Wed AM BRB (5-26-21)
This Day in Music (5-26-1967)
The Beatles eighth studio album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, hits stores in the U.K. 54 years later, it still holds up as the least-wrong answer for the greatest album of all time.
Photo Credit: Brad Penner/USA Today Sports
The Brooklyn Nets continue their assault through the first round of the NBA playoffs in a 130-108 victory over the Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center last night. It seemed as though the Nets could do whatever they wanted from the moment the game tipped off, taking the Celtics on a 48 minute crash course in domination. Though Kevin Durant would end up pacing the game with 26 points, it was Joe Harris who set the tone for the Nets, grabbing 16 points in the first quarter to set an ugly tone for Boston. In all Harris shot an absolutely ridiculous 70% from three, ending the game with 25 points in just over 29 minutes of floor time. Brooklyn’s Big Three of Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, combined for 61 points, with Durant’s 26 being complimented by 20 from Harden and 15 from Irving. It wasn’t the most impressive night for the latter two, but it simply didn’t need to be. Reinvigorated star Blake Griffin even found a bit of old form last night, slamming the ball home twice to permanently put the visitors in their place. The Celtics were simply no match for the vaunted Brooklyn attack, and had their problems compounded when Jayson Tatum’s eye was poked by Kevin Durant during a fight for a loose ball, causing Tatum to leave the game. This was an unfortunate exclamation to a rather ugly get-away day for Boston, who will hope to salvage some semblance of competition when the series reconvenes at TD Garden on Friday night.
The Mets finally got the boost they were looking for Tuesday night when ace Jacob deGrom returned to the mound and delivered five quality innings en route to a 3-1 Mets victory against Colorado. The Mets were naturally cautious with deGrom, having him go five innings over which he was typically effective, striking out nine Rockies while allowing just three hits and one run, a solo home run by Ryan McMahon (his second in as many days). To celebrate the occasion, the Mets lineup wasted no time providing run support for their returning ace, playing some small ball in the first inning to manufacture an early run. When your offense is banged up to the point where Brandon Drury is batting third, these are the things you need to do to win ballgames. Jonathan Villar led off the game with a single, followed by a Francisco Lindor walk before both men stole third and second, respectively, on a Drury strikeout. Cleanup hitter James McCann was able to put bat on ball to bring in Villar on a fielder’s choice, and the Mets had their run. Though runs are still bound to be in short supply given the beleaguered state of the Mets lineup, the team was unable to add insurance forcing deGrom to leave the game with a no-decision thanks to the McMahon dinger. In the sixth inning, Tomas Nido was once again the hero for the Mets, sending a 1-2 pitch over the CF wall for a two-run HR which put the team up for good. The Mets bullpen was outstanding behind deGrom, allowing no hits and striking out seven in their four combined innings of work. The win snapped a mini three-game losing streak for the Mets, who will look today to Marcus Stroman to continue his run of excellent form on the mound.
While the Mets win was something of a cathartic restart for their fans, last night’s 6-2 Yankees loss was an equally ominous flashback for the Bronx faithful. The Yankees once again had no answer for a Blue Jays offense that has pounded them on multiple occasions this year, but what made this evening truly disturbing for Yankees fans was the potential loss of Corey Kluber. The Yankees #2 starter was unable to follow his no-hitter with another victory, but that’s not the lede exiting Tuesday night for the veteran starter. After lasting just three innings, Kluber exited the game due to apparent shoulder tightness and will be re-evaluated via MRI on Wednesday. Though Kluber’s comments after the game makes the situation feel less severe, it’s still a major cause for concern for a pitcher who had his 2020 season derailed by a similar ailment. Kluber asserted to the media that this current discomfort is not at all reminiscent of the kind that sidelined him for essentially the entirety of the truncated 2020 season, saying more that he simply couldn’t get loose on Tuesday night. The Yankees should hope that’s all it is, as Kluber has proved an invaluable piece of their rotation and someone they’ve put in a position to anchor it along with Gerrit Cole. The offense was lifeless again, this time being victimized by former Mets left-hander Steven Matz, who cruised through the better part of 6.2 innings, striking out 10 Yankees to snap the Bombers winning streak at six games.