AP File Photo: Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul arrives for Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz Friday, April 28, 2017, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
By Amaury Pi Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES–There’s a lot of changes going at the Los Angeles Clippers with Blake Griffin leaving the team and now Chris Paul moving onto the Houston Rockets as announced by the Clippers on Wednesday morning. Who would have thought the Clippers would be an interesting franchise and they were with Griffin and Paul.
For so many years the Lakers dominated in the Southland with Magic, Kareem, Shaq, Kobe and all those guys. Paul was a great part of the Clippers and their history. We remember Chris as a rookie and that time I was doing the Clippers in Spanish on their TV Network. Things are changing at the Clippers, the guard is changing and there’s going to more changes on the horizon for the Clippers.
Amaury also discusses the Oakland A’s who could sell the team after they locate to their new stadium site. As MLB stops paying revenue sharing benefits to teams who just take the money and don’t even go to post season or even close the A’s owner John Fisher is not likely to spend money on the A’s from out of pocket. Listen for more on That’s Amaury’s podcast below.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish TV talent for the Angels, the Spanish radio talent for the A’s and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservive.com
San Francisco Giants’ Denard Span swings for the game winning single off Colorado Rockies’ Chad Qualls in the 14th inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 27, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
By Jeremy Kahn
SAN FRANCISCO- Denard Span ended the second longest game of the season for the San Francisco Giants with one swing of the bat.
Span lashed a single into right field that scored Gorkys Hernandez from second base, as the Giants came back to defeat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 before a crowd of 41,331, the 526th consecutive regular season sellout at AT&T Park.
Cory Gearrin pitched the final three innings to even his record at 2-2 on the season, and had a chance to win the game himself; however, he struck out just prior to the Span single.
The Giants was lights out, as they pitched the last eight innings after replacing Matt Cain in the top of the seventh.
The sextet of Steven Okert, George Kontos, Mark Melancon, Josh Osich, Sam Dyson and Gearrin went eight innings, did not allow a run, scattered four hits, walked four and struck out eight.
Hernandez doubled to lead-off the bottom of the 14th inning against Chad Qualls, who was the seventh pitcher of the night for the Rockies.
Cain was looking good, as he entered the sixth inning; however, after a Charlie Blackmon groundout, Cain gave up a single to Raimel Tapia, who promptly stole second with Nolan Arenado at the plate, which looked, especially when Cain walked Arenado intentionally.
Despite the no-decision, Cain looked good, as he went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking three and striking out three.
Unfortunately, on the first pitch to Reynolds after the intentional walk, Reynolds slammed the offering and put it into the left field seats for his 19th home run of the season.
Jeff Hoffman also did not fare in the decision, as he went six and two-third innings, allowing two runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out six.
The Giants took an 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, as Gorkys Hernandez singled off of Hoffman, then Cain hit a perfect sacrifice bunt and then Denard Span continued his hot hitting, as he singled for the first of his two hits on the night.
Mark Reynolds crushed a Cain offering and put it into the left field sets for his 19th home run of the season.
After Reynolds hit his three-run home run, the Giants clawed their way back into the game, as Brandon Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to score Buster Posey from third base. Posey walked with one out.
With a chance to tie the game or possibly take the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, Austin Slater hit a pinch-hit single with one out, after Span flew out for the second out of the inning, Joe Panik; however, the inning and the threat ended when Hunter Pence flew out to end the inning.
The Giants tied up the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Kelby Tomlinson hit a pinch hit single to drive in Brandon Belt from second base.
Belt on a bizarre fielders’ choice that saw the ball fall just out of the reach of Arenado, but Arenado was able to throw out Posey at second base. Posey led off the inning with a single against Scott Oberg.
Trevor Story saved a big 10th inning for the Rockies, as he was able to snare a Crawford hit ball to start a dazzling double play. Story grabbed the ball, flipped to Alexi Amarista at second, who threw to Reynolds to complete the double play to end the inning.
Amarista moved from right field to second base after D.J. LeMahieu was forced to leave the game with a right groin cramp, and LeMahieu is listed as day-to-day.
NOTES: Ty Blach completes the series and the home stand for the Giants on Wednesday afternoon, as he takes the mound, while the Rockies will go with Kyle Freeland.
Oakland Athletics’ Ryon Healy (25) is congratulated by Jed Lowrie (8) after hitting a grand slam against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, June 27, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
by Jerry Feitelberg
Houston- The Oakland A’s won their fourth game in a row, all on the road, as they beat the Houston Astros 6-4 Tuesday night. The A’s, who had lost eight of nine so far this year and fifteen of the last seventeen against the Astros, finally found the recipe for success. The young A’s, behind a solid performance by Sean Manaea and the hitting of Ryon Healy, gave manager Bob Melvin reason to smile. The A’s have now won eight of the last twelve and are now seven games under the .500 mark with a record of 35-42 and are three games behind the Seattle Mariners for fourth place in the division. They no longer have the worst record in the American League as things have gone south for the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox.
