, built along the lines of lean and long-necked teammate Cody Bellinger, Buehler has a bit of swagger about him. And it appears we’re about to see a pure, power-against-power matchup between the former Vanderbilt star and Giants outfielder Mac Williamson, if he is cleared to play.
How’s this for a collegiate pitching staff: As Vanderbilt prepared for the best-of-three national championship series against Virginia in 2014, the club had a choice between Buehler and Tyler Beede, who had just been drafted by the Giants, to start the opener. Buehler got the nod, getting knocked around in a game the Commodores eventually won, and after Beede took the loss in Game 2, Vanderbilt clinched the title with a 3-2 win.
A year later, after Buehler wrapped up his junior year, the Dodgers made him their first-round pick despite the alarming news that he was headed straight for Tommy John surgery. They have no regrets. Walker is a bit of a meteor just now, replacing disabled Rich Hill in the rotation and likely to return to the minors after Saturday’s start, but he will be back. “He’s pretty cocky, and we like that,” said the Dodgers’ Kike Hernandez. “We expect a lot of him. He’s a stud.”
The fantasy game
It’s asking a lot for rookie quarterbacks to step right in as a starter, but in the wake of Thursday night’s NFL draft, one can’t help but imagine these matchups: Josh Rosen’s Arizona Cardinals against the 49ers twice; Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield against Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson twice; Sam Darnold against Mayfield in the Jets-Browns game (Sept. 20), and the Raiders all over this dynamic with games against Mayfield (Sept. 30), Rosen (Nov. 18) and Jackson (Nov. 25) ... It will be interesting to watch Rosen, who claimed “nine mistakes were made ahead of me” on draft night, in a division featuring the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo, the Rams’ Jared Goff and Seattle’s Russell Wilson ... The selection of gifted Maryland receiver D.J. Moore should be great news for Christian McCaffrey and Cam Newton in Carolina ... Nobody talks much about ex-Cal quarterback Davis Webb in New York — he spent all of last season without playing a down — but with the Giants drafting running back Saquon Barkley, Webb remains the backup to Eli Manning, whose play often came under heavy fire in New York last season.
Speaking of which: Sonny Gray is having a difficult time in the Big Apple. The former A’s star should have it made back there, playing alongside sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, fast-rising catcher Gary Sanchez and a crop of infielders so excellent (Didi Gregorius and potential stars Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar), the Yankees won’t feel compelled to trade for Manny Machado or pursue him on the free-agent market. Struggling with his command and declining velocity, Gray has a 7.71 ERA and awoke last week to the New York Post headline, “Gray Awful Again.” With the boos raining down, the self-assured Gray said it’s “no big deal. To me, it’s not a life-or-death situation.” To which Fred Kerber replied in the Post, “No, it’s not. In New York, it’s far more important than life or death.” ... Between the Pac-12 Network and in-person looks, we’ve seen Darren Baker play second base for Cal in seven recent games. Just a freshman, Dusty’s kid is a graceful, athletic defender and a dangerous hitter with his line-drive stroke and speed. Nice, too, to see Dusty at every one of those games.
Bits and pieces on Warriors-New Orleans: Noted trashtalker Rajon Rondo is seeing that quality emerge in backcourt teammate Jrue Holiday, telling reporters, “It’s a different side of him. He’s playing with a lot of rage. I love every minute of it.” ... Note to Shaquille O’Neal and everyone else still saying it wrong: That’s Rah-john Rondo, not
Ray ... The teams’ final regular-season game was meaningless, but the finish was a bit embarrassing for Kevin Durant, who was stripped by Rondo in the final minute to clinch the Pelicans’ victory. Durant would love an encore of that matchup, as well a revival of his three-point shot (10-for-40 of late) ... Pelicans GM Dell Demps played at Hayward’s Mount Eden High School, University of Pacific, the semi-pro Bay Raiders and the Warriors (just two games, 1993-94) in his day ... A different way of looking at things: San Antonio coach Ettore Messina described the Warriors’ stifling defense as “extremely cynical” ... Where
hasn’t Jim Barnett been? The Warriors’ esteemed analyst broke in with Bill Russell’s Celtics in 1966. He played for the original version of the Houston Rockets — the expansion San Diego Rockets — the following season. And when you look up the first NBA team to play in New Orleans — the 1974-75 Jazz — there’s Barnett on the roster, averaging 13 points a game before a midseason trade to the Knicks ... And by the way, let Utah come up with some other name. New Orleans should always be the Jazz.