June 2017 – Page 9 – Sports Radio Service

Sportstalk Podcast @ Il Fornaio Restaurant downtown San Jose inside the Westin: Mon Jun 12, 2017

Published on June 13, 2017June 13, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Yelp.com photo: San Jose Il Fornaio Restaurant private dinning in the Baker’s room at 302 S Market Street inside the Westin Hotel

Welcome back to another podcast of Sportstalk with your host Jerry Feitelberg with co hosts Matt Harrington, Ben Leonard, Jeremy Harness, Len Shapiro, and Lee Leonard my producer.

Podcasting from Il Fornaio Restorante inside the Westin Hotel at 302 South Market Street in downtown San Jose. I want to thank our hosts Il Fornaio general manager Sergio Lopez, sales and marketing coordinator Tammy Rowe, Ken Johns assistant manager, and manger Andrew Rowe. I will have some questions for Sergio and his staff but first I want to remind you,

Il Fornaio’s goal was, and still is, to offer the most authentic Italian dining experience available outside of Italy.

The company’s philosophy emphasizes serving the highest-quality food from the freshest ingredients in stylishly comfortable surroundings, while providing exceptional value. Using its Italian baking heritage as a foundation, the first full-service restaurant opened in Corte Madera (Marin County), California. The response was so overwhelmingly positive that Il Fornaio has since opened a total of 21 restaurants in California, Las Vegas, Colorado, and Washington.

We thank Il Fornaio for holding our podcast here at the downtown San Jose location inside the Westin Hotel and know that they will provide you with an elegant, memorable, and authentically Italian event.

Whispers Of A Dynasty–Golden State Is In The House

Published on June 12, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors players, coaches and owners hold up the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy after Game 5 of basketball’s NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Oakland, Calif., Monday, June 12, 2017. The Warriors won 129-120 to win the NBA championship. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Barbara Mason

The definition of a dynasty is a team or individual that dominates their sport or league for an extended length of time. The Warriors have won their second championship in just three years. While this cannot be considered a dynasty there are certainly whispers of a dynasty. These guys are just getting started as they celebrate their 129-120 victory over the Cleveland Cavilers in game 5 of the championship series.

The Warriors trailed throughout the entire first quarter struggling offensively and defensively at times. Going into the second period the Cavs held a slight lead 37-33. At 7:01 in the second quarter Golden State took the lead for the first time in the game and never looked back. The score at halftime was 81-70 in favor of Golden State.

The Cavaliers outscored the Warriors in the third quarter 33-27 in an effort to pull off a second win in the series and take it back to Cleveland. It was not to be as Golden State denied the Cavaliers time and time again with some amazing defense.

LeBron James carried this team on his shoulders through every game and just fell short. Kyrie Irving also had an amazing last few games. James finished with 41 points. The eventual MVP Kevin Durant had 39 points playing absolutely flawless basketball throughout the entire series. It was one proud mama as Wanda Durant watched with tears in her eyes as the final minute ticked off the clock. So much to all the soothsayers who criticized Durant’s move to Oakland. Now who’s soft? May they eat their words and hopefully not choke on them.

The team leader Steph Curry had 34 points and Andre Iguodala had 20 points astounding the crowd with not only his offense but his defense. While Draymond Green and Klay Thompson did not have a great shooting game, their presence on the court is enough to rattle any team. This entire team is the epitome of just exactly what that word means. They are all for one and one for all.

On Thursday, all of Oakland and beyond will gather for a victory parade that will rival any parade ever held in that city. The reported time is 10:00 am and in their last parade fans began to gather at 3:00 am. The champagne has permeated the locker room, the players have showered and left the arena and now will head into an evening that they will never ever forget as they celebrate the title of world champions.

CHAMPS, AGAIN !!!!!!!

