May 2014 – Page 7 – Sports Radio Service

Obafemi stuns Busch with rainbow shot

Published on May 18, 2014 by smallforceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @gcsounderfan

By Pearl Allison Lo

The San Jose Earthquakes vs Seattle Sounders game came down to one goal and it was one that even shocked the goalkeeper, as Seattle remained the top team in the league with the 1-0 win Saturday.

Using a forward pass from Gonzalo Pineda, Obafemi Martins, almost parallel to the goalline, arced his shot with his left foot so that it looked like a rainbow, and hit the net near the right post as Jon Busch’s bugged out in disbelief in the 8th minute.

It was similar to the teams’ last meeting in score but the Sounders won that game and the goal came near the end of the game.

The Quakes’ Shaun Francis, prevented another goal, when he got in front of Kenny Cooper, who was right in front of Busch in the 27th minute.

Busch got a shot at redemption in the 57th minute when this time, Martins was the one passing and Busch, extremely alert, blocked Lamar Neagle like a pinball machine.

Neagle was again denied in the 65th minute, and Busch blocked two more late shots in the 84th and 86th minutes

Game notes: San Jose was by far the team down more in terms of their usual players. Clarence Goodson, who celebrated his birthday May 17, and Chris Wondolowski, were called Monday to the U.S. World Cup camp. The Quakes were also without Victor Bernardez, who was called to the Honduran camp (also as a result of misconduct in the May 10th game, he was fined and suspended one game) and Shea Salinas, who was suspended one game. Alan Gordon and Steven Lenhart were out due to injury. The Sounders had three players called to the U.S. camp, DeAndre Yedlin, Brad Evans & Clint Dempsey. San Jose players wore black armbands during the game to support Jason Hernandez in memory of his father, who lost his battle with cancer May 16. The Quakes host Houston May 25 at 7:30pm for the next game.

No Kazmir, no problem: A’s beat Cleveland, 6-2

Published on May 18, 2014May 18, 2014 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

If Saturday’s meeting of Athletics and Indians at Cleveland’s Progressive Field boiled down to some rudimentary mathematical equation, it would probably read like this:

Rally Squirrel to the Indians greater than Scott Kazmir to the A’s.

The defenseless, plenty scared critter that ran on the field in the third inning of the A’s 6-2 win over the Indians was more influential to the outcome than the A’s starting pitcher with the 5-1 record coming in.

Don’t believe it? Well, do the math. When Kazmir grew frustrated with home plate umpire Jerry Layne and his shrinking strike zone in the second inning, Kazmir fussed which earned the veteran pitcher an early shower. Kazmir walked a batter in each of the first two innings with Layne ruling that a couple of close pitches were balls. Then after Asdrubal Cabrera drew a free pass, Kazmir allowed Yan Gomes’ double, threw a wild pitch that allowed the Indians score a run, and then he walked rookie Jesus Aguilar.

As Aguilar trotted to first, Kazmir gestured and Layne immediately threw up the ejection sign. Afterwards, Kazmir would say that Layne never issued a warning before throwing him out, and manager Bob Melvin rushed out of the dugout to argue that point.

Meanwhile, Kazmir took his frustration out on the nearest garbage can, and the A’s were without their outstanding, starting pitcher less than three innings in, trailing 1-0 after reliever Dan Otero induced an inning-ending double play.

Kazmir was gone, but Otero was in. The reliever would go on to pitch three plus innings—getting the A’s through the fifth—without suffering any damage.

But while the A’s were none the worse for wear without Kazmir, all hell broke loose after Rally Squirrel’s cameo appearance in the top of third. With John Jaso at the plate, and Coco Crisp on second after a one-out double, Rally Squirrel—or Rally Squirrel’s cousin—came running on to the field searching for something, although that something wasn’t immediately apparent. First, he ran past center fielder Michael Bourne, and after a decision-making moment, quickly moved toward the infield.

