Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2017)
Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Thursday, July 27, 2017 Tennis Djokovic will sit out rest of 2017 because of injured elbow By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer For more than a year, Novak Djokovic’s right elbow hurt when he hit serves or forehands. The pain kept getting worse, and now he’s going to give his arm a chance to heal by sitting out the rest of 2017. Djokovic will miss the U.S. Open, ending his streak of partic- ipating in 51 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, and aims to return to the ATP tour in January. He made the announcement Wednesday — exactly a year to the day after Roger Federer said he would be sidelined for the second half of last season. Djokovic made his announce- ment via Facebook , his website and at a news conference in Belgrade, Serbia. “This is one of those injuries where nothing can really help instantly. You just have to allow natural rehabilitation to take its course,” Djokovic said. “Profes- sionally, this is not, obviously, an easy decision for me.” Since entering his first major tournament at the 2005 Australian Open, Djokovic has never missed Andrej Isakovic, Pool Photo via AP Tennis player Novak Djokovic gestures, during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, July 26, 2017. Djokovic will sit out the rest of this season because of an injured right elbow, meaning he will miss the U.S. Open and end his streak of participating in 51 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments. one, the third-longest active run among men and seventh-longest in history. In that time, the 30-year-old Serb has won 12 Grand Slam titles, including the U.S. Open in 2011 and 2015. Only three men have won more major tennis singles championships: Federer (19), Rafael Nadal (15) and Pete Sampras (14). “The remarkable series has come to an end,” Djokovic said. “My body has its limits, and I have to respect that and be grateful for all that I have achieved so far.” He said that Andre Agassi, with whom he recently began working on a part-time basis, will be his coach after the hiatus. Djokovic plans to start with a tuneup tourna- ment ahead of the Australian Open at the start of 2018. “He supports my decision to take a break and remains my head coach,” Djokovic said about Agassi, also noting that he’ll be looking for a new fitness trainer. “He is going to help me get back into shape and bounce back strong after the recovery period.” His last match was on July 12, when he stopped playing during his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Tomas Berdych because the elbow was too painful. Djokovic said then he had been struggling with the elbow on his racket-swinging arm for about 1½ years, which he reiterated Wednesday. He said he does not need surgery. Since winning the 2016 French Open to become the eighth man to complete a career Grand Slam and the first man in nearly a half-cen- tury to win four consecutive major trophies, Djokovic’s form has dipped. His ranking dropped from No. 1 to No. 4; he failed to defend any of those major titles. He acknowledged Wednesday that he “felt worn out” and “flat” after the run of success that culmi- nated at Roland Garros in 2016. “I was searching for myself, for motivation,” he said. Djokovic made it past the quarterfinals at only one of the past five majors: last year’s U.S. Open, where he lost in the final to Stan Wawrinka. Djokovic, who also mentioned Wednesday that his wife is expecting their second child, reached at least the semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium each of the past 10 years. That includes seven appearances in the final. Henri Laaksonen of Switzer- land, who is ranked 95th, will get Djokovic’s spot in the field at Flushing Meadows. This year’s U.S. Open starts Aug. 28. “All the doctors I’ve consulted, and all the specialists I have visited, in Serbia and all over the world, have agreed that this injury requires rest. A prolonged break from the sport is inevitable,” Djokovic said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to recover.” ———— Associated Press writer Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, contrib- uted to this report. MARINERS: Moore gives up pair of homers in 6 1/3 innings for third loss Continued from 1B a 2-1 fastball from starter Andrew Moore out to center field