Ceci Ferrara
June 2, 2014
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
After dominating the Rangers in the first two games of the weekend, the Nationals were shutout 0-2 at home Sunday.
The Nats had impressive victories Friday (9-2) and Saturday (10-2), scoring a combined 19 runs over two games before their bats fell silent on Sunday afternoon. Texas’ Yu Darvish pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and striking out twelve. Washington had no explanation for their lack of offense, except for the superb pitching of the Rangers’ right-hander.
“There’s just times when you have to tip your cap,” LaRoche said. “And I think today was one of them.”
With the victory, Darvish improved to 5-2 on the season, with a 2.08 ERA. For the Nationals, the numbers weren’t as positive. With the loss, they fell back below .500 (27-28), and remain stuck in the middle of the NL East Standings.
They will have a chance to improve their rank in the coming week; their next six games are against the Phillies and Padres respectively, both of whom have losing records and are struggling to remain relevant in their divisions.
NBA Finals rematch staged
Just one day after the Miami Heat beat the Pacers 117-92 to advance to their fourth straight Championship series, the Spurs outlasted Oklahoma City 112-107 in overtime for their second straight Finals appearance.
The series will serve as a rematch of last year’s Finals, which the Heat won in seven. San Antonio led 3-2 heading into game 6, but the Heat’s aggressive offense, led by LeBron James’ 32 points, forced overtime. The Spurs were still on pace to win, but an unbelievable three-pointer by Ray Allen with just 5.2 seconds left gave Miami a 103-100 OT win. The victory forced a game 7, which the Heat went on to win for their second straight title.
Though it’s been almost a year, the memory of that shocking game 6 loss is still fresh for San Antonio.
“We’ve got that bad taste in our mouths still,” Spurs forward Tim Duncan said.
Though the series doesn’t start until Thursday, it’s clear it will be a fierce competition, with San Antonio is seeking redemption and the Heat trying to solidify themselves in NBA history with a three-peat.
“They wanted this. They wanted us,” James said after hearing Duncan’s comments. “And we’ll be ready for the challenge.”