Progressive Field’s public address crew had seen Rally Squirrel’s act on April 21 in another impromptu appearance, and this time responded with the sounds of barking dogs on the stadium’s sound system. That clearly spooked Rally Squirrel and he did some crazy jump on and off the rolled up tarp on the third-base side of the field. Then with his internal clock ticking, Rally Squirrel retreated into the stands down the left field line.

Right after Squirrel’s departure, Jaso struck out, Josh Donaldson singled home Crisp, and Brandon Moss homered to put Oakland up, 3-1.

See the math?

While Saturday’s game could have been about Rally Squirrel, Kazmir, Jerry Layne or the Indians’ abysmal defense (43 errors in 43 games, which leads the AL), it really was about Otero and the A’s deep and effective bullpen. Otero induced the double play on his entrance, threw first pitch strikes to nine of the 12 hitters he faced, and quickly got the A’s into the sixth on just 32 pitches without walking anyone. The 29-year old right hander picked up the win and is 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA in 19 appearances.

Fernando Abad pitched the sixth, and allowed two hits and a run that got the Indians to within 3-2. But Luke Gregerson pitched the seventh and eighth, striking out three and Sean Doolittle retired the side in the ninth.

All together, the A’s bullpen logged 7 2/3 innings on Saturday and only needed 81 pitches to finish the job. Collectively, they stayed ahead in counts, by starting 22 of 26 batters faced with a strike. Walks or further issues with Layne? Nope, the A’s relievers didn’t walk anyone.

In the seventh, the A’s added on with Donaldson’s two-run triple and Moss’ RBI double. The duo had a big day, combining for five hits and six runs batted in.

The A’s have won seven of eight, and maintained their 3 ½ game lead in the AL West over the Angels, who blanked the Blue Jays in Anaheim on Saturday.

The A’s look for the sweep on Sunday with Jesse Chavez on the mound. The Indians will give the ball to Justin Masterson who has a 2-2 record in nine starts thus far this season.

Sabercats Strike Thunder at Home Win 64-27

Published on May 17, 2014May 18, 2014 by philliptorres2013Leave a comment

By: Phillip Torres and Kahlil Najar

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Sabercats hosted the Portland Thunder on Saturday night at the SAP Center in San Jose. The Sabercats defeated the Thunder 64-27 behind Russ Michna’s seven touchdown passes. Michna through four out of the seven to WR Dominique Curry. The victory was the fourth in a row for San Jose.

“The team is getting better and better every week. Curry was young back then and now he’s starting to understand the game and he’s playing really well right now,” said Head Coach Darren Arbet.

San Jose played great defense holding the Thunder to just 27 points, making it five consecutive games where the defense has held their opponents to under 35 points. Ken Fontenette lead the way on defense as he recorded five tackles and an interception.

“Everybody is really starting to gel. We have a bunch of great guys at every position. We have to keep doing the little things right,” said Fontenette on the defense.

This was Fontenette’s first interception of the year. “Finally right!? I’m right there and everyone keeps messing with me. I’m trying to work on my hands. If I caught half of them I might be leading the league.”

Curry recorded a team high four touchdown catches on the night. “It was a big night, I never scored four touchdowns in one game before. Even my senior year in college I only scored two,” the wide receiver said. “The leaders on the offense bring me up to speed. They work with me on the way home, talking to me.”

On his ability to get open Curry said, “The more film I watch the more I just listen and become a student of the game. I’m able to read the coverage through everyone and not just through one person.”

On the SaberCats upcoming road trip against two number one teams in the league Arbet said, “We have momentum going right now. The guys know what we need to do..they understand that. It’s a big vision game and I’d be real surprised if they weren’t prepared next Friday.”

The Sabercats will take their 6-3 record to the 5-3 Spokane Shock on Friday in Washington.

https://soundcloud.com/sports-radio-service/san-jose-sabercats-press-conference-darren-arbet-dominique-curry-and-ken-fontenette

Giants Shutout for Second Loss in as Many Nights

Published on May 17, 2014May 18, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–The Miami Marlins defeated the San Francisco Giants for the second night in a row on Saturday night by the final score of 5-0 to take the lead in the four game weekend set 2-1.

