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Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian MarShon Brooks scores 21 as Grizzlies beat Blazers 108-103 Ichiro Suzuki to be in lineup as Mariners open vs Indians By CLAY BAILEY Associated Press By TIM BOOTH Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With a 10-day contract to make an impression, MarShon Brooks got off to a very nice start. Brooks scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter in his first game with Memphis, helping the last- place Grizzlies beat the Port- land Trail Blazers 108-103 on Wednesday night. Brooks made each of his four 3-point attempts in the final period in his first NBA appearance since April 16, 2014, with the Lakers. He signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on Tuesday. “You don’t really have time to get comfortable on a 10-day. You just don’t,” Brooks said. “Thank God I made shots. That helps.” Brooks, who averaged 36.6 points for the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association this year, was 7 for 12 from the field. Dillon Brooks had 18 points for the Grizzlies (21-54), who trailed 93-86 with 7 minutes left. Chandler Parsons finished with 15 in Memphis’ second straight win. CJ McCollum led Port- land (46-29) with 42 points, and Wade Baldwin IV added 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting. The Trail Blazers went 3 for 8 at the line in the final 7 minutes. A handful of turnovers in the fourth only made matters worse. “In the fourth quarter, you SEATTLE — The lingering question of whether Ichiro Suzuki would be ready for opening day was solved on Wednesday. Yes, he’ll be on the Seattle Mariners 25-man roster, despite a lingering calf injury. And, yes, he’ll be in left field on Thursday night when the Mariners open the season hosting the Cleveland Indians. “It was a crazy spring for him getting in late and having a little setback with the calf injury but I think he showed us enough here the last couple of days that he can get out there, run around and help us out a little bit,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “As I said when we brought him in he’ll hit at the bottom of the lineup, he’ll help in a number of different ways. But obviously he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow night.” This isn’t turn back the clock night, although the nostalgia will be thick — let alone the challenge of facing Cleveland ace Corey Kluber and one of the powerhouse clubs in the American League. It’ll be Suzuki’s first regular season game in a Seattle uniform since July 22, 2012. He made his mark as a right fielder with Seattle, though that spot now will be manned by Mitch Haniger. And there’s a very real chance this is a temporary assignment. Suzuki must perform better than he did in his limited spring training AP Photo/Brandon Dill Memphis Grizzlies guard MarShon Brooks (8) shoots between Port- land Trail Blazers center Zach Collins, left, and for- ward Al-Farouq Aminu (8) in Wednesday’s game in Memphis, Tenn. have to make free throws,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “You can’t miss free throws, and you have to guard better. You can’t give up 32 points in the fourth quarter and have turnovers and missed free throws. Not going to win many games like that.” Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, who had 41 points in Tuesday’s win over New Orleans, was not with the team after the birth of his son. TIP-INS Trail Blazers: Played their third game in four days. ... Shabazz Napier started his eighth game of the season in place of Lillard. ... Portland had won seven in a row on the road. Thursday, March 29, 2018 AP Photo/Elaine Thompson Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez walks onto the field for a practice on the team’s home field Wednesday in Seattle. The team opens play today against the Cleveland Indians, with Hernandez the starting Mariners pitcher. opportunities to justify receiving playing time ahead of Guillermo Heredia or Ben Gamel when Gamel returns from his oblique injury. At least for the opener, it’ll be Suzuki’s stage in left field. “Obviously being out there on the field is one thing, but just driving from my house to the stadium, just the views that I remember,” Suzuki said through an inter- preter. “Just an awesome thing that I’m here. I’m just so happy.” It’s hard to