Giants giving Goodson shot at starting linebacker job Darvish dominates Mets in Dodgers’ debut
East Rutherford, N.J. — After getting a handful of plays as a rookie, B.J. Goodson seemingly is starting the season as the New York Giants middle linebacker.
A fourth-round draft pick out of Clemson a year ago, Goodson has been working with the first team defense since organized team activities in the offseason and nothing changed through minicamp and now training camp.
Coach Ben McAdoo likes what he sees in Goodson, especially his willingness to hit.
Goodson knocked down receiver Sterling Shepard on the first play after the team put on pads, and he got a hit on Orleans Darkwa on Thursday. Neither opponent seemed to appreciate the hit.
That was OK with McAdoo. He has repeatedly said he wants a heavy-handed defense and Goodson can give him that in the base package.
He will likely not be on the field in passing situations with the Giants having a plethora of solid defensive backs.
“That's a big part of my game. I've always been that way, and it probably won't ever change,” Goodson said of the physical nature of his game. “That's just me.”
Goodson did not get a chance to show much last season. He finished with nine tackles, seven on special teams, and a forced fumble.
Kelvin Sheppard started 11 games at middle linebacker last season. The other five games, the Giants opened with an extra back instead of a middle linebacker.
New York did not re-sign Sheppard in the offseason and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has opted to with Goodson instead of veterans Keenan Robinson and Mark Herzlich in the base defense.
Goodson has spent months learning to call the defense and get a feel for playing with veterans like Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison in front of him. He has been tutored by former Giants middle linebacker Antonio Pierce.
“AP has been helping me out a lot on being more of just a vocal leader and having to stand for the defense and being a strong leader,” Goodson said. “Be that guy that the rest of the defense has to look up to, especially when times get rough.”
Goodson said his goal for training camp is to improve a little each day, whether it's with his footwork or using his hands. He also wants his teammates to see him as a leader.
“I've been preparing to be the starter ever since I got here,” the 24-year-old said. “I didn't get a chance to start my rookie year, but day in and day out, I've been preparing like the starter, like I said, when I got here. The opportunity has come.”
Notes
Friday's workout was a light day and several veterans, including Eli Manning, got the day off. Well, almost. McAdoo had Manning call plays for the offense. “We wanted to give him a chance to stay dialed in mentally, and get those mental reps.” ... The practice will pick up today with team working on all downs, distances and situations except the 2:00 drill. McAdoo said there would be no live tackling. “We'll have a bunch of thud periods.”
New York — Yu Darvish fit right in with the steamrolling Dodgers, striking out 10 over seven innings of three-hit ball during his Los Angeles debut to pitch the top team in the majors past the New York Mets 6-0 on Friday night.
Chris Taylor hit a leadoff homer against Jacob deGrom, and Mets nemesis Chase Utley added a tworun shot as Los Angeles improved baseball's best record to 77-32 with its 11th victory in 12 games. Yasiel Puig also went deep for the Dodgers, who have outscored New York 42-11 in winning all five meetings this season.
On the best extended roll by a National League team since World War II, the Dodgers are 42-7 since June 7 — a stretch unequaled in franchise history. They have won 22 of 25 since July 4, with all three losses coming against Atlanta.
In his first start since being acquired from Texas for three prospects just before Monday's trade deadline, Darvish (1-0) only made the Dodgers look even better. With his confident teammates behind him, the four-time All-Star snapped a fivegame losing streak and won for the first time in nine outings since June 12 at Houston.
Darvish went 6-9 with a 4.01 ERA in 22 starts for the Rangers — and his last one was a dud.
The right-hander gave up a career-high 10 runs over 3.2 innings July 26 in a 22-10 loss to Miami, but his first game with Los Angeles could not have gone smoother.
Mixing his 95-96 mph fastball with a 71-75 mph curve and other assorted pitches, Darvish easily silenced a Mets team that has lost five of six.
Josh Fields and Luis Avilan finished up as Los Angeles held the Mets to four singles — two by Michael Conforto and one by deGrom, who became the first New York pitcher to steal a base since Oliver Perez in May 2008.
Touted prospect Amed Rosario also singled and stole a base in his home debut for the Mets. The 21-year-old shortstop was called up from the minors before Tuesday's game at Colorado.
layup and hit a pull-up jumper in transition.
Allie Quigley scored 15 points and Kahleah Copper added 13 for Chicago (9-16). Cappie Pondexter moved into fourth in the WNBA with 2,333 field goals.
Candice Dupree led Indiana (8-17) with 18 points and Natalie Achonwa added 14. Dupree became the ninth WNBA player to reach 2,500 rebounds.
Skylar Diggins-Smith had 23 points and seven assists, and Dallas tied a WNBA record with 16 3-pointers in a victory over Seattle.
Diggins-Smith was 5 of 7 from distance, and Allisha Gray and Theresa Plaisance each hit three 3s. The Wings set a franchise record for 3-pointers, going 16 of 26 (61.5 percent).
Karima Christmas-Kelly added 14 points for Dallas (12-14). Glory Johnson had 11 points and a season-high 16 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season.
Jewell Loyd scored 23 points and Breanna Stewart added 21 for Seattle (10-14). Sue Bird was just 1 of 7 from the field, but had seven assists.
Minnesota Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen is out indefinitely with a broken left hand.
The Lynx announced that Whalen had surgery Friday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to repair a fracture of the fifth metacarpal. That’s the bone directly beneath the pinky.
The 14-year veteran was hurt in the third quarter of Minnesota’s 69-54 victory over Atlanta on Thursday.