The night looked promising for the Giants, when Tim Lincecum smoked through the first inning with two strikeouts. However, it looked like a completely different Lincecum in the second inning, as he walked two to set up the Marlins first run of the inning. Lincecum walked both Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Marcell Ozuna to put runners on first and second, when Adeiny Hechavarria knocked in Saltalamacchia for the eventual game winning run with the Marlins first hit of the evening.

Controversy occurred in the bottom half of the second inning for the Giants, when Brandon Hicks came up to the plate. He lined a hard hit ball off of the bricks in right field for what should have been a double. However, when rounding first, Hicks apparently missed first base. After being challenged by the Marlins, it was deemed that Hicks missed first base, so he was called out. “I thought I hit it, but I was looking up for the ball so I don’t know,” explained Hicks.

Instead of having runners of first and third with only one out, the Giants had two outs when Brandon Crawford was the next one to step to the plate. He flied out to center on what would have been an easy sacrafice fly, but instead the fly out ended the inning.

“Crawford hit one and it would have been a run,” expressed Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

The Marlins were able to add two more in the sixth off of a tired Lincecum. Casey McGehee started the inning with a leadoff double, only to be batted in when Garrett Jones came up next with a triple. A scary moment occurred on the play, as Angel Pagan went diving for the ball, and ended up missing it, allowing Jones to get to third. He banged up his shoulder on the play. “He said he was a little sore, and will evaluate him tomorrow, but he should be okay,” Bochy commented. Saltalamacchia then hit in Jones with a sacrifice fly to left to extend the lead to 3-0.

Lincecum was coming off of his best start of the season against Atlanta where he struck out 11, while allowing one run on two hits. On Saturday night, the former Cy Young winner lasted six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while striking out six. “Timmy had a good outing, the way we have been swinging the bats of late, we could have expected more,” added Bochy.

Miami was able to add one in the seventh, when Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo shot for his 12^th homerun of the season. The Marlins also added one in the ninth that went unearned to make it 5-0.

Marlins’ pitcher Tom Koehler bounces back from his worst performance of the season, where he only pitched 3.2 innings against the Dodgers, with the win. Koehler pitched seven, striking out seven, while only allowing four hits. He ups his record to 4-3 on the year.

The Giants try to get back in the win column Sunday, as they will face these same Marlins for the final matchup of the four-game weekend set. San Francisco will be putting Ryan Vogelsong on the mound, while they face Jacob Turner.

How Will the Sharks Be Composed?

Published on May 17, 2014May 18, 2014 by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks are not the only team to lose a Game Seven in 2014, or even in the first round. Because they began with a three game lead, the loss was considered an upset, a collapse. Other teams who lost in Game Seven when they were expected to win include the Boston Bruins, and the Pittsburgh Penguins.The Bruins were grumpy in the handshake line, the Penguins fired their GM.

The Anaheim Ducks were the regular season Conference champions. They held a lead at one point in the series against the Los Angeles Kings, but they were not strong favorites, especially after the Kings’ first round comeback against the Sharks.

Does a little distance change how we should view what happened to the Sharks in the series against the Kings? Doesn’t it appear that they did not have to make many mistakes to lose to the Kings? Perhaps, but some of the mistakes were ones we have seen before that should have been avoidable.

When the Sharks flagged after the questionable goal that involved pushing Alex Stalock into the net, it was not unlike the 2011 Conference Finals against the Canucks. There, a bad call in the last 13 seconds of the third period left the team flat-footed. The Canucks tied the game and won the series in overtime.

What is this, and how do you fix it? Would making a lot of roster changes do it?

Sharks GM Doug Wilson said the team needs more than a band aid. The problem is that any major surgery takes time.

