Month: June 2017

San Francisco Giants Podcast with Michael Duca: Giants playing a tighter game of ball after snapping streak last Tuesday

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) works against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 21, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

On the Giants Podcast with Michael:

1 The Giants after snapping their six game losing streak on Tuesday night got some help from Austin Slater who clouted a three run homer to help pace San Francisco to a 6-3 victory

2 In his post game interview after Tuesday’s win you could hear it in manager Bruce Bochy’s voice the relief of finally getting back into the win column

3 Giants reliever Derek Law was sent down to triple A Sacramento after getting roughed up Tuesday in Atlanta 9-0

4 The Giants brought up reliever Kyle Crick from Sacramento to help put out some fires

5  Cubs manager Joe Maddon discussed his opposition regarding the catcher collision rule. While Giants manager Bob Bochy wants it to stay in place

Michael Duca does the Giants podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Podcast with Len Shapiro: Tortorella wins coach of the year–Sharks who are and aren’t in expansion draft

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Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella poses with the Jack Adams Award after winning the award during the NHL Awards, Wednesday, June 21, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

On the NHL Podcast with Len:

1 Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella picked up his second Jack Adams award winning the NHL coach of the year. Tortorella last won NHL coach of the year when he coached over at the Tampa Bay Lighting

2 San Jose Sharks Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau were left unprotected and despite that they are unrestricted free agents but Thornton and Marleau knew they’d won’t be signing with an expansion

3 Vegas could select forwards Joel Ward and Mikkel Boedker, defensemen Paul Martin and Dave Schlemko, the Sharks could lose one player in the draft

4 There are 11 players NHL teams can protect forwards Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Joe Pavelski, defensemen Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and goaltender Martin Jones

5 Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is headed for the Golden Knights and Nashville’s James Neal are headed to Vegas the Knights

 

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: City of Oakland and A’s see big dollar signs and jobs for new stadium and attendance

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athleticsnation.com photo: Artist’s rendition of proposed Oakland A’s waterfront stadium at Howard Terminal Jack London Square

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

Oakland A’s team president David Kaval was needless to say quite excited to talk to the media about the A’s plans for a new stadium at one of three locations Howard Terminal at Jack London Square, Oakland Coliseum, or at Laney College. The A’s are leaning towards the Laney College location because the park would be located within a few short blocks of BART. The kicker is that the new park would generate over $3 billion in ball park business, local business, and revenue.

This project would create over 2,000 construction jobs and the attendance is expected to spike up another million a year. The last time the A’s broke the 2 million mark was in 2014 the year they were one and out when they played the Kansas City Royals for the Wild Card. The new stadium is estimated to put the A’s over 2 million as an average attendance each year. There’s a lot of positives and the A’s have to build it and they will come.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Angels TV Spanish talent, the A’s radio Spanish talent and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Astros score early to down the A’s again 8-4

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Houston Astros bombed A’s starter, Sonny Gray, for five runs in the first inning. Gray recovered and pitched well for the next four innings, but the A’s offense couldn’t get Sonny off the hook as the Astros beat the A’s 8-4. The A’s did rally and trailed at one point 5-4, but the Astros scored two in the eighth and one in the ninth to win their 48th game of the year. Francis Martes won his second game of the year for Houston, and he is now 2-0. Gray’s record dropped to 2-3

.The Astros jumped all over Sonny Gray in the very first inning as they sent ten men to the plate and scored five runs on five hits. Right fielder George Springer got things going when he led off the game with his twenty-first homer of the year. Gray walked the next hitter, former Athletic Josh Reddick Jose Altuve reached on a bunt to put men on at first and second with no out. Carlos Correa hit into a double play to send Reddick to third. It was at this point that it appeared that Sonny was going to escape without any further damage, The Astros had other ideas. Catcher Brian McCann doubled to drive in Reddick with the second run of the inning. Gray walked Carlos Beltran to put men on at first and second for the second time in the inning. First baseman Yuli Gurriel doubled to drive in McCann. Alex Bregman singled to drive in Beltran and Gurriel.

The A’s scored a run in the bottom of the first. With two out, Jed Lowrie beat, hitting left-handed, beat the shift as he singled through the hole on the left side of the infield. He scored when Khris Davis hit a towering fly ball to right field that went off the wall for a double. Astros lead 5-1 after just the first inning of play.

