Derrick Rose Joins Cavs
While the Kyrie Irving drama continues in Cleveland, the defending Eastern Conference champs brought in another veteran point guard on Monday. The Cavs signed former MVP Derrick Rose to a one-year, $2.1 million deal. The deal is for the veteran's minimum and was officially agreed upon after Rose and the Cavs met on Monday. This deal has been rumored since late last week. Rose was initially thought to be the backup, but with the news of Irving requesting a trade, he could end up being a starter with LeBron James. The 28-year-old has spent time with the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks bringing home the 2011 MVP award. Although, injuries to both ACLs have hindered his career. He attempted to revamp his play this past season, averaging 18 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on 47.1 percent shooting in 64 games. Rose met with the Los Angeles Lakers for nearly three hours last Thursday, and was also in talks with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers before reaching the deal.
Martinez Hits First HR With Diamondbacks
After J.D. Martinez was hit in the hand by a pitch in just his second at-bat with the Arizona Diamondbacks, fans in the desert held their breath as he was helped off the field. Fortunately, it was nothing serious, and the slugger proved that on Monday night. Martinez hit his first home run with the D-backs, leading them to a 10-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. A.J. Pollock also went deep, while also doubling twice and driving in four for Arizona. Martinez had gone hitless in his first five at-bats since being acquired from the Detroit Tigers last week. His big fly was of the three-run variety and came in the sixth inning for his 17th of the season. Zack Greinke lasted eight innings and allowed just two runs on five hits, while striking out six. He improved to 10-0 in 12 starts at Chase Field this season, and earned his 12th win of the season overall. The right-hander also helped himself with an RBI double off of R.A. Dickey, who suffered his seventh loss with Atlanta. A career-high tying four wild pitches did not help the knuckle-baller in the loss.
Royals Use Back-to-Back HRs to Beat Tigers in Extras
The Kansas City Royals have been one of the streakiest teams in baseball this season, and right now, it's a hot streak that they're on. Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas hit back-to-back home runs in the 12th inning for a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday. The victory was their sixth in a row, and came after blowing a 3-0 lead. Jakob Junis threw a scoreless 11th to earn his third win, while Drew VerHagen gave up both home runs and took his first loss. Perez's big fly was the go-ahead shot and was his 20th of the season, with Moustakas following up with his 29th of the season. The Tigers rallied from a 3-0 deficit by scoring three in the sixth on an RBI single from Miguel Cabrera and a two-run single from Alex Avila. Kelvin Herrera held off the Tigers' offense in the bottom of the 12th to record his 20th save in 23 chances. The Royals now sit just a game and a half behind the first-place Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.
While the Kyrie Irving drama continues in Cleveland, the defending Eastern Conference champs brought in another veteran point guard on Monday. The Cavs signed former MVP Derrick Rose to a one-year, $2.1 million deal. The deal is for the veteran's minimum and was officially agreed upon after Rose and the Cavs met on Monday. This deal has been rumored since late last week. Rose was initially thought to be the backup, but with the news of Irving requesting a trade, he could end up being a starter with LeBron James. The 28-year-old has spent time with the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks bringing home the 2011 MVP award. Although, injuries to both ACLs have hindered his career. He attempted to revamp his play this past season, averaging 18 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists on 47.1 percent shooting in 64 games. Rose met with the Los Angeles Lakers for nearly three hours last Thursday, and was also in talks with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers before reaching the deal.
Martinez Hits First HR With Diamondbacks
After J.D. Martinez was hit in the hand by a pitch in just his second at-bat with the Arizona Diamondbacks, fans in the desert held their breath as he was helped off the field. Fortunately, it was nothing serious, and the slugger proved that on Monday night. Martinez hit his first home run with the D-backs, leading them to a 10-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. A.J. Pollock also went deep, while also doubling twice and driving in four for Arizona. Martinez had gone hitless in his first five at-bats since being acquired from the Detroit Tigers last week. His big fly was of the three-run variety and came in the sixth inning for his 17th of the season. Zack Greinke lasted eight innings and allowed just two runs on five hits, while striking out six. He improved to 10-0 in 12 starts at Chase Field this season, and earned his 12th win of the season overall. The right-hander also helped himself with an RBI double off of R.A. Dickey, who suffered his seventh loss with Atlanta. A career-high tying four wild pitches did not help the knuckle-baller in the loss.
Royals Use Back-to-Back HRs to Beat Tigers in Extras
The Kansas City Royals have been one of the streakiest teams in baseball this season, and right now, it's a hot streak that they're on. Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas hit back-to-back home runs in the 12th inning for a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday. The victory was their sixth in a row, and came after blowing a 3-0 lead. Jakob Junis threw a scoreless 11th to earn his third win, while Drew VerHagen gave up both home runs and took his first loss. Perez's big fly was the go-ahead shot and was his 20th of the season, with Moustakas following up with his 29th of the season. The Tigers rallied from a 3-0 deficit by scoring three in the sixth on an RBI single from Miguel Cabrera and a two-run single from Alex Avila. Kelvin Herrera held off the Tigers' offense in the bottom of the 12th to record his 20th save in 23 chances. The Royals now sit just a game and a half behind the first-place Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.