The first moves announced were actually non-moves. The coaching staff would be retained, Dan Boyle would not be resigned, and Marty Havlat would not be with the Sharks next season. The odds are very slim that this last means anything other than “Havlat will be bought out.” If Wilson were trying to trade him, he probably wouldn’t be announcing it to the media. This would be a first, a difficult first for a GM who has always been careful to not get into a contract he cannot live with.

The other announcement is the oddest of the three: the Sharks will use Brent Burns as a defenseman next season. Yes, he was acquired for that purpose, his contract was negotiated on that basis, he has more NHL experience as a defenseman than as a forward but… he really was a standout forward. He was maddeningly inconsistent as a defenseman.

The choice is not so shocking, but the announcement itself was strange. Was it a way of saying (unbidden) that the Sharks will not pursue a free agent defensemen this summer? Or that they will pursue a top six forward? Did that announcement have any place on the list of “questions people want answered?”

Dan Boyle, in discussing his time with the Sharks, said that the last two seasons were the Sharks’ best. Reminded that they had made the Conference Finals twice before, he admitted that perhaps recent seasons were just more vivid in his memory.

I think he was right the first time. The Pacific Division has become more formidable than it was when the Sharks went to the Conference Finals. The Sharks have been better in the last two seasons, but so has their competition. That means that success is even more about bounces than it ever was.

Bounces cannot be controlled, but the way a team handles them can be. A team’s psychological resilience can be improved by changing the players, but there are not very many players who can step in and hold a team together through a crisis. There may not be any who could do it for all teams.

Would trading Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau really improve matters? Joe Pavelski? Who? And who do you get to replace them? Keeping in mind some no movement clauses would have to be worked around, who could Wilson get back? Unfortunately, those other players might come with much heavier salary burdens, assuming they could produce as well as any of the Sharks’ leaders, and also fix what ails the team.

That is a lot to expect from some player on some team a Sharks player would agree to be traded to… it is a lot to expect from even two or three players.

Wilson may have the flexibility he wants, but he has not built the team out of an NHL Leggo set. Few successful teams are built like that. You don’t replace pieces, you replace ingredients. Each player has an effect beyond the players to either side of him on the bench. The wrong big move could doom the next few seasons.

Should they move goaltender Antti Niemi? Was he really the weakest link? A better puck-mover would be nice, but every goaltender has his weaknesses. Those with few are rarely available. How much could Wilson get in trade?

Again, would that fix what ails the Sharks? What does ail them?

Composure. This is something the Kings are being praised for. They have rebounded in two playoff series now. Their goalie has recovered from some poor outings to play at his best. Give them credit, they keep their heads.

But do they keep them so much better than the Sharks? If the Kings are such a better team than the Sharks or the Ducks, why did it take them seven games to win those series? Why did they lose so badly to start the playoffs? Perhaps their playing style has to be paced. Playing a very physical game, the sort of game that produces a high injury rate, takes its toll on both teams. Perhaps it takes the Kings a while to work up to it.

Is that what the Sharks need to do, whichever Sharks remain next season? Does that style of play guarantee a win? It has gotten the Kings farther than the Sharks have gone several seasons in a row now. So why don’t more teams emulate the Kings?

Again, why did it take them seven games, twice, if they are so much better?

Maybe the Kings are not a perfect model, they are just one that works for those players with that coach right now.

Those players. Mike Richards spent a good amount of time on the fourth line. He might be a buyout candidate this summer if he cannot return to a top six role. No team is going to willingly give a fourth liner six or seven years at $5.75 million. In the mean time, he posed an enormous threat to opposition, and not because he is so tough or gritty. What distinguished him from most fourth liners is skill.

The Sharks had Mike Brown on their fourth line. They also had Raffi Torres there, with a still very troublesome knee. Had he not been injured, would he have been on the fourth line at all?