Published on June 12, 2017June 13, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors did it again as they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 to win the 2016-2017 NBA Championship. The Dubs set another NBA record as they rampaged through the playoffs with a record of 16-1. No other team in NBA history had ever achieved that feat. They won their second title in the last three years and many, including this writer, are regarding them as one of greatest teams ever in NBA history. The Warriors made a decision last year to sign Kevin Durant. Many speculated that Durant would not fit in with the Dubs. However, the Warriors to a player were thrilled to have Durant join the club. The Dubs lost six players to free agency and trades to get under the salary cap. They lost Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli, Mo Speights, Harrison Barnes, Brandon Rush and GM Bob Myers had to scour the market and find replacements. He brought in ZaZa Pachulia, David West, JaVale McGee, and drafted Patrick McCaw.

The big superstar, Kevin Durant, amazed everyone not only with his scoring, but he also showed that he could play defense. He could rebound, he could block shots, he could deflect passes. He did it all and tonight he owns a championship ring. The veteran David West proved to be a capable backup center. He was an extremely important player on the Dubs’ second unit. Tonight, David West is a champion. The same goes for JaVale McGee. McGee, who had not played much the last two seasons, was a diamond in the rough. He was derided around the league for being a buffoon as he did some goofy things on the court. JaVale showed the NBA that he could jumpstart the Dubs’ offense when he came into a game. The Warriors lobbed him the ball, and he made the fans gasp with his sensational dunks. Tonight, JaVale McGee is a champion.

Now for the recap. The Cleveland Cavaliers, with their backs to the wall, came out smoking. They wanted to get off to a start similar to the one they had Friday night when they scored an NBA record 49 points in the first quarter. The Cavs outscored the Dubs 37-33. The Warriors were a bit tight as they made some turnover and didn’t play smart basketball. The turning point came in the second quarter when the Dubs went on a 21-2 run to take a lead that they never relinquished. The Dubs finished the first half with an eleven-point lead 71-60.

The Cavaliers fought back in the third period and closed the gap to just 5 points. They trailed 98-93, and the game was still in doubt. However, the Warriors refused to wilt, and the Dubs wore the Cavs down and won 129-90.

Steph Curry and Kevin Durant combined fo 63 points in the game. Durant was named MVP of the finals. Durant scored 30 or more points in all five games. Steph and Draymond Green each had a double-double. Steph tallied 34 points,10 assists, and six rebounds. Draymond had 10 points,5 assists, and 12 boards. Durant finished with 39 points to go along with 5 assists, and 7 rebounds. The Warrior bench players outscored the Cavs bench 35-7. Andre Iguodala had a fabulous performance as he pitched in with 20 points. Patrick McCaw scored six, Shaun Livingston five, and David West four.

LeBron James had a double-double for Cleveland. James poured in 41 points, 8 assists, and 13 rebounds. Kyrie Irving added 25 points, J.R.Smith had his best game of the playoffs as he scored 25 points. Tristan Thompson, who had been held in check for most of the playoffs, woke up and scored 15. Kevin Love, who had been hot, was held to just 6 points by the Warrior defense. The Cavalier bench contributed just 7 points.

The Warriors, who began with high hopes, ended the season reaching those expectations and sent their fans into a frenzy. This team has been the best team in basketball the last three season. The Dubs set an NBA record last year with a record of 73-9 but did not bring home the trophy as they blew a 3-1 Finals lead to the Cavaliers. This team was determined to get the championship back, and they did it. Our hats are off to this team. They are, in this writer’s humble opinion, one of the best teams that I have ever seen play the game of basketball. The Championship parade will take place in Oakland on Thursday.

Oakland A’s Monday Preview: A’s-Marlins two-game series in Miami gets off the ground on Tuesday

Published on June 12, 2017June 12, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton (27) is greeted by Christian Yelich after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s have an off-day on Monday before they face the Miami Marlins for a two-game series starting Tuesday in Miami. The A’s, who are not good road warriors, lost three out of four against the Tampa Bay Rays this past weekend. The A’s have to win both games to finish with a split of the six games on this road trip before heading home to play the New York Yankees on Thursday.

The A’s and Marlins split a two-game series earlier in Oakland when the teams played using American League rules. The A’s will not be able to use the DH in this series, and that could affect the outcome.