The A’s manufactured a run in the top of the second inning. Astros’ starter, Mike Fiers, hit Khris Davis with a pitch. Davis stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell singled to drive in Davis, and the A’s had an early 1-0 lead. The Astros had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the second. Marwyn Gonzales singled with one out. Center fielder Jake Marisnick, who has hit A’s pitching very hard this season, doubled off the left-center field wall. Gonzalez, who should have been running with two out, was held at third. Manaea escaped damage when he struck out George Springer to end the inning.
The Astros tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. Springer led off with an infield hit. Jose Altuve then singled to center to put men on at first and second with no out. Manaea, pitching very carefully to Carlos Correa, walked him to load the bases. The next hitter, Evan Gattis, who also has tormented the A’s ever since his arrival in Houston, hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Springer scored to tie the game. Manaea retired the next batter to escape any further damage.
The A’s rallied in the top of the sixth to score times. Matt Joyce and Jed Lowrie singled to get things started. Khris Davis popped out for the first out. Fiers walked Yonder Alonso to load the bases. Fiers retired the next hitter and now had to face Ryon Healy. With the count 3-2, Healy hit a big fly to right field that went over Springer’s glove into the seats for a grand slam. If Dave Niehaus were alive, the call would have been something like this:”Get out the mustard and rye bread, Grandma, it’s a grand salami.” It was Healy’s 18th round-tripper of the year and his first career grand slam.
The A’s added a run in the eighth on doubles to extend the lead to 6-1. Ryan Madson relieved Manaea with two outs in the sixth. He closed out the sixth and seventh innings for the A’s. Sean Doolittle did the same in the eighth. Melvin brought in Liam Hendriks to pitch the ninth and things did not go well for him. Hendriks did not retire a hitter as he gave up three runs on three hits. The big blow was George Springer’s 22nd home run of the year for Houston. Melvin brought in his closer, Santiago Casilla, and Casilla got the job done as he was able to finish off the Astros.
Game Notes- Sean Manaea’s record in now 7-4 for the year. Manaea went 5 and 2/3rds innings and allowed just one run, but he did allow a season-high nine hits.Houston’s Mike Fiers came into the game having been 4-0 with an ERA of 1.72 in his last five starts. His last loss came on May 20th.
Jharel Cotton is supposed to pitch for Oakland on Wednesday. However, Cotton developed a blister on his right thumb in his last start and may not be available. The A’s announced that shortstop Marcus Semien is on a rehab assignment at Single-A Stockton. It is estimated that he will need 35 to 50 at-bats before he can come off the DL. There is no word on the status of Kendall Graveman or Andrew Triggs at this time.
Game two of the three-game series will be Wednesday at 5:05 pm at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Oakland Athletics pitcher Sean Manaea works against the Houston Astros during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 21, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
On the Oakland A’s Podcast with Charlie O:
1) The A’s are coming off a sweep of the White Sox in Chicago and now they head to Houston, just where do they stand?
2) What about the Astros, where are they in the standings?
3) Who will pitch in the opening game on Tuesday night?
4) Who are the probable starters for Wed & Thu ?
5) Is it true that the scouts were out in Chicago to look at Sonny Gray?
6) What about the injury situation? Any update from the MASH tent?
7) You say Stephen Vogt has landed on his feet after being released by the A’s
Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year & Assist of the Year Award winner, Draymond Green, poses in the press room at the 2017 NBA Awards at Basketball City at Pier 36 on Monday, June 26, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer
The Golden State Warriors continue its string of good fortune, picking up a pair of season-ending awards with forward Draymond Green taking home the 2016-17 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award and general manger Bob Myers named Executive of the Year for the second time in three seasons at the NBA awards show Monday night in New York.
Two days after the Warriors wrapped up its second NBA championship in three seasons, Green mentioned that he didn’t cared if he won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Green won the award anyway, edging out two-time winner Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) and Rudy Gobert (Jazz). Green finished second in balloting to Leonard in back-to-back seasons.
The unquestioned heartbeat of the Warriors, Green received 73 of the 100 first-place votes, totaling 434 points. Gobert received 269 points, including 16 first-place votes. Leonard received 182 votes, 11 for first place.
The three finalists accounted for all 100 first-place votes.