The Sharks would do well to look for more skill to go with the grit they have relied on there. They have players who could make up an over-qualified fourth line, if they added one or two top nine forwards…

Yet the coaching staff thought it would be better to try to get Marty Havlat to play there occasionally, instead of moving someone who could do that job (like Tommy Wingels) and keeping Havlat in the roll he was acquired for– a skilled top nine forward. Unless they re-evaluate how they use their assets, it doesn’t matter who the Sharks trade or acquire.

If their roster is so flawed, then significant changes have to be made. That is unlikely to produce quick results. Whether they replace a lot of players or drastically change their style of play, both will take time to adjust to. They probably won’t get off to a quick start, they might be pushing to reach the playoffs at the end of the season. Then, if they stumble again, it can be explained away by too many changes to adjust to in one season.

Not making big changes hasn’t satisfied anyone. It will be difficult now to not make them. It does seem like a shame to waste the one useful thing the team got out of that loss to Los Angeles: a painful shared memory of what they don’t want to experience again.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary:Exclusive interview with Chicago rookie sensation Jose Abreu

Published on May 17, 2014 by lleonardbwLeave a comment

by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

ANAHEIM–It is only the middle of May, but Cuban first baseman, and sometimes designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox, Jose Abreu has a large lead to win the 2014 American League Rookie of the Year. During the White Sox only visit to Oakland and prior to a game I sat down with Abreu and spoke with him.

Q: Coming from Cuba, a closed society type of government, where there are still no relations with the United States for over 50 years, this is the first time you are in the United States; what impressed you the most about the Major Leagues?

Abreu: “Everything, it is a great huge country, great people, and in baseball this is it, the Big Leagues, this is where everybody in the world that plays baseball aspires to be, I thank God for the opportunity and the privilege to let me do what I do, I am new here, but I hope I can keep helping this team the whole season, baseball has been my favorite thing to do all my life and I thank God for the privilege to play here”

Q: How do you feel about the new crop of Cuban players (like you) your friend Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig, Jose Fernandez and others that are now arriving and making the rosters of some of the teams here and having great success? (I mentioned to him the great Cuban born star still working for the White Sox Orestes(Minnie) Minoso?

Abreu: “First of all, I like to thank the older Cuban players that opened the way for us,and in one way or the other are responsible for our success, in the case in my team Alexei Ramirez Dayan, and others, it is great to see many players here that are coming from my country, I feel good about all the Cuban players that today are having the great results here in the big leagues and they have to maintain a very strong mind, because there are going to be highs and lows during the whole season, you have to be strong in your head”.

Q: Are you still in touch with the Cuban players, and families of the Cuban players that you know and that are still left in Cuba?

Abreu: “No, not with the players, because of the regime there and, you know, I do not want to give them any problems, but with some of their families and friends, yes, I am in contact with then everyday and they are very happy with my success”

Q: You had great success so far, but what do you think you still need to work to polish your skills?

A: “I have to work every day, as far as my hitting, trying to correct my weaknesses and my mistakes, I am working on some of my holes when I come to the plate, but most of all we have to keep our mind strong and believe on what I can do”

Q: You have a very smooth but powerful swing. Who taught you that swing?

Abreu: “Believe me, that is something that I had to learned by myself. But my father was the most responsible for that, because since I was a little kid in Cuba my father would fill a bag (java) and filled it with rocks, and he also gave me a small piece of wood, and I would hit those rocks, day after day after day, and told me about my swing my swing my swing”.

Q: When you got here to the Oakland Coliseum, first thing you did is talk with Yoenis Cespedes, are you guys good friends?

Abreu: “Yes, we are good friends, we knew each other from the Cuban leagues, we spoke about a lot of things, especially the baseball played here at the parks, the cities, everything. He is a very good friend and I am happy he is doing very well here with Oakland”

Abreu is a very inquisitive guy, he noticed my 1989 A’s World Series Championship ring and asked me, “Is that one of the rings from here?” I replied: “Yes, that is my 1989 World Series Championship ring” He replied” “Very nice”, and asked me if this ring was from the days of the names of the players listed on the upper deck at the Coliseum”. I said yes, those are some of the great Oakland Athletics players in the history of the team and I told him I also have the 1988 and 1990 rings of the A’s. He smiled and said “muy bueno” “very good”.

