SB Nation Arizona: All Posts by Justin Burning

Suns vs Pistons preview: Game time, TV coverage, and a bad Detroit team

2012-11-28T19:00:52Z

The Phoenix Suns continue the mini-stretch of their Eastern Conference road trip wherein they face off against mediocrity to relieve some of their woes. Last night, Phoenix took care of a Cleveland Cavaliers team without their best player; tonight's game is against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace. Can the Suns continue to beat another team they're supposed to beat?

Game time: 5:30 PM Arizona time

TV: FSAZ

Radio: Arizona Sports 620

Key stats:

93.7

That is the number of points per game that the Pistons are scoring. The team is not especially adept at ball movement, either. This is good, because the Suns are having difficulty defending. Perhaps a low-scoring eastern conference squad is just the laurels Phoenix's defense can rest on.

40.4

The number of rebounds the Pistons are grabbing a game. Rebounding has been a problem for the Suns for a while and they're middle of the pack this year. Detroit is not an especially big team and between Phoenix's front court and their good-rebounders-for-their-position guards, the Suns should win this battle.

Injuries:

Both teams are healthy, though Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey only recently returned from a sprained ankle.

Key matchups:

Marcin Gortat vs. Greg Monroe

Now in his third year, Monroe has basically improved upon all of the promise he showed throughout his first two seasons. He's averaging nearly a double-double, at 17 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, and he might just be the Pistons' best player. Gortat has decided that he is an integral part to what the Suns should be doing and this will be a good matchup for him to prove he belongs amongst the top bigs in the NBA.

Goran Dragic vs. Brandon Knight

Detroit has been unable to get consistent point guard play for years now, and Knight has not broken the trend. However, he's been an offensive force over the last handful of games. Dragic has been the heart of this Suns team all season and he'll likely continue to put the team on his shoulders. He'll have to work for it, though, as Knight is a pesky defender.

Player to watch:

Every once in a while, Michael Beasley has one of those games that reminds you of why he was drafted second overall in his class. It seems like it's about time for another one of those games. He'll likely be guarded by Tayshaun Prince, another oversized small forward, but his best years are quite a bit behind him. It shouldn't be too hard for SuperCoolBeas to overpower Prince, provided he takes the ball to the lane.

NFL Week 9 recap: Seahawks progressed, Cards regressed, Niners/Rams rested

2012-11-05T19:00:44Z

Week 9 of the NFL season was a relatively quiet one for the NFC West. The division-leading San Francisco 49ers and the division-tailing St. Louis Rams took the week off with a bye.

In the meantime, the Niners lost a little ground, as the Seattle Seahawks pulled off a home win against the Minnesota Vikings and pushed themselves back above .500. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson had probably his best game as a pro, passing for three touchdowns with no turnovers and completing 16 of his 24 passes. On the other side of the scale, Vikings QB Christian Ponder completely soiled the bed, completing only 50 percent of his passes, throwing an interception, and taking four sacks. The 'Hawks managed to survive an onslaught from fully recuperated Adrian Peterson, who tallied 182 yards on the ground and punched in two touchdowns.

In local news, the Arizona Cardinals lost to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, as expected. The loss brought the streak to five games and the Cards sunk below .500 for the first time this season. The game was going to plan until the second half, when QB John Skelton put together a couple nice drives and Arizona cut the Pack's lead to 24-17, after being down 24-7. But that was as close as the Cards would get. Aaron Rodgers threw a 72-yard touchdown pass to Tom Crabtree to put things out of reach. It was the second game that Arizona's vaunted defense gave up at least three touchdown passes to an opposing quarterback.

Let's take a look at what the other SB Nation blogs had to say:

Seahawks vs. Vikings: Strong second half lifts Seattle to 30-20 victory - SB Nation Seattle
After going back and forth throughout the first half, the Seattle Seahawks stepped up in the second half against the Vikings and pulled out the 30-20 win on Sunday.

Cardinals Drop Their Fifth Straight Game - Revenge of the Birds
Cardinals couldn't do enough to win, and dropped their 5th Straight Game.

