David Martínez, Denis Bouanga, Hugo Lloris power LAFC to 3-0 romp over Sporting KC

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David Martínez, Denis Bouanga, Hugo Lloris power LAFC to 3-0 romp over Sporting KC

2024-10-06 10:47 Last Updated At：11:00

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Teenage rookie David Martínez scored early, Denis Bouanga had two assists, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris earned his league-leading 14th clean sheet of the season as Los Angeles FC breezed to a 3-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Martínez took a pass from Denis Bouanga in the 14th minute and scored for the fourth time this season to give LAFC (17-8-7) the lead for good. Martínez was making his third start and 15th appearance.

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Sporting Kansas City attacker Stephen Afrifa (30) and Los Angeles FC defender Maxime Chanot (25) chase after the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Teenage rookie David Martínez scored early, Denis Bouanga had two assists, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris earned his league-leading 14th clean sheet of the season as Los Angeles FC breezed to a 3-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, back, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Cristian Olivera (13) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Cristian Olivera (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez (30) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Zorhan Bassong, left, and Los Angeles FC midfielder Lewis O'Brien (8) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, left, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud (9) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City attacker Johnny Russell reacts after missing a goal attempt during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Los Angeles FC Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Denis Bouanga, left, passes the ball over Sporting Kansas City defender Jake Davis during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Teenage rookie David Martínez scored early, Denis Bouanga had two assists, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris earned his league-leading 14th clean sheet of the season as Los Angeles FC breezed to a 3-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, back, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Cristian Olivera (13) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Cristian Olivera (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez (30) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Zorhan Bassong, left, and Los Angeles FC midfielder Lewis O'Brien (8) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, left, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud (9) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City attacker Johnny Russell reacts after missing a goal attempt during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Los Angeles FC Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Denis Bouanga, left, passes the ball over Sporting Kansas City defender Jake Davis during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Cristian Olivera found the net for the sixth time, scoring in the first minute of stoppage time to give LAFC a two-goal advantage at halftime. Bouanga notched his career-high 11th assist of the campaign on the goal and Timothy Tillman added his career-best sixth.

Defender Aaron Long found the net in the 69th minute to complete the scoring. It was Long's first goal since he scored four for the New York Red Bulls in 2022. Fellow defender Eddie Segura snagged his first assist this season and his first since he had two for the club in 2021.

Hugo Lloris totaled four saves in his shutout effort for LAFC.

Tim Melia saved one shot for Sporting KC (8-18-7).

LAFC will travel to play the Vancouver Whitecaps next Saturday before hosting the San Jose Earthquakes for a Decision Day match on Oct. 19 to close out the regular season.

Sporting KC will end its season with a road match against FC Dallas on Oct. 19.

AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer

Lane Thomas hits 3-run homer, Cleveland's bullpen torments Tigers as Guardians win ALDS opener 7-0

2024-10-06 10:43 Last Updated At：10:50

CLEVELAND (AP) — Lane Thomas hit a three-run homer in a five-run outburst before Detroit got an out, and the Cleveland Guardians unleashed their lights-out bullpen to complete a four-hitter in a 7-0 win over the Tigers in an AL Division Series opener on Saturday.

Thomas' shot — on his first career postseason swing — helped the Guardians cool off the Tigers, who stormed into the playoffs with a second-half surge before sweeping AL West champion Houston in the wild-card round.

“It was electric,” said Thomas, acquired from Washington at the trade deadline. “It was everything I had thought and more."

Tanner Bibee pitched 4 2/3 innings before Guardians manager Stephen Vogt swung the door open to baseball's best bullpen to finish off the Tigers.

Cleveland's relievers combined for 4 1/3 hitless innings to finish and match the largest shutout victory margin in club postseason history. Detroit struck out 13 times and didn't get a runner past first in the final four innings.

The shutout was the worst in Detroit playoff history since Game 1 of the 1945 World Series.

“We're going to see a lot of this bullpen,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “The more you look at them, hopefully, the more comfortable you get.”

Cleveland's bullpen was as advertised. Rookie Cade Smith (1-0) replaced Bibee and struck out all four batters. Tim Herrin took care of the seventh, Hunter Gaddis the eighth, and Emmanuel Clase, who led the AL with 47 saves, worked the ninth.