Abreu hit two home runs in the three game series at the Oakland Coliseum,and the last of the two marked his 15th home runs of the season. A majestic shot, three run homer in the eight inning and the White Sox snapped a four game losing streak, as they beat the Athletics 4-2. His shot to left field was his 15th home run of the season. The Cuban rookie slugger is the fourth player in major league history to hit 15 home runs in his first 42 games. joining Wally Berger, Kevin Mass and Wally Joyner.

As we said good bye and I wished him good luck, he smiled and told me one of his wishes is for all the Cuban players to get together in Miami, for just a fun game and memories. I told him that was a great idea, he replied: “Lo haremos ya veras” ‘We will do it, you will see”.

Amaur Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s baseball and does News and Commentary on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings downtown arena: Crucial City Hall vote on Kings arena Tuesday night at 5pm

Published on May 17, 2014 by lleonardbwLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Sacramento City Council will decide on approving plans for a new downtown arena at Downtown Plaza mall on Tuesday night at Sacramento City Hall. The mall is now currently vacant with former merchants who moved out in preparation of construction to tear down old retail buildings in place of the new Sacramento Kings arena but first a vote must take place and it all gets underway on Tuesday night.

The Kings and the city plan to spend upwards to $90 million in the next five months on reconfiguring the mall for the arena. Once the vote has been finalized on Tuesday night the Kings plan to start work at the mall on Wednesday by intitially turning off the water and electricity at the east end of the mall.

The total cost of the arena development is estimated at $477 million with major demolition starting in July. Although the Kings have spent almost half the costs towards the arena the property will be owned by the city. The City is in for $255 million of the costs and the Kings share is $222 million.

$16 million of the land is going to be transferred to the city from the Kings, while the city will own the land the Kings will run the arena and the corporate enterprise of the Kings basketball business, according to Sacramento City Assistant Manager John Dangberg.

The Kings according to the agreement that will be submitted to the City Council on Tuesday night will receive a interest free loan of $12 million that will cover various permits that are required by the city. The parcel land that was Macy’s Men’s store near the Holiday Inn that sits near the middle of Old Sacramento and the mall will be demo’d and the team is expected to spend around $4.3 million on the Macy’s building that was forced into sale through eminent domain.

The City Council made one change in the financial figures that must be approved, the city is expected to approve a ten day waiting requirment because the agreement is in excess of $1 million. Danberg believes he has enough votes from the city council to get the ten day waiver. If the council does not vote to approve the ten day requirment then the project will still move forward and the one change on the agreement will be delayed according to Dangberg.

The City Council will hear all arguments for and against the new arena on Tuesday at City Hall and that seating for the Council meeting will allow 200 capacity in the chambers and overflow for the meeting will be seated outside of the building located on the second level at Old City Hall short circuit TV will allow the overflow crowd to view the meeting. The city will make sure that fair access to tickets to the meeting will be allotted to both parties for and against the project.

A vote will be taken after both sides have finished speaking at which the vote results will be announced. It’s expected that the City Council will vote overwhelmingly in favor of the arena.

Jerry Feiltelberg is covering the new arena developments of the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Reddick’s 6 RBI Night Propels A’s Victory Over Cleveland 11-1

Published on May 17, 2014May 17, 2014 by kahlilnajar7Leave a comment

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 16: Jed Lowrie #8 Derek Norris #36 Yoenis Cespedes #52 and Josh Reddick #16 of the Oakland Athletics celebrate after all scored on a grand slam by Reddick during the second inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on May 16, 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) — CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 16: Jed Lowrie #8 Derek Norris #36 Yoenis Cespedes #52 and Josh Reddick #16 of the Oakland Athletics celebrate after all scored on a grand slam by Reddick during the second inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on May 16, 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

By Kahlil Najar

CLEVELAND – Josh Reddick blasted a grand slam in the second and a two run shot in the seventh to provide the A’s six of their eleven runs. Josh Donaldson hit his tenth homer of the year in the second when he drove in three runs to provide the other big contribution to the A’s offense tonight.