The Marlins have some player that can blast the ball out of the park. Giancarlo Stanton, Marcel Ozuna, Christian Yellich, and Ichiro Suzuki in the outfield. First baseman Justin Bour is another power hitter whom the A’s will have to contend.

The starting pitchers for the A’s will be Jharel Cotton Tuesday night. Cotton is 3-6, and we will be opposed by Jose Urena. Urena is 4-2 and has an ERA of 3.96. Wednesday’s game will feature the A’s rookie Daniel Gossett who will be making his MLB Debut. The Marlins will send Edinson Volquez to the hill. Volquez pitched a no-hitting his last outing out and will be trying to tie Johnny VAnderMeer’s record of two consecutive no-hitters.

The A’s defense still leaves a lot to be desired. The A’s lead the Majors in miscues and unearned runs allowed. The offense has hit a lot of homers but the A’s hitters are still striking out too much. Khris Davis, Yonder Alonso, Ryon Healy are pounding the ball. Alonso is currently in second place in the All-Star voting for AL first baseman trailing the perennial All-Star Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.

The A’s pitching rotation is also in flux as Andrew Triggs has gone on the DL with a hip injury. Every starter in the rotation has been on the DL at some point in the season. Sonny Gray, Sen Manaea, Jesse Hahn are currently OK. Kendall Graveman is still on the DL, and Now Triggs is on the list, too.

The A’s are currently 27-36, and the Marlins are not much better with a record of 27-35. The A’s would really benefit by sweeping the Marlins as they return home to face the rampaging New York Yankees for four games starting Thursday. The Yankees lead the AL East by four games and Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Judge are the new stars leading the Bronx Bombers back to the top of the heap. The schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Houston Astros, owners of the best record in the AL, arrive on Monday for another four-game set.

Bob Melvin and the A’s have their hands full.

San Francisco Giants Podcast with Morris Phillips: During three game no run streak by Giants Posey continues to hit for a average

Published on June 12, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco Giants first baseman Buster Posey (28) makes the catch to beat Minnesota Twins designated hitter Robbie Grossman (36) (not shown) in the first inning during a MLB baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the San Francisco Giants on ”Dog Days of Summer” at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. Valerie Shoaps/CSM (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

The Giants after getting a healthy 13 runs in their 13-8 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Sunday had not scored any runs prior to Sunday’s game as they were shutout three times and they scored one run against the Washington Nationals in the finale of that series in which they closed the last homestand. It’s been rough for San Francisco. Your expecting good things to happen when your the Giants and the fans and media have been expecting nothing when the Giants come to bat.

It’s just hasn’t been a good year offensively for the Giants but except for one player and you don’t have to look no further than Buster Posey ESPN just wrote an article about him and here’s most of the line up struggling at the plate but Posey has been hitting pretty consistent in the neighborhood of .350 and has 20 RBIs to show for it. It’s just turning out to be a pretty bizarre year for the Giants not hitting the baseball and not scoring runs.

Morris Phillips does the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s again find life on the road unforgiving in finale at Tampa Bay

Published on June 11, 2017June 11, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

AP17162727752833 — Oakland Athletics reliever Daniel Coulombe tags out Tampa Bay Rays’ Tim Beckham after he was caught in a run down between first and second base during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 11, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

By Morris Phillips

Simply, the A’s need to travel better than this.

All of what ails the AL’s worst team on the road resurfaced on Sunday in Tampa Bay: blown leads, substandard defense, offense, but without a keen sense of timing. A 3-0 lead evaporated, a game-tying rally fell short, and the A’s fell for the third time in four games at Tropicana Field, 5-4 to the Rays.

Oakland fell to 9-23 on the road, easily the worst road record in the American League, and they remain 16 1/2 games off the pace of the AL West-leading Astros, who suffered a rare loss on Sunday to the visiting Angels.

And what’s worse? On Sunday, it could have all been avoided.