for his first hit in the majors. At 20 years and 275 days old, Devers was the youngest Red Sox player to homer since Tony Conigliaro in September 1965. Devers added a single in the seventh inning. “It was surreal. When I got back to the dugout I could barely walk to be honest with you,” Devers said through an interpreter. “I was just so happy about it. It was just a good moment.” Moore (1-3) was solid, but the long ball was his problem. Along with Devers’ shot, Moore gave up a two-out, AP Photo/Ted S. Warren Seattle starting pitcher Andrew Moore walks to the dugout after being pulled from a Wednesday’s game against the Boston in the seventh inning. two-run homer to Sandy Leon in the fourth inning. Moore hung a 1-2 curveball and Leon hit his sixth homer of the season. Moore was able to save Seattle’s bullpen by lasting 6 2/3 innings. “He’s learning. Certainly, I like his competitiveness. He just didn’t have that pitch to finish them today and the home run ball got him,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said of Moore. “I do like the way he’s able to make adjustments in-game, he’s done that a number of times.” SHUTOUT SEATTLE Boston recorded its fifth shutout of the season and second in the past two weeks. Oddly enough, three of Boston’s shutouts came against Seattle; the teams played just six times in the regular season. DAYS OFF Boston’s Mookie Betts and Seattle’s Robinson Cano, both All-Stars this year, got a break from the starting lineup with each team having a day off Thursday. Cano’s only duty was catching the ceremonial first pitch from Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. TRAINER’S ROOM Red Sox: Boston placed right-handed pitcher Ben Taylor on the 10-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his ribs. The move was retroactive to July 23. The Red Sox activated right- hander Blaine Boyer from the disabled list. Boyer had been out since July 16 with an elbow strain. Mariners: OF Jarrod Dyson (toe) is expected back in the lineup on Friday. Dyson missed the previous three games after hyperex- tending his toe crashing into the wall last Saturday against the Yankees. Servais wanted to give Dyson one more game off with an off day on Thursday. UP NEXT Red Sox: After a day off, Boston opens up a 10-game homestand against Kansas City. David Price (5-3) will start in the opener. Mariners: Following an off day, the Mariners open a three-game series with the New York Mets. Ariel Miranda (7-4) will start the opener on Friday. PAC-12: Also plan to centralize instant replay Continued from 1B NFL games. Some of that discrepancy can be attributed to stopping the clock after first downs in college foot- ball, a rule not used in the NFL. The halftime reduction could be a significant incentive to keep television viewers tuned in. Scott said up to 30 percent of the audi- ence is lost during that break. The changes could also have a positive effect on stadium attendance since Pac-12 fans have complained about the increase in late starts under the conference’s most recent television deal. Fans might be more likely to watch a game in-person on a Thursday or Saturday night if they have a chance to get home before midnight. For Arizona and Arizona State, which hold their early-season home games after dark to avoid the desert heat, it could mean their fans spend less time in triple-digit temperatures. Pac-12 coaches consulted about the change did not believe it would hinder their ability to make adjustments at halftime, Scott said. “I was delighted to hear our coaches feel like 20 minutes is more than they need from a student-athlete health and rest and X’s and O’s perspective,” Scott said. Scott also announced the league’s plans to operate a centralized replay center, joining other conferences in consolidating its video review facilities. The Pac-12 title game will stay at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, through 2019, Scott said. The league also has the option to hold the 2020 game in Santa Clara. PREDICTIONS: Arizona, Cal predicted to finish last Continued from 1B PAC-12 Preseason Predictions North 1st place votes Total 1. Washington 49 309 2. Stanford 1 247 3. Wash. St. 1 206 4. Oregon 1 163 5. Oregon State 0 101 6. California 0 64 South 1st place votes Total 1. USC 49 309 2. Utah 1 220 3. UCLA 1 209 4. Colorado 1 182 5. Arizona St. 0 109 6. Arizona 0 61 * - As voted by Pac-12 Media NFL-caliber