“I was getting some pitches to handle and not missing them,” said Reddick. “That’s how you keep a hot streak going, you don’t miss pitches.”

Bob Melvin said, “It’s nice to see him drive some balls. The first one obviously puts four runs on the board and opens it up in a hurry. The second one was one of the more aggressive swings I’ve seen him have in a while.”

On his three run shot, Donaldson said, “That’s probably one of the best swings I’ve had this year.”

Some how lost in the mix is Sonny Gray’s great performance as he went for six innings and only gave up two hits and the lone run of the game. He also tied a career high in strikeouts with nine.

Cleveland actually had the lead in the bottom of the first after a home run from former Oakland Athletic Nick Swicher went over the right field fences and gave the Indians a 1-0 lead. The A’s then went to work in the second. Brandon Moss started the inning with his seventh double of the year to right field and then he was moved to third on a Yoenis Cesepedes single to left field. Jed Lowrie then hit a sharp grounder to center field that scored Moss and moved Cesepedes to second. Derek Norris walked to load the bases and Reddick came up and blasted his first homer of the game and gave the A’s a 5-1 lead. After a Sogard ground out and a Crisp walk, Josh Reddick hit his team leading 10th homer of the year to left field and made it 8-1. Lowrie hit his third home run of the year in the top of the third and Reddick hit a two run shot in th top of the 7th to give the game a 11-1 final score.

Fun fact of the game is that the A’s hit for the “cycle” on homers – Lowrie hit his solo shot, Reddick’s homer in the 7th brought in two, Donaldson has a 3 run homer in the second and of course Reddick has his grand slam that brought in four runs.

Oakland and Cleveland head back at it tomorrow night as the A’s send up Scott Kazmir (5-1, 2.28 ERA) against Josh Tomlin (2-0, 2.13), game time 4:05pm PST.

Miami Backed By Yelich’s Four Run Game to Get Past Giants 7-5

Published on May 16, 2014May 18, 2014 by joelamiLeave a comment

By: Joe Lami

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.–A sold out crowd of 41,819 were treated to a rockin’ game on Metallica night at AT&T Park on Friday night, as the Giants and Marlins played the second game of a four-game series. The Marlins tied the weekend series at one with the 7-5 win. In a back and forth game, Miami finally took the stranglehold in the top of the ninth with a two run inning.

Casey McGee earned the game winning hit with one out in the ninth as he slapped a ball through the right side of the infield bringing in Christian Yelich, who earned his fourth run of the evening on the play. “We’re going to have games like this, the game winning hit had eyes,” said Giants Manager, Bruce Bochy, following the loss.

Miami was able to add another one with a groundball base hit from Garrett Jones, as Brandon Crawford was unable to come up with the ball on a sliding ball to his left with two outs.

The Marlins got on the board first, when Yelich earned his first run of the game with a lead-off home run just five pitches in. For Yelich, it was his fifth homer of the season and second of the Marlins road trip. “I lost my command in the first, but after it I settled down,” Giants Starting Pitcher, Yusmeiro Petit commented.

Petit was put in as the spot starter, after projected starter Tim Hudson was unable to make it due to a strained left hip. “I’m going to be ready anytime he (Bochy) needs me,” Petit added.

The Giants were able to answer right back with a run of their own in the bottom half of the first, when Pablo Sandoval hit in Angel Pagan with a two out double.

Miami would hit their second home run of the game in the top half of the third inning. This time it was off of the bat of Derek Dietrich, who hit it with a runner on in Yelich that reached on an error. Miami would add another in the fourth inning to go up 4-1 when Adeiny Hechavarria hit in Jones on a sacrifice fly.