Green led the NBA in steals (2.03 per game) and blocks (1.39 per game), with Golden State leading the league in both categories per game as a team.
With a hard-hat and lunch pail mentality, the 6-foot-7 forward finished third in the league in defensive rating and second in defensive win shares. Even though he’s the Warriors’ starting power forward, Green plays the majority of games at center while also playing point forward on offense.
Green averaged 10.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, while leading Golden State with 7.0 assists per game.
During his acceptance speech, a smiling Green acknowledge teammates Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant for their commitment to the defensive end of the floor this season.
“This isn’t an individual award,” Green said. “There are five guys out there on the floor at a time. I can’t do this all by myself, so I appreciate them. With KD and Klay not making the All-Defensive team, I appreciated everything they do.”
Earlier on Monday, Green was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team. Green received 198 of a possible 200 points and voted to the first-team on 99 of a 100 ballots, but was shockingly left off one ballot.
At the Warriors’ championship parade, Green shouted into a microphone: “Can somebody give Bob some fu**ing credit?!”
Well, I guess the NBA heard Green loud and clear when Myers was named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for 2016-17, announced Monday night.
Last June, Myers and the Warriors bought the 38th pick and selected Pat McCaw. McCaw turned out to be a key reserve for Golden State this season.
Then in July, Myers upgraded at small forward allowing Harrison Barnes to leave the Warriors and take a four-year, $94 million maximum deal with the Dallas Mavericks, and signed superstar forward Kevin Durant away from the Oklahoma City Thunder to a two-year, $54.3 million contract.
How that turn out for Golden State? Pretty successful.
Myers also added big-men in Zaza Pachulia, David West and JaVale McGee. All three guys provided the much needed toughness and height the team lost with the departures of Andrew Bogut and Mareese Speights.
Myers also won the award after the 2014-15 season.
SAN FRANCISCO—With the Giants in the wrong part of the tabloids and the standings, someone needed to be a stopper.
Brandon Crawford did just that.
Despite booting an early grounder in the second inning—that ended up going for a hit—Crawford’s slick defensive play steadied the reeling Giants, which had lost 12 of their last 13 games before a 9-2 win Monday night. After the shortstop made a clean diving stop and a quick throw to third to end the second inning, the Giants responded with four runs in the next two frames.
“Hopefully, this did a lot for their confidence and will take a little pressure off,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after the Giants’ first win in nearly a week. “We need to quit fighting it so much. There’s a lot of talent, and there’s no reason we can’t put consistent runs on the board.”
When Desmond slapped the third inning grounder in the hole with two runners on, the Rockies were threatening with two men on base and down just 1-0. Crawford quickly broke to his right and nabbed it in open space before popping up to connect with third baseman Ryder Jones, in just his third big league game, for the putout.
Crawford said that it was a pretty “heads-up” play by the rookie, even though they had just discussed the possibility of Jones covering the bag for a force play just a day earlier.
“I don’t think I’ve ever made that play going to third base,” Crawford said. “But we talked about it, and he was there.”
One win certainly won’t do much to help the club climb back from a 23.5 game hole in the NL West, but it’s certainly a start. Despite having nearly the same lineup that went to the NLDS last season, San Francisco has the worst offensive numbers in franchise history in term since 1902—one year after the assembly line was invented—San Francisco will need more than just one 14-hit, 9-run effort to get back on track.
“I don’t think we’ve forgotten about it (how to hit well),” Crawford said. “It’s just been awhile since we’ve all come together at the same time and contributed together.”
Cover image: June 26, 2017: San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (35) fielding a ground ball hit by the Rockies’ Trevor Story, during a MLB baseball game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants on LGBT Night at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. Valerie Shoaps/CSM (Cal Sports Media via AP Images)
San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey follows through as he drives in a run with a double against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, June 26, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
By Morris Phillips
Ease up on dissension stories, put a noose on the negativity, look no further for factions and infighting. If only for a night, the focus fell on the diamond, as the Giants became winners again.
Jeff Samardzija pitched into the seventh inning, and four Giants produced multi-hit games in a 9-2 rout of the Rockies, ending the team’s woeful stretch of 12 losses in 13 games. The win also snapped a streak of nine, consecutive losses to the Rockies, the longest such streak of Giants’ losses in the nearly 25 seasons of meetings between the two clubs.
Manager Bruce Bochy stuck with his most veteran lineup Monday, and was rewarded with three-hit games from Buster Posey and Hunter Pence, while Denard Span and Joe Panik each had a pair of hits at the top the lineup. The Giants scored in three of the first four innings off German Marquez, who failed to win for a third, consecutive start.