Stephen Vogt singled home a pair of runs in the second, and doubled home a run in the fourth to stake the A’s to their 3-0 lead. For Vogt, who ignominiously began his major league-career as a Ray in 2012, and went 0 for 25, and was traded to Oakland in the spring of 2013 before he ever recorded a hit for Tampa Bay, the early offense provided redemption likely as much as did his consecutive All-Star appearances for Oakland in 2015 and 2016.

Jesse Hahn kept Tampa at bay until the fifth, where the righthander experienced a most unusual inning. After striking out Tim Beckham and former Athletic Derek Norris, Hahn allowed doubles to Daniel Robertson, Mallex Smith and Corey Dickerson, trimming the A’s lead to 3-2. Evan Longoria’s single was the fourth consecutive hit, and that tied the game. A fifth consecutive hit followed, but Hahn escaped further damage by retiring Steven Souza Jr. to end the inning.

Hahn would settle for a no-decision, allowing three runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Hahn’s outing marked the 11th consecutive road start in which he has not recorded a win, undoubtedly making the pitcher–at least for now–the poster child for the A’s struggles away from home.

The teams would exchange runs in the sixth. First, Khris Davis’ RBI single scored Jed Lowrie, then Colby Rasmus responded for the Jays with a mammoth home run off Liam Hendriks. That set the stage for the bottom of the seventh, and the A’s biggest mistake of the afternoon.

Smith, batting leadoff, laid down a near perfect bunt that left first baseman Yonder Alonso unable to field it or cover the bag. Reliever Daniel Coloumbe rushed over to field it, but uncorked a wild throw that eluded Lowrie. Smith raced to third on the throwing error, and scored two pitches later on Dickerson’s sacrifice fly.

Coloumbe’s throwing gaffe would register as the A’s MLB-leading 62 error.

In the ninth, the A’s loaded the bases with one out, but closer Alex Colome induced Lowrie to pop out, then struck out Davis to end the game.

“We were in the last three games,” Vogt said. “We felt like we had a good chance to win all three of those, and obviously came up short in two of them.”

The A’s have Monday off, before resuming their road trip in Miami with a matchup with the Marlins. Jharel Cotton will face the Marlins’ Jose Urena in that one.

Pence, Posey and Slater each pickup three hits in 13-8 win

Published on June 11, 2017June 11, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) comes into second base on a sacrifice hit, during a MLB baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the San Francisco Giants on ”Dog Days of Summer” at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. Valerie Shoaps/CSM (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-What an explosion for the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the seventh inning of their series finale with the Minnesota Twins.

Buster Posey hit a two-run double off of Matt Belisle to score Kelby Tomlinson and Eduardo Nunez and the Giants came back to defeat the Twins 13-8 before a crowd of 41,321, the 519th consecutive regular season sellout at AT&T Park.

The 13 runs scored by the Giants are a season high, breaking the mark of 10 that they scored in a 10-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on June 2.

Also the 17 hits by the Giants were a season high, bypassing the previous high of 16 that was set on Thursday in their 9-5 10-inning victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Following the Posey two-run double that gave the Giants the lead for good, Hunter Pence drove in Posey with a double of his own. Pence then scored on a base hit by Austin Slater.

Posey went 3-for-5, as he raised his average to .347 on the season, second in the National League behind Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals, who is batting .365.

Pence also went 3-for-5 at the plate for the Giants, who picked up 17 hits on the afternoon against Twins pitching.

Austin Slater also picked up three hits in the game, as he cleared the bases with a triple in the bottom of the eighth inning.

This will be a major-league debut that Nik Turley will never forget for the rest of his life, but the one downfall is that he will not fare in the decision.

Turley went four innings, allowing four runs on eight hits, not walking a batter and striking out four

The former Giants farmhand left the game with a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, so he did not go the required five innings to get the decision.

The Twins were attempting to become the first team to sweep the Giants in a three-game series by an American League at AT&T Park since the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim turned the trick from June 15-17, 2009.

Matt Cain lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, walking three and striking out one; however, he did not fare in the decision.