David Fry added a two-run double for the AL Central champion Guardians, who were unaffected by not playing for almost a week with a first-round bye.

“We came out ready to swing the bat, and we looked like we didn’t take five days off,” Vogt said.

Game 2 is Monday, when the Tigers will turn to Tarik Skubal, the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award, to try and even the best-of-five series.

The 2,327th meeting between Detroit and Cleveland was the first between the franchises and Central division rivals in the postseason.

It was as good as over after one inning.

Hinch has made the right decisions for months as his young club went from being under .500 at the trade deadline to qualifying for the postseason with a 33-13 flourish since Aug. 11.

Hinch used his bullpen in Game 1 from the start and it backfired.

The Guardians sent nine batters to the plate in the first with Thomas' moon shot into the left-field bleachers opening the 5-0 lead. Cleveland became the first team in AL postseason history to score five runs before recording an out.

Steven Kwan got it rolling with a leadoff double against Tigers starter Tyler Holton (0-1) and Fry walked. José Ramírez followed with a hard hopper to third that Zach McKinstry misplayed for an error, allowing Kwan to score.

“I tried to make a play and I didn't. We ended up losing the game because of it,” said McKinstry, who put some of the blame on the grounds crew. “They watered the field before the game, but they didn't water it for the game and it took a weird hop.”

Josh Naylor's RBI single made it 2-0 and Hinch pulled Holton after just four batters to bring in Reese Olson.

Thomas, who batted just .143 with 33 strikeouts in 77 at-bats after coming over from the Nationals, made his first postseason at-bat with the Guardians unforgettable.

He turned on Olson's first pitch — a slider down the heart of the plate — and launched it over the wall, sending the majority of 33,548 fans inside Progressive Field into a frenzy.

Bibee admitted feeling nerves ahead of the opener, and he showed some in the first, throwing 27 pitches.

But taking the mound in the second with a five-run lead helped Bibee settle in. The right-hander gave up four hits and struck out six before handing the ball to Vogt and a bullpen with no detectable flaws.

“I totally get it,” Bibee said. “With how good our pen has been, I get it. It makes sense. Obviously, I want to stay out there as long as possible, but I get it.”

TRAINER'S ROOM

Guardians: RHP Alex Cobb, a candidate to start Game 3, was added to the ALDS roster after finishing the regular season on the injured list with a blister on his middle finger. He made just three starts after being acquired in a July trade from San Francisco.

UP NEXT

Skubal led the AL in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228). The left-hander is expected to face Guardians RHP Matthew Boyd, who spent eight seasons with the Tigers and remains close friends with Skubal.

Correction: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

David Martínez, Denis Bouanga, Hugo Lloris power LAFC to 3-0 romp over Sporting KC

David Martínez, Denis Bouanga, Hugo Lloris power LAFC to 3-0 romp over Sporting KC

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Teenage rookie David Martínez scored early, Denis Bouanga had two assists, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris earned his league-leading 14th clean sheet of the season as Los Angeles FC breezed to a 3-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, back, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, back, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, back, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Cristian Olivera (13) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Cristian Olivera (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez (30) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez (30) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Zorhan Bassong, left, and Los Angeles FC midfielder Lewis O'Brien (8) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, left, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud (9) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, left, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud (9) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, left, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud (9) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City attacker Johnny Russell reacts after missing a goal attempt during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Los Angeles FC Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Denis Bouanga, left, passes the ball over Sporting Kansas City defender Jake Davis during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Teenage rookie David Martínez scored early, Denis Bouanga had two assists, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris earned his league-leading 14th clean sheet of the season as Los Angeles FC breezed to a 3-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, back, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, back, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, back, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Cristian Olivera (13) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Cristian Olivera (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez (30) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker David Martínez (30) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Sporting Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Zorhan Bassong, left, and Los Angeles FC midfielder Lewis O'Brien (8) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, left, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud (9) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, left, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud (9) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City defender Joaquin Fernandez, left, and Los Angeles FC attacker Olivier Giroud (9) battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sporting Kansas City attacker Johnny Russell reacts after missing a goal attempt during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Los Angeles FC Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Los Angeles FC attacker Denis Bouanga, left, passes the ball over Sporting Kansas City defender Jake Davis during the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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