know what to expect from the 44-year-old, who was hitless in the five spring training games he played in, not counting side field games against minor leaguers. A year ago, Suzuki hit .255 in limited at-bats for Miami. When he was signed by Seattle this month, he seemed set for a roster spot. But the calf injury made the disabled list a potential destination right up until the final day of spring training. Seattle optioned Taylor Motter to Triple-A Tacoma to clear the roster spot for Suzuki. “When I got hurt, the whole plan was just to be ready for opening day. I feel that I barely snuck in here,” Suzuki said through an interpreter. “It was a close one but I’m glad I was able to get to this point and be ready.” The nostalgia isn’t limited to Suzuki. Felix Hernandez will be starting his 10th straight Opening Day for Seattle. Hernandez and Kluber will always be tied together by the 2014 Cy Young voting where the Cleveland righty edged Hernandez in the balloting. While Kluber added his second Cy Young Award last year and is a top contender for the honor again in 2018, Hernandez is trying to evolve into a pitcher that can still be at the top of his game even as he ages and can’t blow away hitters the way he did earlier in his career. But even Hernandez’s spring was altered by injury after taking a liner off his arm. Hernandez is not expected to go much beyond 80 pitches in the opener. PENDLETON: Buckaroos defense also had a strong showing Continued from 1B thing as a hitter, and so far I would imagine most of the hitters have fairly decent confidence right now, as they should.” Pendleton pushed across five runs in the first inning following an RBI doubles by Lauren Richards and Aspen Garton as well as a two-RBI single by Alexi Brehaut, who finished 3-for-4 overall. The Bucks then took all the wind out of the Braves’ sails in the third when 12 batters came to the plate and nine runs scored, highlighted by Kalan McGlothan’s two-RBI double that she hooked inside the third base line, and Kila Solomon’s two-run home run to straightaway center. Then in the fourth, McGlothan stepped to the plate with one out and clob- bered a first-pitch fastball on the inner half of the plate way past the 200-foot sign in left field. McGlothan said she wasn’t looking for that pitch in particular, instead using a simple approach that worked out well. “For me, I just look to barrel up any ball,” McGlo- than said,” and it just went (out).” Lauren Richards had a good game in the pitching circle, tossing all five shutout innings while striking out six and allowing just two hits. Her most impressive inning came in the fourth where she allowed a leadoff double and then had a runner on third with only one out, but she Staff photo by Kathy Aney Pendleton softball players greet teammate Kila Solo- man at homeplate after her home run during Tuesday’s game against Kamiakin at Steve Cary Field. escaped the jam by inducing a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. And the Buckaroos defense also had a strong showing. The unit had to battle constant wind gusts of roughly 20 mph for the entire game, but played a clean game with zero errors, which pleased Cary and the coaches very much. “We always say that no matter the score ... you always do everything right and I think we held true on that,” Cary said. “The defense was solid, the pitching was solid, with hitting, every batter went up there with the idea of hitting the ball hard. I was happy with that, that we didn’t let up in any way, shape or form.” Now after a grueling start to the week, Pendleton gets to enjoy the rest of its spring break with some time off. The Buckaroos won’t get back to live game action for seven days when they travel to La Grande on April 5, and by then Cary hopes the offense can pick up where it has left off. “I’m happy with each and every one of their approaches right now at the plate,” Cary said. “If they stick with what they’re doing well, things should turn out well.” ———— R H E KHS 000 00 — 0 2 3 PHS 509 4X — 18 16 0 (K) E. Wood, H. Jablonski and A. Wood. (P) L. Richards and K. Solomon. W — Rich- ards, L — Wood. 2B — M. Christianson (KHS); Ki. McGlothan, L. Richards, A. Garton, Ka. McGlothan, A. Brehaut (PHS). HR — Ka. McGlothan, K. Solomon (PHS). ———— Contact Eric at esinger@ eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0839. Follow him on Twitter @ByEricSinger. SCOREBOARD Local slate PREP BASEBALL Thursday McNary vs. Hermiston (Volcano Stadium Tourney), 6 p.m. Friday Vernonia at Heppner (DH), 1 p.m. Aloha vs. Hermiston (Volcano Stadium Tourney), 4:30 p.m. Saturday Aloha vs. Hermiston (Volcano Stadium Tourney), 11:30 a.m. Joseph at Mac-Hi (DH), 12 p.m. McNary vs. Hermiston (Volcano Stadium Tourney), 2 p.m. PREP SOFTBALL Friday Echo vs. Kennedy (at Union), 9 a.m. Vernonia at Heppner (DH), 1 p.m. Echo vs. Colton (at Union), 3 p.m. Stayton at Mac-Hi, 4 p.m. Rainier at Mac-Hi, 6 p.m. Saturday Pilot Rock vs. Bonanza (at Union), 9 a.m. Weston-McEwen vs. Colton (at Union), 11 a.m. Junction City at Mac-Hi, 2 p.m. Pilot Rock vs. Colton (at Union), 3 p.m. Yamhill-Carlton at Mac-Hi, 4 p.m. Weston-McEwen at Union, 5 p.m. PREP TRACK AND FIELD Saturday Mac-Hi at Holder Relays (Yakima), 10 a.m. Pendleton at Hanford (WA), 10:30 a.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Saturday BMCC at Wenatchee Valley (DH), 1 p.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Thursday Carroll at EOU (DH), 11 a.m. Friday Carroll at EOU (DH), 11 a.m. BMCC at Spokane (DH), 2 p.m. Saturday BMCC at North Idaho (DH), Noon Basketball NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct x-Toronto 55 20 .733 x-Boston 52 23 .693 x-Philadelphia 44 30 .595 New York 27 49 .355 Brooklyn 24 51 .320 Southeast Division W L Pct Washington 41 33 .554 Miami 40 35 .533 Charlotte 34 42 .447 Orlando 22 52 .297 Atlanta 21 54 .280 Central Division W L Pct x-Cleveland 45 30 .600 x-Indiana 44 31 .587 Milwaukee 39 35 .527 Detroit 34 40 .459 Chicago 24 50 .324 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct GB — 3 10½ 28½ 31 GB — 1½ 8 19 20½ GB — 1 5½ 10½ 20½ GB y-Houston 61 14 .813 — San Antonio 43 32 .573 18 New Orleans 43 32 .573 18 Dallas 23 52 .307 38 Memphis 21 54 .280 40 Northwest Division W L Pct GB Portland 46 29 .613 — Oklahoma City 44 31 .587 2 Minnesota 43 33 .566 3½ Utah 42 33 .560 4 Denver 40 35 .533 6 Pacific Division W L Pct GB y-Golden State 54 20 .730 — L.A. Clippers 41 34 .547 13½ L.A. Lakers 33 41 .446 21 Sacramento 24 51 .320 30½ Phoenix 19 57 .250 36 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division ——— Wednesday’s Games Brooklyn 111, Orlando 104 Cleveland 118, Charlotte 105 Philadelphia 118, New York 101 Memphis 108, Portland 103 Minnesota 126, Atlanta 114 Boston 97, Utah 94 L.A. Clippers 111, Phoenix 99 L.A. Lakers 103, Dallas 93 Thursday’s Games Washington at Detroit, 4 p.m. Chicago at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 5 p.m. Indiana at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Milwaukee at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. NCAA Men’s Tournament FINAL FOUR At The Alamodome San Antonio National Semifinals Saturday, March 31 No. 11 Loyola of Chicago (32-5) vs. No. 3 Michigan (32-7), 3:09 p.m. (TBS) No. 1 Villanova (34-4) vs. No. 1 Kansas (31-7), 5:49 p.m. (TBS) NCAA Women’s Tournament FINAL FOUR At Columbus, Ohio National Semifinals Friday, March 30 Mississippi State (36-1) vs. Louisville (36- 2), 4 p.m. (ESPN2) UConn (36-0) vs. Notre Dame (33-3), 6 p.m. (ESPN2) Hockey NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts x-Tampa Bay 76 51 21 4 106 x-Boston 75 47 17 11 105 Toronto 77 46 24 7 99 Florida 75 39 29 7 85 Montreal 77 28 37 12 68 Detroit 77 28 38 11 67 Ottawa 76 26 39 11 63 Buffalo 76 24 40 12 60 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts Washington 77 46 24 7 99 Pittsburgh 77 43 28 6 92 Philadelphia 78 39 25 14 92 Columbus 77 43 29 5 91 GF GA 273 217 249 194 261 219 229 228 196 245 199 239 207 270 177 250 GF GA 243 225 253 238 234 232 222 211 New Jersey 76 40 28 8 88 229 228 Carolina 77 34 32 11 79 215 244 N.Y. Rangers 77 33 35 9 75 223 248 N.Y. Islanders 77 32 35 10 74 246 279 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA x-Nashville 76 49 16 11 109 245 193 x-Winnipeg 76 47 19 10 104 255 200 Minnesota 76 42 24 10 94 233 215 St. Louis 76 43 28 5 91 212 198 Colorado 77 41 28 8 90 241 224 Dallas 77 39 30 8 86 218 210 Chicago 77 31 36 10 72 217 238 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA x-Vegas 77 48 22 7 103 256 208 San Jose 77 44 23 10 98 238 209 Los Angeles 77 42 28 7 91 224 190 Anaheim 77 39 25 13 91 218 208 Calgary 77 35 32 10 80 205 234 Edmonton 77 34 37 6 74 224 250 Vancouver 77 28 40 9 65 201 248 Arizona 77 27 39 11 65 193 244 