talent. USC has been greeted annually with frenzied preseason expectations, partic- ularly since the dominant Pete Carroll era. The Trojans have far more coaching changes than conference titles in the past decade, failing to take the crown after being installed as the preseason favorites in 2012 and 2015. Another word of warning for the Trojans: The media has correctly picked the conference champion only twice in the last decade. Washington went 12-2 and won the conference title game over Colorado last season. The Huskies lost to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal, but star quarterback Jake Browning returns along with several key components of coach Chris Petersen’s burgeoning powerhouse. The Buffaloes are picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 South behind Utah and UCLA despite their breakthrough season under coach Mike MacIntyre. Arizona State ranked fifth in the divi- sion, and Arizona was last. Stanford is picked second in the North after going 10-3 last season. The Cardinal are followed by revitalized Washington State and rebuilding Oregon, which replaced coach Mark Helfrich with Willie Taggart after going 4-8 last fall for its worst season in a quarter-century. Oregon State is picked fifth in the North, with California expected to finish last under new coach Justin Wilcox. Oregon and Utah got one vote apiece as Pac-12 title game champions. SCOREBOARD Baseball AMERICAN LEAGUE East Division W L Pct GB Boston 56 47 .544 — New York 53 46 .535 1 Tampa Bay 53 49 .520 2½ Baltimore 48 53 .475 7 Toronto 47 54 .465 8 Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 54 45 .545 — Kansas City 53 47 .530 1½ Minnesota 49 50 .495 5 Detroit 45 55 .450 9½ Chicago 39 59 .398 14½ West Division W L Pct GB Houston 67 34 .663 — Seattle 51 52 .495 17 Texas 49 52 .485 18 Los Angeles 49 53 .480 18½ Oakland 44 57 .436 23 ——— Wednesday’s Games Tampa Bay 5, Baltimore 1 N.Y. Yankees 9, Cincinnati 5 Boston 4, Seattle 0 Philadelphia 9, Houston 0 Toronto 3, Oakland 2 Kansas City 16, Detroit 2 Cleveland 10, L.A. Angels 4 Miami 22, Texas 10 Chicago Cubs 8, Chicago White Sox 3 Minnesota at L.A. Dodgers,late finish Thursday’s Games L.A. Angels (Ramirez 9-8) at Cleveland (Bauer 8-8), 9:10 a.m. Oakland (Manaea 8-5) at Toronto (Stroman 9-5), 9:37 a.m. Tampa Bay (Archer 7-6) at N.Y. Yankees (Sabathia 9-3), 4:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Lester 7-6) at Chicago White Sox (Pelfrey 3-7), 5:10 p.m. NATIONAL LEAGUE East Division W Washington 60 Atlanta 48 L Pct GB 39 .606 — 52 .480 12½ New York 47 52 .475 13 Miami 46 53 .465 14 Philadelphia 35 64 .354 25 Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 53 47 .530 — Milwaukee 54 49 .524 ½ St. Louis 50 51 .495 3½ Pittsburgh 50 52 .490 4 Cincinnati 41 60 .406 12½ West Division W L Pct GB Los Angeles 70 31 .693 — Arizona 58 43 .574 12 Colorado 58 45 .563 13 San Diego 44 57 .435 26 San Francisco 40 63 .388 31 ——— Wednesday’s Games N.Y. Yankees 9, Cincinnati 5 Arizona 10, Atlanta 3 San Francisco 2, Pittsburgh 1 Philadelphia 9, Houston 0 Washington 8, Milwaukee 5 Miami 22, Texas 10 Chicago Cubs 8, Chicago White Sox 3 St. Louis 10, Colorado 5 Minnesota at L.A. Dodgers, late finish San Diego 6, N.Y. Mets 3 Thursday’s Games Milwaukee (Blazek 0-0) at Washington (Scherzer 11-5), 9:05 a.m. Cincinnati (Stephenson 0-3) at Miami (O’Grady 1-1), 4:10 p.m. Arizona (Godley 3-4) at St. Louis (TBD), 4:15 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Lester 7-6) at Chicago White Sox (Pelfrey 3-7), 5:10 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Flexen 0-0) at San Diego (Perdomo 4-5), 6:10 p.m. MiLB Northwest League North Division W Everett 2 Spokane 2 Tri-City 2 d-Vancouver 1 L 1 1 1 2 Pct GB .667 — .667 — .667 — .333 1 South Division W L Pct GB d-Hillsboro 2 1 .667 — Salem-Keizer 2 1 .667 — Eugene 1 2 .333 1 Boise 0 3 .000 2 d-First-half champions ———— Wednesday’s Games Hillsboro 6, Boise 1 Spokane 5, Everett 3 Salem-Keizer 6, Eugene 1 Tri-City 5, Vancouver 0 Thursday’s Games Hillsboro at Boise, 6:15 p.m. Everett at Spokane, 6:30 p.m. Salem-Keizer at Eugene, 7:05 p.m. Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:15 p.m. Soccer MLS EASTERN CONFERENCE W L T Toronto FC 11 3 7 Chicago 11 4 5 New York City FC 11 6 4 Atlanta United FC 10 7 3 New York 10 8 2 Columbus 10 11 1 Orlando City 8 8 5 Philadelphia 7 9 5 Montreal 6 7 6 New England 6 9 5 D.C. United 5 13 3 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L T FC Dallas 9 3 7 Sporting K.C. 8 4 9 Houston 9 7 5 Seattle 8 7 6 Portland 8 8 6 Vancouver 8 8 3 San Jose 7 9 5 Real Salt Lake 7 12 3 Los Angeles 6 10 4 Colorado 6 11 2 Minnesota United 5 12 4 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. ——— Wednesday’s Game Philadelphia 3, Columbus 0 Saturday’s Games Orlando City at Atlanta United FC, 1:30 p.m. Montreal at New York, 4:30 p.m. Philadelphia at New England, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at Sporting Kansas City, 5 p.m. Colorado at San Jose, 5 p.m. Columbus at Real Salt Lake, 5 p.m. D.C. United at Minnesota United, 5 p.m. Portland at Houston, 5 p.m. Vancouver at FC Dallas, 5 p.m. Seattle at Los Angeles, 7 p.m. Sunday’s Game New York City FC at Toronto FC, 2 p.m. Basketball Pts GF GA 40 37 22 38 38 21 37 40 27 33 40 27 32 28 26 31 31 35 29 22 30 26 29 24 24 30 32 23 33 34 18 18 38 Pts GF GA 34 32 19 33 25 15 32 37 30 30 32 31 30 37 36 27 26 29 26 23 34 24 28 42 22 31 37 20 20 28 19 25 45 WNBA EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Washington 13 9 .591 — Connecticut 13 9 .591 — New York 10 9 .526 1½ Atlanta 10 11 .476 2½ Chicago 8 14 .364 5 Indiana 8 14 .364 5 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Minnesota 17 2 .895 — Los Angeles 14 6 .700 3½ Phoenix 11 10 .524 7 Seattle 9 11 .450 8½ Dallas 11 12 .478 9 San Antonio 3 19 .136 15½ ——— Friday’s Games New York at Indiana, 4 p.m. Connecticut at Washington, 4 p.m. Minnesota at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Los Angeles at San Antonio, 5 p.m. Phoenix at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Dallas at Seattle, 7 p.m. AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez United States’ Jordan Morris scores the game-win- ning goal against Jamaica during the Gold Cup final in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, July 26, 2017. GOLD CUP: Altidore scores 39th career goal Continued from 1B Morris, a star at nearby Stanford from 2013-15, got the breakthrough goal with a 14-yard right-footed shot after Gyasi Zardes crossed. Jermaine Taylor tried to clear with a header and the ball was knocked by Clint Dempsey with a leg back to Morris. It was the fifth international goal for the 22-year-old Morris, who tied 16-year-old Canadian Alphonso Davies for the tournament lead with three goals. “I was nervous. It was my guy that scored on the goal, so I was trying to make up for it any way that I could,” Morris said. “Obviously. I take respon- sibility for that. But luckily I could put one in the back of the net.” The U.S. extended its unbeaten streak to 14 games (9-0-5) under Bruce Arena, who became the first coach to win three Gold Cup titles. U.S. captain Michael Bradley earned the Golden Ball at the tournament’s top player. The Americans had a chance in the 19th minute when Altidore’s swerving 30-yard shot was parried by Blake, who dived left and then beat Kellyn Acosta to the rebound at the 6-yard box. Acosta collided with Blake and appeared to kick the keeper’s right hand before Jamaica’s Damion Lowe cleared. Blake’s hand was wrapped but he couldn’t continue and was replaced by Miller four minutes later. As Blake left the field, he acknowledged the cheering fans with a wave of his left hand, then later emerged for the medal ceremony with his hand bandaged. Altidore put the U.S. ahead with a curling shot past Miller’s outstretched right hand into the upper corner of the net just beneath the crossbar, his 39th goal in 108 appear- ances. Lawrence, who scored in a 1-0 semifinal win Sunday against Mexico, took another corner kick in the 75th minute moments after Alvas Powell’s shot from close range deflected off Graham Zusi — a sequence that had Tim Howard yelling at the defense. With 18 of 22 starters from Major League Soccer, this was a rematch of the 2015 Gold Cup semifinal won 2-1 by Jamaica at Atlanta. For the first time since replacing Jurgen Klinsmann in November, Arena kept his lineup unchanged. He inserted the 34-year-old Dempsey in the 55th minute. The Americans hope for momentum built during this run as they prepare to resume World Cup qualifying. The U.S faces Costa Rica in a rematch of the Gold Cup semifinal on Sept. 1 at Harrison, New Jersey, and play four days later at Honduras. The hex concludes against Panama on Oct. 6 in Orlando, Florida, and at Trinidad and Tobago four days after.