The Giants would once again answer with two runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning to make it 4-3, with runs coming from Sandoval and Michael Morse.

Miami would add on another run in the fifth, making it three straight innings with a run to go ahead 5-3. Yelich notched his third run of the game on a McGehee single.

The Giants would add runs in the fifth and sixth to eventually tie the game. “We just came up short tonight, after we tied it,” explained Bochy, after the game.

Santiago Casilla gets marked with the loss, dropping his record to 1-1 on the season. Mike Dunn picks up the win for the Marlins, upping his record to 4-3.

With the loss, the Giants remain in first. However, they lose a game on the Colorado Rockies, who defeated San Diego 3-1 on Friday night. San Francisco has a three-game lead on Colorado.

Saturday’s matchup will feature Tom Koehler and Tim Lincecum as the projected starters. Koehler has a 2.57 ERA for a 3-3 record on the year and AT&T Park holds a special place in his heart, as it is where he recorded his first Major League win. Lincecum will be on the bump for San Francisco, as he goes into Saturday with a 4.78 ERA, good enough for a 3-2 record. Lincecum is also coming off of his best outing of the season, as he struck out 11 batters in his win over the Braves on Monday.

NBA Conference Finals report: Spurs have experience but OKC has Westbrook;LeBron-Heat will be handful for Pacers

Published on May 16, 2014 by lleonardbwLeave a comment

by Daivd Zizmor

San Antonio vs. Oklahoma: The Spurs took out the Trailblazers in the second round four games to one and that’s what was expected. The Spurs are just on another level than Portland and while the Blazers have some very good young players they’re very inexperienced in the post season and throughout NBA history these are teams that are young with freshlegs.

The Trailblazers will need some experience to find their way into the finals and the Blazers are a team that’s on the way up. Michael Jordan took three or four tries before he won his title, the Blazers have the pieces in place to be a competitive team for several years.

San Antonio is a team that has won multiple championships, they’ve been in the playoffs every year forever and their a fantastic team with players that are in the twilights of their careers their still a fantastic team. All credit to guys like Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and also their great coach Gregg Poppovich whose going to be in the Hall of Fame someday.

The match up which starts on Monday night with the Oklahoma Thunder and the Spurs who are the top two teams in the west. These two teams that have met in the post season in the last couple of years has been in a big battle and it was so for OKC last season when Russell Westbrook got hurt in the playoffs.

Westbrook didn’t play against the Spurs and that was a huge loss and Westbrook is one of the best players in the league at his point guard position. Westbrook is a leader on that OKC team and to not have him against the Spurs was a big loss last year. This post season he’s healthy, he’s back and OKC should give the Spurs a great series starting Monday night.

Indiana vs. Miami: The Indiana Pacers suddenly flipped the switch and are playing very well in these playoffs after strugging in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks and in the second round they got by the Washington Wizards winning that series 4-2.

They didn’t look fantastic, they had plenty moments of weakness the big difference was the Pacers Roy Hibbert was finally playing like Roy Hibbert and he was back to scoring. The Hawks in that first round had somehow figured out a magic potion to nuetralize the Pacers and Hibbert woke up against Washington and did a fantastic job all series including scoring 11 points to help the Pacers beat the Wizard 93-80 in game six on Thursday night.

After the first game when the Wiz knocked the Pacers around 102-96 the Pacers woke up and came to life and took the series in six games. The Pacers are a team that can compete with Miami and we’ve seen them do it several times this season. We saw them do it in the conference finals last year it’s just that Indiana has been lousy for the last few months.

It’s tough to feel confident that they can hang with the Heat, the Pacers have been playing a little bit better but the Heat have had a chance to rest up after really dispatching with the Nets pretty quickly. The Heat are so good on top of being the World Champions and having the best player on the planet in LeBron James. The Heat will be prepared for Indiana and game one is scheduled for Sunday night in Indiana.

David Zizmor covers the NBA for http://www.sportsradioservice.com