Aaron Hill got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the first inning, as he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Tomlinson, who led off the inning with a single. Posey then drove in the second run of the inning, as he drove in Eduardo Nunez after a groundout to Joe Mauer at first base.

Nunez extended his on-base streak up to 26 games, after he singled off of Turley in the bottom of the first inning.

That would be the score for just a half-inning, as the Twins tied up the game in the top of the second, when Eduardo Escobar and Byron Buxton each hit solo home runs off of Cain.

Nick Hundley gave the Giants the lead again in the bottom of the fourth inning, as he singled in Pence.

Unfortunately, for the second time in the game, the lead for the Giants would evaporate after just one-half inning, as the Twins scored three times to retake the lead in the top of the fifth inning.

Robbie Grossman drove in what turned out to be the winning run, as he singled off of Cain to score Brian Dozier and Mauer. Escobar drove in the third run of the inning for the Twins, as he singled to drive in Grossman. It was the second RBI of the game for Escobar, who hit a solo home run to get the Twins on the board in the to get the Twins on the board in the top of the second inning.

The Twins scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning, as Sam Dyson, who was making his Giants debut gave up three runs; however Brian Norris was able to stop the bleeding and the Giants took the finale.

NOTES: After a day-off on Monday, the Giants will open a two-game series against the Kansas City Royals beginning on Tuesday night. Ty Blach will take the mound in the opener for the Giants, while Jason Vargas will take the mound for the Royals, who will be making their first AT&T Park appearance since Game 5 of the 2014 World Series, where the Giants behind Madison Bumgarner shutout the Royals 5-0 on their way to their third World Series championship in five years.

The annual MLB Draft begins on Monday afternoon, and the Giants will have the 19th overall selection in the first round, and the 58th selection in the second round.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals Podcast with Daniel Dullum: Pens win back to back Finals; Team goes cup crazy with win in Nashville

Published on June 11, 2017June 11, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Nashville Predators’ P.K. Subban (76) tangles with Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) during the first period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Thursday, June 8, 2017, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

On the Stanley Cup Finals Podcast with Daniel:

1 Stanley Cup Finals – Game 6 at Nashville; Penguins try to close it out, while Predators hope to force game 7

1a P.K. Subban advises Sidney Crosby to bring a bag of mouthwash to Nashville.

2 Excellent prime time ratings for games 2 & 3 on NBCSN

3 Judge tosses wrongful death suit filed by parents of ex-NHL enforcer

4 Seattle selects influential investor for KeyArena renovation, could help land NHL or NBA team, or both

4a Group adds TV/movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer as partner to bring NHL and/or NBA to Seattle

5 Team exec threatens to move Flames from Calgary to Quebec City at business luncheon. Flames owner quickly denies this.

6 Auston Matthews’ tattoo artist: ‘Dude is quite the badass’

No offense, but…: Giants lineup underwhelms again in 3-2 loss to the Twins

Published on June 11, 2017June 11, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–With little margin for error, even one of the NL’s hottest pitchers can find himself in a bind.

Jeff Samardzija came into Saturday’s game against the Twins on one of the most impressive runs of his decade-long, big league career, becoming the first pitcher since 1900 to strikeout as many as 59 batters, while walking only one, accomplished in the time frame of his previous seven starts. The Giants’ pricey 2016 free agent acquisition has been both dominating and consistent–without the results to show for it. While Samardzija’s been dealing by any measure, wins and losses must be excluded. The Shark’s 2-8 on the season, and only 2-3 during his unprecedented run.

In a matchup with the Twins’ Jose Berrios, a 2012 first round pick, Samardzija knew coming in runs would be at a premium. And once Giants’ hitters started flailing at Berrios’ confounding curveballs on Saturday, that premium number grew smaller.

With run support the elephant in the room, plus the presence of Berrios, the pressure was on. And the Giants didn’t respond well, falling to Minnesota, 3-2, their 31st loss in 37 games this season in which they scored three runs or less.