NFL Week 7 recap: A woeful week for the NFC West

2012-10-22T19:00:13Z

The NFC West didn't fare well this week, with three of four teams losing, and the fourth team, the San Francisco 49ers, winning only because they were playing an inter-divisional game and an NFC West victor was guaranteed.

The Niners got themselves an ugly win over the Seattle Seahawks, who struggled mightily behind quarterback Russell Wilson's worst game of the season. It was a game decided on the ground and at the front lines, with defense, and San Fran's offense doing just enough to take the win. The 49ers now stand alone atop the division.

The St. Louis Rams fell victim to the resurgence of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers had three touchdown passes and went 30-for-37 for 342 yards. Running back Steven Jackson got his first rushing touchdown of the season, and that was the best part of the game for the Rams. But the team gets a nice break from things next week as they travel to London to face off against the New England Patriots.

And finally, the Arizona Cardinals dropped their third straight game since starting 4-0, losing to 21-14 to the Minnesota Vikings on the road. Wunderkind Christian Ponder had a terrible game, completing only eight passes, with two interceptions, but Adrian Peterson lashed the Cardinals with 153 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. John Skelton, in his second game since returning from injury, couldn't muster any magic.

Here's what SB Nation's team blogs had to say about the games:

49ers vs. Seahawks: Frank Gore, second half adjustments key SF victory - Niners Nation
The 49ers could not have looked much worse in the first half, as they could get nothing going on offense, and the defense was getting gashed by Marshawn Lynch. Fortunately, the team figured some things out in the locker room and controlled much of the second half.

Seahawks lose on the road to 49ers, 13-6 - Field Gulls
This is a growing team and though it may not really feel like it, they're still one of the youngest teams in the NFL ... It's going to be close, as Pete Carroll pointed out, probably every week.

Rams rally, but fall short against the Packers - Turf Show Times
The St. Louis Rams lost to the Green Bay Packers, an outcome that was not unexpected given the way these two teams matched up on paper heading into the game.

Arizona Cardinals lose third straight game to Minnesota Vikings, go down 21-14 - Revenge of the Birds
After starting the season undefeated, the Arizona Cardinals have now lost 3 games in a row to drop to 4-3, putting them one game behind the 1st Place 49ers.

Arizona Diamondbacks Player/Pitcher of the Week: Goldy, Cahill are the winners

2012-10-01T14:00:45Z

Well, the Arizona Diamondbacks are now officially disqualified from the postseason, but that hasn't stopped the team from playing hard. At this point, they can't even play spoiler, really, so all that's on the line is pride. Though the D-backs went 3-4 in this week's play, they are back above .500.

A couple of players distinguished themselves this week, despite the team's circumstances. Paul Goldschmidt once again gave headaches to Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants, so he's the Player of the Week. Trevor Cahill pitched a near-shutout complete game against the Chicago Cubs, and he's the Pitcher of the Week.

Goldschmidt's week as a whole wasn't very impressive, but he hit safely in every game this week and continued his campaign as Tim Lincecum's arch-nemesis. On Tuesday night, Goldy laid five RBIs on Tim, including a three-run home run in the third inning. Technically, the homer was his only "hit," but Goldschmidt added two sacrifice flies in other at-bats.

Trevor Cahill hasn't always had a smooth go of things in his first season with the D-backs, but his last game was a good one. He pitched his third career complete game, allowing only two runs over the outing. He struck out a nine batters -- a career high. Cahill almost had himself a three-hit shutout, as well, until Alfonso Soriano whacked a two-run homer in the ninth inning. But those two runs didn't matter much, as the team already had a 8-0 lead by that point.