The A’s Chad Pinder hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third. Pinder’s blast traveled about 400 feet and landed well into the bleachers in left field.  For Pinder, it was his ninth dinger of the season.The A’s now trail 5-2.

The A’s added another run in the fourth. Khris Davis singled sharply to left field to get the rally started. He went to third on a double by Yonder Alonso. Ryan Healy hit a sacrifice fly to left that allowed Davis to tag up and score. Stephen Vogt walked, but the rally ended when the Astros’ second baseman, Jose Altuve, made a fantastic diving stop of a ball heading into centerfield and started a 4-6-3 double play to end the A’s threat.

The A’s continued to chip away at the Astros’ lead. They plated one more run in the seventh. Rajai Davis, playing left field, doubled to start the inning. With one out, Jaycob Brugman singled to drive in Rajai with the fourth run of the night for Oakland. After seven innings of play, Houston is clinging to a 5-4 advantage as the game heads into the eighth inning.

The Astros parlayed a double, two walks and a single to score two more runs to take the lead 7-4 in the middle of the eighth inning.  The Astros added another run in the top of the ninth. Michael Brady, making his Major League Debut at age 30, served up a gopher ball to the first batter he faced. Who was the hitter? None other than Carlos Beltran. Beltran, who has over 400 career homers, hit his tenth of the season. The A’s threatened in the bottom of the ninth but Houston’s reliever, Dayan Diaz, was able to get out of the inning unscathed and Houston won by a final score of 8-4.

Game Notes- The A’s are now nine games under the .500 mark with a record of 31-40. The Astros won their eighth straight game at the Oakland Coliseum and have won 12 of the last 13 against the A’s. The A’s are now 22-15 at home compared to 9-25 on the road. The A’s committed another error and now gave 66 for the season. The A’s have not had a complete game pitched since August 19th of last year.

Game three of the four-game series will be played Wednesday night at the Coliseum. Game time will be at 7:05 pm. Sean Manaea with a record of 6-3 will be looking to win his seventh of the year and the Astros will have Mike Fiers pitching for them.

Time of game was three hours and twenty-eight minutes and 15,352 people watched as the A’s went down to defeat.

Giants losing streak over at seven; Slater hits three run bomb for 6-3 win

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San Francisco Giants’ Austin Slater (53) celebrates his three-run home run with Hunter Pence, left, and Brandon Belt during the eighth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, June 20, 2017, in Atlanta. San Francisco won 6-3. (AP Photo/John Amis)

By Jeremy Kahn

It maybe June 20, but Austin Slater probably hit the biggest home run of the season for the San Francisco Giants.

Slater hit a three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, helping the Giants to a come-from-behind 6-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Sun Trust Park and putting an end to their seven-game losing streak.

The Giants were helped out by some shoddy Braves defense, as they committed three errors in that fateful eighth inning that saw the Giants score five runs in the inning.

Dansby Swanson was unable to stay on second base on a throw that was originally ruled out by the umpires, but Bruce Bochy challenged the call and it was overturned and on the next pitch, Slater put a Julio Teheran pitch into the right field seats.

Reliever Ian Krol and first baseman Matt Adams also made errors in the inning that led to the Giants scoring five runs in the inning.

The Braves took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, as Johan Camargo hit a triple to centerfield and then Camargo scored on a Ender Inciarte sacrifice fly.

Brandon Belt hit his 12th home run of the season in the top of the ninth inning to close out the scoring for the Giants.

Matt Moore won for the first time in a month, as he won for the third time against seven losses this season.

Despite the fact that the Giants gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, the combination of George Kontos, Josh Osich, Sam Dyson and Mark Melancon gave the Giants their first win on their seven-game road trip.

NOTES: Jeff Samardzija goes to the mound for the Giants on Wednesday evening, while rookie Sean Newcomb takes the mound for the Braves in place of the injured Bartolo Colon.

Eduardo Nunez missed the game due to a bothered hamstring and took an MRI to rule out a more serious injury.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News, and Commentary: Kaval talks new park, possible locations, and his best choices

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field of schemes screen shot photo of the Oakland A’s simulated animation new stadium at Laney College

On the News and Commentary Podcast with Amaury Pi:

1The A’s problems are on going dropping the first game of the series with the Astros and losing their rookie third baseman Matt Chapman to a knee infection

2 Chapman will not be back soon and will be evaluated by the team doctors and he will be on antibiotics until determined by team doctors; team president David Kaval said he’s considering the three options the A’s have to move to: Jack London Square, Laney College, and the current Coliseum location

3 In NBA News: Will LaVar Ball be correct in his statement this morning to the media that “everybody knows Lonzo is gong to a Laker” reports said that the Lakers weren’t sold on Lonzo’s first workout with the team on Friday.