“Occasionally you’re going to give up three runs, maybe four, but you have to pick these pitchers up sometimes,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We have a hard time, especially here at home. I know this is more of a pitchers’ park but still that shouldn’t happen.”

Leaving the Giants’ starter high and dry has been a reoccurring theme in 2017, and even more recently. In the team’s last eight home games, the Giants have been shutout three times, and scored just once in the homestand finale loss to the Nationals on May 31.

On Saturday, Brandon Belt started the scoring with a splash hit in the first inning, but it was the current San Francisco treat, a solo shot.

In the fourth, the Twins’ Kennys Vargas tied with a rocket off Samardzija on a 2-2 pitch with two outs. The 457-foot home run registered among the longest hit by Minnesota this season. Samardzija would say afterwards, he wanted his pitch in on Vargas’ hands. Instead the pitch was at the knees–not really bad location, but it allowed the powerful Vargas to extend his arms.

In the fifth, Samardzija allowed the one walk he gave up all day to Robbie Grossman, among the AL leaders in on-base percentage. The Giants’ starter threw three consecutive balls to open the at-bat, only to see Grossman draw the walk on a full count.

Afterwards, Samardzija would admit the one walk issued affected him in subsequent pitches, the second of which turned out to be the game-winner for the Twins, a two-run homer off the bat of Brian Dozier.

Giants’ hitters over the final five innings would attempt to tie it with a pair of runs, but only Buster Posey’s ground out with two runners aboard scored a run. Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence, hitting fifth and sixth in the San Francisco lineup, would both strike out with runners on in the third and again in the fifth, after Posey’s fielder’s choice made the score 3-2.

Pence and Crawford both would finish 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, bringing scrutiny upon both in the postgame press conference. Crawford is in a 9 for 50 (.180) slide over his last 14 games, and Pence has only three hits (3 for 22) in the week since he came off the disabled list.

“That makes it tough, when you’re in the heart of the order and you have a couple of guys struggling, that makes it tough to score runs,” Bochy said of the pair. “Those are the guys you lean on. The third inning, that’s the difference in the game.”

The Giants look to avoid getting swept at home on Sunday with Matt Cain taking the mound in a matchup with Nik Turley, making his big league debut.

OLD FACES, NEW PLACE: Ehire Adrianza, the former Giants’ utility man from 2015 and 2016, was given his unconditional release by the Brewers in February, and then signed a minor league deal with the Twins. Adrianza hit .303 in spring training, and .297 for the Twins since returning from the disabled list from an oblique injury early in May. He started at shortstop on Saturday, and was 0 for 4.

Chris Heston, now exactly two years removed from his no-hitter for the Giants and no longer an emerging prospect at 29, just signed with the Twins this week. Heston started the season with the Mariners, and was released by the Dodgers without making a major league appearance.

“Let’s play two!” The A’s and Rays split a Saturday twinbill in Tampa Bay

Published on June 11, 2017 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

MLB: Game One-Oakland Athletics at Tampa Bay Rays — Sonny Gray worked hard but could not come up with a win for the A’s on Saturday Photo: Kim Klement USA Today Sports

The Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays honored the memory of the great Ernie Banks today by playing two the old fashion way. The teams played a true doubleheader where fans were able to watch two games for the price of one.

There are many baseball people who believe that having more doubleheaders would be beneficial for the game because it would help to shorten the season. Angels manager Mike Scioscia likes the idea of shortening the season to 154 games with one doubleheader per month scheduled for every team. “I would trade anything to get this game more seasonal and finish in October,” said Scioscia back in 2015.

Even if Major League Baseball decided to implement a schedule that included six doubleheaders per each season, most the twinbills would not be tradition two-for-one ticket games. In today’s sports economy, MLB owners would almost certainly insist on “day-night” doubleheaders where the stadiums are cleared and tickets must be purchased for each game.

So much for the romantic idea of returning to the days of Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and “Let’s play two!”.

Speaking of Mr. Cub – at the end of this story there will be an answer to a trivia question about playing two games on one day for you. How many doubleheaders did Ernie Banks play in both games of during his 19-year major league career?