Samardzija again pitched well enough to win, but this time, he did win. The Shark tamed the same lineup that was unforgiving in Denver on June 16, when Samardzija allowed a season-worst eight runs and 11 hits. This time, with all his pitches working, the righthander cruised through the first six innings before adversity struck in the seventh. Still, his two runs and six hits allowed performance was enough to get the decision, and avoid a major league-worst tenth loss.
“We have a hard time scoring runs for him, but tonight he got rewarded for a great effort,” manager Bruce Bochy said.
Samardzija continued to be stingy with opposing hitters, by striking out five and walking none. That extends a streak of 12 starts in which he’s struck out 82 batters while walking just four. But he’s only 3-5 in that stretch, another example of how hard wins, and run support, have been to come by for a club that’s 23 1/2 games behind the Dodgers.. after gaining ground on Monday.
“Obviously we’re trying to score runs for him,” Brandon Crawford said. “At times, we try too hard, we’re pressing.”
Samardzija’s received the third worst support in the big leagues this season, barely three runs per game on average, but he hasn’t dwelled on it, in part due to previous experience. In 2014, as a member of the Cubs, he went the first 10 starts of the season without a win, despite pitching deep into all 10 starts, and compiling a miniscule 1.46 ERA.
“Even when it’s not going well, you go out and give it all you got,” he said.
Monday’s win came on the heels of a story written by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that depicted the Giants as a divided clubhouse, in part due to disagreement over pre-game stretching routines that conflict with new closer Mark Melancon’s preferred, pre-night game routine. Add Rosenthal’s contention that the Giants lack fiery personalties, leaving them cemented in a lethargy of losing, and you have something to talk about.
A bewildered Bochy did just that before Monday’s game.
“It’s pole vaulting over mouse turds, to be honest,” he said, when told of Rosenthal’s finer points.
Are the Giants a happy family then, despite losing at a record pace in a season they were built to compete for a fourth World Championship?
Probably not, but they do cut an unique swath across the greater canvas of losing. For one, big contracts are hard to move, and the Giants have a bunch of them. With the trade deadline roughly six weeks away, a market flooded with sellers won’t dislodge a gaggle of buyers. Only the most, desirable contracts will move, and the deals signed by Johnny Cueto, Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt, for examples, are expensive, complicated and downright undesirable.
Also, the Giants’ front office stubbornly has backed away from trade talks–for now–in hopes that some of the underperformers can turn it around. They can’t move everyone, and the majority of their roster wasn’t considered washed up until things collectively went south just two months ago.
For example, would you consider moving arbitration-eligible Joe Panik, a year after he was widely thought to be ascending to league batting champion status? Panik will be just 27 on Opening Day 2018, and he’s showing signs of progress after two, injury-marred seasons.
On Tuesday, Matt Cain gets the start for the Giants, Jeff Hoffman goes for the Rockies at 7:15pm.
AP File Photo: San Francisco Giants’ physical therapist Tony Reale, left, works with pitcher Madison Bumgarner in the right field of Wrigley Field before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Giants Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Chicago. Bumgarner, has been on the disabled list since suffering a sprained AC joint in his pitching shoulder along with bruised ribs after a dirt bike accident earlier this season. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
By Morris Phillips and Michael Duca
SAN FRANCISCO– San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner in rehab is expected back in two weeks. Bumgarner worked in rehab in two contests he’s gone three innings, thrown 33 pitches in three contests. He’s one of the best pitchers of our generation on a team that’s 24 games under .500. Bumgarner’s contract is coming up after this season and for all those reasons he needs to be back and on the field be healthy and that he’s got his act together. It looks like these rehabs are about to end and he’s ready to come back to the big club and pitch.
In his Major League career obviously he provides the opportunity for a jump start for a team that’s struggling if nothing else. Bumgarner can provide a kick start. Bumgarner’s injury was just one of a lot things that have gone wrong for San Francisco. A lot of players haven’t played well. It didn’t hurt but it didn’t help things when he got hurt. Obviously they need him, he’s obviously someone they looked to.
The Giants and Rockies opened a series on Monday night at AT&T Park both clubs bring a five game loss streak into the contest Morris and Michael cover the preview of this series.
Jake Marisnick (L) of the Houston Astros celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run homer during the second inning in a 12-9 win over the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum in California on June 22, 2017. The Astros extended their winning streak to four games. (Kyodo via AP Images) ==Kyodo
by Jerry Feitelberg
The Oakland A’s swept three games from the Chicago White Sox this past weekend in the Windy City. In fact, the A’s last three series have all been sweeps. They swept four from the Yankees, were swept by the Astros, and the sweep over the Chisox. The A’s have an off-day on Monday before going to Houston to play the Astros who lead the AL West with a record of 52-25.