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. ——— Wednesday’s Games Toronto 4, Florida 3 Washington 3, N.Y. Rangers 2, OT Philadelphia 2, Colorado 1 Arizona 3, Vegas 2 Thursday’s Games Detroit at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at Boston, 4 p.m. Pittsburgh at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Florida at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. San Jose at Nashville, 5 p.m. Dallas at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Winnipeg at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Columbus at Calgary, 6 p.m. Edmonton at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Arizona at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Soccer MLS EASTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA Columbus 3 0 1 10 8 3 NYC FC 3 0 1 10 8 3 New York 2 1 0 6 7 1 Atlanta United FC 2 1 0 6 7 6 Philadelphia 1 0 1 4 2 0 New England 1 1 1 4 4 5 Montreal 1 2 0 3 4 5 D.C. United 0 2 2 2 5 9 Orlando City 0 2 1 1 2 5 Chicago 0 2 0 0 4 6 Toronto FC 0 2 0 0 0 3 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA Sporting K.C. 2 1 1 7 9 9 Vancouver 2 1 1 7 5 6 Los Angeles FC 2 0 0 6 6 1 Minnesota United 2 2 0 6 6 8 FC Dallas 1 0 2 5 5 2 Houston 1 1 1 4 7 4 LA Galaxy 1 1 1 4 3 3 Real Salt Lake 1 1 1 4 3 6 San Jose 1 1 0 3 5 5 Colorado 0 1 1 1 3 4 Portland 0 2 1 1 2 7 Seattle 0 2 0 0 0 4 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. ——— Friday, March 30 Real Salt Lake at Toronto FC, 5 p.m. Saturday, March 31 New York at Orlando City, 10 a.m. Los Angeles FC at LA Galaxy, 12 p.m. Vancouver at Columbus, 12 p.m. Portland at Chicago, 3 p.m. Atlanta United FC at Minnesota United, 5 p.m. New York City FC at San Jose, 5 p.m. D.C. United at Sporting Kansas City, 5:30 p.m. New England at Houston, 5:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Colorado, 6 p.m. Montreal at Seattle, 7 p.m. Golf PGA TOUR HOUSTON OPEN Site: Humble, Texas. Course: GC of Houston (Tournament Course). Yardage: 7,457. Par: 72. Purse: $7 million. Winner’s share: $1,260,000. Television: Thursday-Friday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-Noon (Golf Channel), 12-3 p.m. (NBC). Defending champion: Russell Henley. Last week: Bubba Watson won the Dell Technologies Match Play and Brice Garnett won the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. FedEx Cup leader: Justin Thomas. LPGA TOUR ANA INSPIRATION Site: Rancho Mirage, Calif. Course: Mission Hills CC (Dinah Shore Tournament Course). Yardage: 6,763. Par: 72. Purse: $2.8 million. Winner’s share: $420,000. Television: Thursday-Friday, noon-4 p.m., 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 5-9 p.m. (Golf Channel). Defending champion: So Yeon Ryu. Last week: Eun-Hee Ji won the Kia Classic. Auto Racing NASCAR Cup Series Upcoming Schedule April 8 — OReilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, 11 a.m. (TV: FS1) April 15 — Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, 11 a.m. (TV: FOX) Points Standings Through Mar. 25 1. Kyle Busch, 257; 2. Martin Truex Jr., 249; 3. Ryan Blaney, 233; 4. Joey Logano, 232; 5. Brad Keselowski, 226; 6. Denny Hamlin, 217; 7. Kevin Harvick, 212; 8. Clint Bowyer, 210; 9. Kyle Larson, 195; 10. Kurt Busch, 177; 11. Aric Almirola, 171; 12. Erik Jones, 152; 13. Austin Dillon, 148; 14. Alex Bowman, 145; 15. Paul Menard, 139; 16. Ryan Newman, 135; 17. Jimmie Johnson, 121; 18. Chase Elliott, 115; 19. AJ Allmendinger, 110; 20. William Byron, 108. Transactions BASEBALL MLB American League CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Acquired RHP Ricardo Pinto from Philadelphia for inter- national signing bonus pool money. Placed LHP Carlos Rodon and C Kevan Smith on the 10-day DL, retroactive to March 26. Se- lected the contract of LHP Hector Santiago. DETROIT TIGERS — Agreed to terms with LHP Jairo Labourt on a minor league contract. Placed RHP Johnny Barbato and RHP Mike Fiers on the 10-day DL, retroac- tive to March 26. Selected the contract of INF Niko Goodrum. LOS ANGELES ANGELS—Optioned RHP Felix Pena to Salt Lake (PCL). Designated C Carlos Perez for assignment. Selected the contract of RHP-OF Shohei Ohtani from AZL Angels. NEW YORK YANKEES — Announced RHP Jose Mesa Jr., a Rule 5 Draft pick, was returned by Baltimore and assigned him to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL). OAKLAND ATHLETICS — Optioned RHPs Trevor Cahill and Frankie Montas, INF Franklin