For those interested parties, here are the scores with a week of the season to go:

Player of the Week awards:

Hill (7), Goldschmidt (5), Montero (3), Kubel (2), Parra (1), Roberts (1), Bloomquist (1), Johnson (1), Young (1), Eaton (1), Upton (1)

Pitcher of the Week awards:

Miley (8), Cahill (5), Corbin (3), Kennedy (3), Collmenter (2), Saunders (1), Shaw (1), Hernandez (1)

Arizona Diamondbacks Player/Pitcher Of The Week: Hill, Miley Do It

2012-09-25T20:00:07Z

As far as wins go, the Arizona Diamondbacks had a stellar week (ending Sunday), taking five of six against the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies. The negatives: most of the wins were due to a suddenly-prolific offense instead of exceptional pitching, and the games were against the bottom-dwellers of the division, so the San Francisco Giants were still able to clinch the division in the meantime. But the D-back are still alive in the NL Wild Card race for the moment.

In a week filled with a handful of powerful offensive performances, Aaron Hill led the way to the scoreboards. He's the Arizona Diamondbacks Player of the Week. Wade Miley became just the second NL rookie to win 16 games since 1986. For that, he's the Pitcher of the Week.

Aaron Hill was a pivotal piece in the team's most bat-happy games, hitting .347 (8-for-23, with two homers) during a five-game stretch wherein the D-backs scored no fewer than five runs a game. And he made those hits count: he had nine RBIs during that time. He was also responsible for another five runs scored. Hill has had his slumps, but as a whole, his time as an Arizona Diamondback has been extremely fruitful in an offensive sort of way.

Wade Miley wasn't a dominant force on the mound on Friday -- he allowed 10 hits and five earned runs over a brief six-inning stint. But thankfully his team didn't feel like letting him off the hook for the NL Rookie of the Year award, so they backed him up with runs a'plenty, enough to get Miley his sixteenth win of the season. Not only is he just the second NL rookie to get that many wins since the mid-80s, but he's tenth in the NL in wins and leads the D-backs in that category.

Here are the total tallies so far:

Player of the Week awards:

Hill (7), Goldschmidt (4), Montero (3), Kubel (2), Parra (1), Roberts (1), Bloomquist (1), Johnson (1), Young (1), Eaton (1), Upton (1)

Pitcher of the Week awards:

Miley (8), Cahill (4), Corbin (3), Kennedy (3), Collmenter (2), Saunders (1), Shaw (1), Hernandez (1)

Arizona Diamondbacks Player/Pitcher Of The Week: Upton, Kennedy Are It

2012-09-17T14:04:06Z

The Arizona Diamondbacks kept their playoff dreams on life support this week by sweeping a mini-series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and taking one of three against the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants. The situation is still pretty dire, but at least the games still sort of mean something.

As far as these weekly awards are concerned, it was a very 2011 sort of week for the team and they got good performances from last season's best players. Justin Upton showed that he can still be a powerhouse, so he's the Player of the Week. Last season's ace, Ian Kennedy, pitched like an ace (against an ace) for his Pitcher of the Week award.

Upton has probably been the D-backs' fifth or sixth best offensive player this season, which is thoroughly disappointing considering his pedigree. Just last season, he was right in the NL MVP mix and looked like a true franchise cornerstone. He reminded everyone why this week. He wasn't super hot (hitting only .278 in five games), but he made the contact count. Upton had five hits that amounted to two home runs and six RBIs, which included three in the team's gluttonous offensive display against the Giants on Sunday.

Kennedy had the pleasure of facing L.A.'s Clayton Kershaw in his week's start. Apparently, Ian liked the matchup. The end result was one of the season's best pitching duels, with both starters taking shutouts into the seventh inning. Kershaw finally blinked, allowing a double from Miguel Montero that scored Paul Goldschmidt. That would be the only score of the game, however. But it was enough, as Kennedy got through 7 1/3 innings and the bullpen locked things down from there. Kennedy ended up with six strikeouts, no walks, and just four hits allowed.