The A’s, who are in the midst of a youth movement, have are 7-4 in their last eleven games and are 34-42 overall. The A’s have brought up Matt Olson, Jaycob Brugman, and Franklin Barreto to go along with Chad Pinder, Ryon Healy, Matt Chapman, and Bruce Maxwell. Pinder and Chapman are currently on the DL, but the others are making their presence felt, and they are giving the long suffering A’s fans hope that the team is on the way up. Barreto was four-for-ten in the Series in Chicago. Olson had two homers in Saturday’s game, and Brugman, Barreto, and Olson hit their first big-league home runs in the same game. It was the first time that happened since 1914.
The A’s are following the playbook of the Houston Astros. That playbook was to draft good young players and bring them up to see what they could do. As the team became better, the Astros added solid veterans to beef up the hitting. Most of their pitchers were home grown, and then they sought out relievers from other clubs to strengthen the bullpen Luke Gregerson came from Oakland, and they got Ken Giles from Philadelphia.
The Astros were terrible the first year in the AL West. The A’s beat them sixteen times in 2013. The one-star player they had at the time was Jose Altuve. Since that time, they have added Carlos Correa, George Springer, Marwin Gonzalez. They have also added veteran players such as catchers Evan Gattis and Brian McCann. The Astros signed former A’s outfielder, Josh Reddick, and former Yankees DH Carlos Beltran. Both these veterans give the Astros more thump in the lineup. The Astros starting pitching has had some injury problems but Lance McCullers is back and former Cy Young Award winning pitcher, Dallas Keuchel, should return soon. Keuchel will be in contention for the award again this year as he was having a good year before he was injured.
The A’s will send lefty Sean Manaea to the hill Tuesday night. Manaea was 5-0 in his last six starts before losing to Houston at home last Wednesday. Mike Fiers will pitch for Houston Tuesday night. Fiers is 4-0 with an ERA of just 1.72 in his last five starts.Jesse Hahn starts on Wednesday for the A’s. Hahn was rocked for ten runs last Thursday in Oakland. Hahn hit Houston’s leadoff hitter, George Springer with a fastball and that seemed to unnerve Hahn.
The Astros will counter with David Paulino who also beat the A’s last week. Thursday’s finale will feature Jharel Cotton going against Brad Peacock. Cotton picked up his fifth win of the year beating the White Sox last week. There was a sour note as Cotton had to leave the game in the sixth inning with a blister on his right thumb. Brad Peacock, who also picked up a win against Oakland las week, will handle the pitching chore for Houston.
The A’s, who have woeful on the road this year, really played well in Chicago as they won three straight on the road for the first time this year. The Chicago White Sox, however, are not the Houston Astros. If the A’s win two out three, the confidence will be there knowing that this team is on the rise. Let’s hope that the young men waering Green and Gold end the road trip on a high note.
Kevin Harvick celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race Sunday, June 25, 2017, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
By Tom Zulewski
After 20 races without traversing victory lane, Kevin Harvick was desperate for redemption.
He finally got it Sunday.
It had been more than a year since the 2014 Sprint Cup champion had finished first, but he finally tasted victory after transitioning from Chevrolet to Ford for Stewart-Hass Racing at Sonoma Raceway’s Toyota/Save Mart 350—in a relatively clean race, at that. At the windy road course, there was over an hour without a caution flag, almost unheard of at a track of the type.
Harvick took the lead from Brad Keselowski with 22 laps remaining and held on for his first win of 2017 at the Toyota/SaveMart 350. It was his first win at the first of NASCAR’s two road- course races, and Harvick became the 10th different driver to earn his first win at Sonoma in the last 12 years. With the new stage racing format in play for the first time, new records were set with 13 lead changes and 10 different drivers who led a lap.
Harvick’s SHR teammate, Clint Bowyer, finished second as the race ended under caution when Kasey Kahne crashed into a cement retaining wall on the 110th and final lap of the race. There were five cautions in total, only two involving accidents (Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick got together in the uphill turn 1 at lap 16, and the pair had a similar incident 16 laps later in turn 4 that ended the day for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) and one for debris at lap 40.
Harvick won for the 36th time in his NASCAR Monster Energy Cup career and became the 11th different driver to win a race this season. He qualified 12th and his average speed was 78.710 mph. Martin Truex Jr., the 2013 winner at Sonoma, won Stage 1, but ran into engine trouble and finished 37th. Jimmie Johnson, who won at Sonoma in 2010, won Stage 2, led 12 laps, but finished 13th.
Sports Radio Service 