4 The other question is will LaVar keep fans away, more importantly will LaVar prevent other teams from drafting Lonzo making Lonzo a player with baggage his father

Amaury does a News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioserive.com

 

Oakland A’s Podcast with Charlie O: Chapman was shot in arm A’s needed; after knee injury A’s dynamic has changed

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Oakland Athletics’ Matt Chapman follows through on a two-run single off New York Yankees’ Jonathan Holder during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 16, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s brought rookie Matt Chapman up with much fanfare because he had been a number four prospect in the whole system. The A’s brought him up because he’s done so well in Triple A Nashville. Chapman was showing all kinds of power with home runs and just about everything else. At this point the A’s had to bring him up because they have to have some kind of impetus to give them a new energy to try to get things going.

They started him in the big Yankee series a four game series against a club that’s in first place in the AL East that has all kinds of talent. The Yanks have the big number 99 Eric Judge 6’7 265 lbs rightfielder who looks like he’s just ready to launch a ball into heaven everytime he comes to the plate. Then you ask what can Chapman do? Well he came in and infused an energy into the club that no one can believe, he had a great series and he does better than anyone can anticipate.

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Giants’ debut at SunTrust Park a dud, Braves cruise to a 9-0 shutout win

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AP17171052286542
Atlanta Braves third baseman Johan Camargo (17) scores on an Ender Inciarte double as the ball gets away from San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) in the third inning of a base ball game Monday, June 19, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

By Morris Phillips

In the previous installment of the Giants’ 162-part docudrama, the curtain fell just as the team was being cut up at Coors Field. When the story resumed Monday, the Giants were again in peril, this time chopped up at the Chop House.

By no means pretty, and unquestionably hard to watch, those that ventured near the Giants were again treated to the athletic equivalent of a high-speed commuter train demolishing a tricycle, in an embarrassing 9-0 loss to the Braves.

R.A. Dickey, now 42 years old, and forever in search of a rhythm with his signature knuckleball, shut down the Giants, allowing just three hits in seven innings. In a miraculous turnabout, Dickey produced his best start of the season, one turn after his worst, when he allowed eight earned runs to the Nationals, the most runs Dickey had surrendered in a start in more than two years.

Afterwards, Dickey said the about face had been in the works for a couple of appearances, and he said so without snickering or referencing the arrival of the woeful Giants, losers of seven straight.

“You know it’s good when they’re swinging and missing,” Dickey said.

“[The knuckleball] was coming out consistent, especially after the first inning, when it looked like it could have gone either way,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He seemed to have a feel for it the whole night. ”

Bruce Bochy stubbornly penciled in his veteran-laden lineup with Gorkys Hernandez the only position player that did not project to start on Opening Day.  After a 44-minute rain delay, Denard Span led off with a double, and Eduardo Nunez singled to put runners at the corners. But Dickey recovered, retiring Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey and Hunter Pence to end the inning.

“We had our guys up there, and we couldn’t get a run in,” Bochy said. “It was downhill from there.”

Dickey would go on to retire 18 of the next 21 batters. Not among the 18, Brandon Belt would get thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double in the second inning.

The Giants have been quiet offensively quite a bit in June. The loss marked the sixth time in their previous 11 games that they scored two runs or less and lost.

Johnny Cueto pitched into the seventh inning but allowed Ender Inciarte’s RBI double in the third, and Matt Adams’ solo shot in the fourth. With the loss, Cueto fell to 5-7 on the season.

Matt Moore takes the mound on Tuesday in a matchup with the Braves’ Julio Teheran.

Astros snap A’s four-game win streak,three homers beat Oakland 4-1

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Houston Astros’ George Springer, right, celebrates with Carlos Correa (1) after hitting a home run off Oakland Athletics’ John Axford in the eighth inning of a baseball game Monday, June 19, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

by Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND-The visiting Houston Astros showed the A’s and the fans several reasons why hey have the best record in the American League as they sent the A’s down to defeat 4-1 Monday night at the Coliseum. The A’s starting pitcher Daniel Gossett, making his second career start, pitched very well for Oakland. Gossett, who was routed in Miami last week, went six and 2/3rds innings and allowed six hits and two runs.