For those keeping tracking, here are the scores to date:

Player of the Week awards:

Hill (6), Goldschmidt (4), Montero (3), Kubel (2), Parra (1), Roberts (1), Bloomquist (1), Johnson (1), Young (1), Eaton (1), Upton (1)

Pitcher of the Week awards:

Miley (7), Cahill (4), Corbin (3), Kennedy (3), Collmenter (2), Saunders (1), Shaw (1), Hernandez (1)

Arizona Diamondbacks Player/Pitcher Of The Week: Eaton, Cahill Take It

2012-09-10T14:00:33Z

It seems like a pretty discouraging week for the Arizona Diamondbacks, even though they came out of it with three wins, three losses. They did win two of three against the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants, but then they lost two of three against the San Diego Padres, against whom the D-backs have just had a tough time this season. The Snakes are a perplexing team in 2012, and this week did a fine job showing that. The standout young pitching they were getting is starting to fade some (Wade Miley, Patrick Corbin, and Tyler Skaggs have all been struggling) and the offense still hasn't found consistency.

But the best part of the week was seeing the inspired performances of newcomer Adam Eaton. He's the team's Player of the Week. Pitcher of the Week belongs to Trevor Cahill for his almost-no-hitter against the Giants.

Eaton, the D-backs newest call-up, made the Big League jump on Tuesday and had two hits in his first game. But that wasn't impressive enough. He had to go and hit .400 for the week. Though he didn't generate any RBIs or home runs, he scored six times and had a hit in every game in which he played, averaging two per. It's likely that he was called up because the D-backs season is basically over and the team wants to check out their youngsters, but he's making the most of his time so far -- particularly with plays like this. Just listen to how excited Greg Schulte was about that play.

While Eaton has so far outplayed expectations, Trevor Cahill has had a mostly underwhelming season. But he almost got himself a no-hitter on Wednesday. He carried the no-no into the seventh inning before two hits and a walk loaded the bases and he was taken from the game. He kind of almost had himself a perfect game too, but that was kaput with a walk allowed in the sixth. Cahill's main issue seems to be that he can't remain in command through an entire outing. He tends to have a bad inning or two in every start and it's marred his spots of greatness. But this week, he got the win against tough competition, despite there being very little hope for the playoffs these days.

For those keeping track at home, here are the total scores:

Player of the Week awards:

Hill (6), Goldschmidt (4), Montero (3), Kubel (2), Parra (1), Roberts (1), Bloomquist (1), Johnson (1), Young (1), Eaton (1)

Pitcher of the Week awards:

Miley (7), Cahill (4), Corbin (3), Collmenter (2), Kennedy (2), Saunders (1), Shaw (1), Hernandez (1)

Arizona Diamondbacks Player/Pitcher Of The Week: Young, Hernandez The Picks

2012-09-03T17:00:37Z

Oh, this was not a happy week for the Arizona Diamondbacks. It started with them getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds and ended with them blowing a lead against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team is back below .500 and seems to acknowledge the writing on the wall with their season. There have been a few pleasant surprises (Wade Miley, Jason Kubel), but mainly it's been a season filled with disappointment.

Despite the week, a few players had a few decent performances. This week, Chris Young is the Player of the Week, almost by default, for his performance against the Dodgers on Thursday. David Hernandez gets the Pitcher of the Week award for being a consistent presence in a strong bullpen.

This was another one of those weeks where the D-backs' offense struggled to make things happen. They haven't scored more than four runs in a game since August 21. But on a not-so-magical Thursday night, Young provided all the offense that was necessary, with a two-run homer off L.A.'s ace, Clayton Kershaw, to give the D-backs a needed win against a division rival and snap a six-game losing streak. Young also added a single in the sixth, though he was caught stealing on it.

Hernandez has had a quiet season, but he's been productive. Oddly enough, one of the strengths of this year's D-backs team has been the bullpen. Hernandez hasn't given up a run since the wee beginning of August. Though he isn't always the most efficient pitcher (he regularly takes 15-plus pitches to clear the eighth), he's gotten the job done at a time when getting the job done has been difficult for most everyone on the team.

For those keeping track at home, here are the scores:

Player of the Week awards:

Hill (6), Goldschmidt (4), Montero (3), Kubel (2), Parra (1), Roberts (1), Bloomquist (1), Johnson (1), Young (1)

Pitcher of the Week awards:

Miley (7), Cahill (3), Corbin (3), Collmenter (2), Kennedy (2), Saunders (1), Shaw (1), Hernandez (1)