Barreto and OFs Mark Canha and Dustin Fowler to Nashville (PCL). Announced RHP Raul Alcantara cleared waivers and was sent outright to Nashville. Placed RHPs Paul Blackburn and Ryan Dull, C Josh Phegley and INF Renato Nunez on the 10-day DL, retroactive to March 26. Reassigned RHP Simon Castro, C Beau Taylor and INF Sheldon Neuse to minor league camp. SEATTLE MARINERS — Selected the contract of RHP Casey Lawrence. Optioned INF/OF Taylor Motter to Tacoma (PCL). Placed RHPs David Phelps, Erasmo Ramirez and OF Ben Gamel on the 10-day DL, retroactive to March 26. Re-assigned RHP Hisashi Iwakuma to minor league camp. TAMPA BAY RAYS — Placed RHPs Nathan Eovaldi and Jose DeLeon on the 10-day disabled list. Recalled RHP Austin Pruitt from Durham (IL). Released RHP Daniel Hudson. National League CINCINNATI REDS — Selected the contracts of INF-OF Phil Gosselin and RHP Kevin Quackenbush. Reassigned RHP Vance Worley to minor league camp. LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Optioned OF Andrew Toles to Oklahoma City (PCL). MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Selected the contract of 1B/OF Ji-Man Choi. Optioned RHP Taylor Williams to minor-league camp. Reassigned C Christian Bethancourt, INF/ OF Nick Franklin, INF Nate Orf, OF Kyle Wren, RHP J.J. Hoover, RHP Radhames Liz and LHP Wade Miley to minor league camp. NEW YORK METS — Assigned OF Tim Tebow to Binghamton (EL). Announced OF Bryce Brentz cleared waivers and was sent outright to Las Vegas (PCL). ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Selected the contracts of RHP Jordan Hicks and C Francisco Pena. Recalled RHP Jack Flaherty from Memphis (PCL). Optioned RHP John Brebbia to Memphis. Designated INF Breyvic Valera and RHP Josh Lucas for assignment. Placed RHPs Luke Gregerson, Alex Reyes and Adam Wainwright on the 10-day DL, retroactive to March 26. SAN DIEGO PADRES — Sent RHP Rowan Wick outright to El Paso (TL). Selected the contracts of RHP Adam Cimber and Cs A.J. Ellis and Raffy Lopez. Optioned LHP Buddy Baumann, RHPs Colten Brewer and Phil Maton, and OF Travis Jankowski to El Paso. Placed OF Franchy Cordero, INF Allen Cordoba, RHPs Dinelson Lamet and Colin Rea and LHP Matt Strahm on the 10-day DL, retroactive to March 26. Placed OF Alex Dickerson on the 60-day DL. BASKETBALL NBA PHILADELPHIA 76ERS — Announced the G League franchise will move from Newark, Delaware, to Wilmington and will change its name to the Delaware Blue Coats. FOOTBALL NFL ARIZONA CARDINALS — Signed DL Moubarak Djeri. CLEVELAND BROWNS — Traded QB Cody Kessler to Jacksonville for a condi- tional 2019 seventh-round draft pick. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS — Agreed to terms with TE Benjamin Watson on a one- year contract. HOCKEY NHL BOSTON BRUINS — Agreed to terms with D Zdeno Chara on a one-year contract extension. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS — Recalled G Collin Delia from Rockford (AHL). Assigned G J-F Berube to Rockford. COLORADO AVALANCHE — Recalled G Andrew Hammond from San Antonio (AHL). SOCCER MLS FC DALLAS — Agreed to terms with F Maxi Urruti on a three-year contract. North American Soccer League JACKSONVILLE ARMADA FC — Signed F Alhassane Keita and M Christian Silva. COLLEGE BROWN — Named Katie Reifert and Au- brey Marsellis assistant volleyball coaches. DEPAUL — Announced junior G Max Strus will declare for the NBA draft. DUKE — Announced freshman C Marvin Bagley III has declared for the NBA draft. GEORGIA SOUTHERN — Announced junior G Tookie Brown has declared for the NBA draft. HOFSTRA — Named Rick Cole, Jr. direc- tor of athletics. LOYOLA (MD.) — Named Tavaras Hardy men’s basketball coach. MICHIGAN STATE — Announced sophomore F Miles Bridges will enter the NBA draft. NEW JERSEY CITY — Named Shawn Tucker associate vice president and director of athletics. OKLAHOMA CITY — Named Sam Haze- winkel men’s wrestling coach. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE — Announced it will not renew contract of women’s basketball coach Doug Robertson Jr. Named Roderick Woods women’s interim basketball coach. TEXAS — Junior guard Eric Davis Jr. will enter the NBA draft. TOLEDO — Signed men’s basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk to a two-year contract extension through 2022-23. UNC GREENSBORO — Signed men’s basketball coach Wes Miller to a contract extension through the 2028-29 season.