He did not walk a batter and struck out six, He deserves a better fate but the Astros’ Brad Peacock, a former Athletic, did a better job as he allowed just four hits and just one run. The Astros’ offense hit three homers that produced all four runs. The ‘Stros came into the game having hit 109 homers and trailed the Yankees by one for the league lead. They now lead the league with 112 as the Yankees were idle on Monday. The Astros bullpen of Will Harris, Chris Devenski, and Ken Giles did not allow a hit over the last 3 and 1/3rd innings of play. The Astros have power, speed, good defense, and pitching. All the ingredients needed to make a winning team.

A’s starter Daniel Gossett was cruising along nicely until the fifth inning. Evan Gattis, who has killed the A’s in the past, led off the inning with his second double of the night. Gossett retired the next two hitters. However, the Astros’ Jake Marisnic, who had two strikes on him, took Gossett deep with a drive that went over 400 feet to give Houston the lead 2-0.

The A’s cut the deficit to just one run in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Matt Joyce continued his hot hitting with a double to right. Peacock walked Chad Pinder to put men on at first and second with Jed Lowrie coming to bat. Lowrie, who has been a doubles machine this year, came through with a double to right-center-field to drive in Joyce with the A’s first run. Pinder, running all the way from first, was nailed at the plate on a very strong throw from shortstop Carlos Correa, who was the relay man. The A’s trail 2-1 after six complete.

The Astros stretched the lead to 3-1 in the top of the eighth. George Springer, leading off the inning, nailed John Axford for his twentieth home run of the year to give the Astros an insurance run. The Astros scored another run in the top of the ninth. With one out, Derek Fisher, playing left field for Houston, hit his second big fly of the season into the right-field bleachers to make it 4-1 in favor of Houston with the A’s coming up with just three outs left. Houston’s closer Ken Giles retired the A’s in order to secure the win for Brad Peacock, and Giles recorded his seventeenth save.

Game Notes- The Astros, with the win, are now 47-24 for the year, and the A’s are now eight games under .500 with a mark of 31-39. The Astros snapped the A’s modest four-game winning streak.

Game two of the four-game set will feature the A’s, Sonny Gray handling the pitching chores for Oakland. Gray will be seeking his third win of the season. The Astros will counter with Francis Martes who is 1-0 and has an ERA of 5.19.

Time of game was two hours and fifty-six minutes and 10,482 people watched the A’s go down to defeat.

A’s: Is there a doctor in the house? Matt Chapman fighting a knee infection

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

Chapman Newsday
Matt Chapman takes congratulations from Khris Davis Photo Newsday

We at SportsRadioService.com have been sharing a dark joke about the Oakland Athletics being the “M.A.S.H. Unit” of Major League Baseball for several years. This year has been no different as the A’s have used the Disabled List 17 times and they have seven players on that list as of today.

Now promising rookie call-up Matt Chapman is fighting to stay off the list that has killed the hopes of better days for the A’s for the past several years.

Chapman was called up from Triple-A Nashville to play third base in the four-game series with the New York Yankees. Chapman started all four games going 3-for-14 at the plate including a double and two walks. He scored two runs and posted three RBI. The batting average for the weekend was just .214 but the On-Base-Percentage was a very Oakland “A-like” .318.

The rookie third baseman also showed off his very impressive speed on the base path and his very strong throwing arm on defense. To call A’s fans excited is to make a true understatement.

When the lineup card for the game on Monday versus the Houston Astros was posted and Chapman’s name was not written on that card, an air of concern rose quickly around the Coliseum.

The A’s revealed that Chapman has developed an infection in his left knee. It is believed he may have developed the infection after sliding into a fence in a Triple-A game with Nashville prior to joining the big club.

A’s head trainer Nick Paparesta indicated that the infection will be treated with antibiotics. The Athletics are hoping that it will be a quick regimen of antibiotics for Chapman and a fast return to the lineup without a stop on DL.

After a four-game sweep of the Yankees, the Athletics would like have the talent and enthusiasm of Chapman on the field versus the Astros.