Game One

The Rays used game one as a “throwback game” donning uniforms from their first year in Tampa Bay for the contest. The Athletics were looking to bounce back after 13-4 crushing loss that they suffered on Friday night.

Oakland entered the game with an 8-21 road record – the second worst in the major leagues. If the A’s are to ever even their record at .500 to have a chance making a run for a Wild Card spot, they have to start winning more games on the road.

That did not happen in game one on Saturday.

The A’s had their number one starter in Sonny Gray on the mound in the opening game. Gray went 6.0-innings giving up five runs but only two were earned due to two errors committed by the Athletics. Gray actually committed one of the errors himself on an errant throw to first base. The Rays collected nine hits off Gray while he struck out 10 and walked just one batter. He did not figure into the decision.

Erasmo Ramirez started for the Rays and he also struggled in his outing. He lasted 5.1-innings allowing three runs (all earned) on 10 hits. Ramirez struck out six and walked one. It was also a no-decision game for him.

Even though they took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second, the A’s trailed the Rays 5-4 as they headed to the top of the ninth. Khris Davis led off the ninth by striking out. Yonder Alonso then hit his 11th double of the season off reliever Alex Colome. Rajai Davis came in as a Pinch-runner for Alonso. DH Ryon Healy hit a double (16) to left field that drove Davis home to tie the game at 5-5. The inning would end with the potential go ahead run in Healy stranded at third base.

Ryan Madson set the Rays down in order in the bottom of the ninth and it was on to extra innings.

Tampa Bay brought in reliever Austin Pruitt to face Oakland in the top of the 10th. He kept the A’s from scoring and the game remained tied as it went to the bottom of the 10th.

Liam Hendriks took the ball for the A’s and gave up a single to the Rays leadoff hitter – Peter Bourjos. With Evan Longoria at bat, Hendriks threw a wild pitch that moved Bourjos to second. Longoria then hit a single to left that drove Bourjos home to score the winning run. The Rays won the game 6-5.

The good news was the A’s had only 45 minutes to think about the loss because they would have been deeply distressed by some of the numbers. They committed two errors. Errors have been the bane of this team’s existence. The A’s had 16 hits to go with two walks and left 13 men of base. The loss dropped their road record to 8-22 for the year.

The good news was game two was less than hour away from first pitch.

Jaycob Brugman who was held hitless in his firs professional game on Friday night went 2-for-4 with a walk in this game. Joyce, Lowrie, Davis, Alonso and Healy also had a multi-hit games in the opener.

Game Two

The bad news was the A’s lost the first game. The good news was they had the very hot Sean Manaea on the mound for game number two. The key question was would the A’s be able to provide the run support Manaea would need win the game.

Manaea was definitely up to the task. He put in a quality start working 7.0-innings giving up two runs (both earned) on six hits (one home run). The lefty struck out five and walked just two Rays. Manaea earned the win and his record improved to 6-3 for 2017.

Manaea also received the run support that he needed. The A’s scored their first run in the first inning and they would never trail in the game. They scored another run in the second, one in the sixth, three in seventh and one more run in the ninth inning.

Six of the Oakland batters had a multi-hit game. Yonder Alonso went 4-for-5 with run scored and an RBI in the game. Khris Davis was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Ryon Healy went 2-for-5 hitting his 14th home run of the season to go with two runs scored. Chad Pinder had a 2-for-5 day with a home run (8). Josh Phegley also had a 2-for-5 game hitting his third home run of the season. Jaycob Brugman stayed hot as he went 2-for-3 with two RBI in game two.

The Rays scored two runs on six hits.

The A’s road record improved to 9-22. Oakland remains in last place in the American League West with a record of 27-35, 16.5 games back of Houston and two games back of fourth place Texas.

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The A’s and Rays wrap up the three day – four game series on Sunday. Jesse Hahn (2-4, 3.40) will start for Oakland while Tampa Bay will counter with Chris Archer (4-4, 3.65). The first pitch is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. PDT.

Oh yes, the answer to our Ernie Banks question