Month: September 2017

A’s offense continues to produce as they beat the Detroit Tigers 8-3

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Oakland Athletics players celebrate their 8-3 win against the Detroit Tigers after a baseball game in Detroit, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Detroit- The Oakland A’s, who have had massive problems winning on the road, beat the Detroit Tigers 8-3 Monday night. The A’s offense continued to batter the opposition as the young guys with some help from the veterans Matt Joyce, and Jed Lowrie jumped out to an early lead, and the A’s bullpen did its job to defeat the Tigers. The Tigers are having a down year. Their pitching has been woeful, and they have traded away stalwarts J.D.Martinez, Justin Upton, and ace pitcher Justin Verlander. Victor Martinez is done for the year and superstar Miguel Cabrera is having an off-year due to injuries and getting older.

Jharel Cotton was supposed to start for Oakland on Monday. Cotton suffered a right groin strain warming up before the start of the game.  A’s manager Bob Melvin sent Raul Alcantara to the hill. The plan was to let him throw about 60 pitches and then use the bullpen. Alcantara did a great job as he went three and 2/3rds innings and allowed just two hits and no runs. Melvin used five pitchers the rest of the way.

The A’s jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Marcus Semien led off the game with a single.  With one out, Jed Lowrie doubled to left-center. Semien was running on the pitch and was able to score all the way from first base.

The A’s plated four runs in the top of the third. The Tigers’ starter, Buck Farmer, hit Semien with a pitch. Matt Joyce singled to put men on at first and third with no out. Jed Lowrie hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Semien. The big first baseman, Matt Olson, continued his hot hitting as he blasted his 22nd homer in just 54 games. Ryon Healy reached on an error, and he scored on a double off the bat of Chad Pinder. The A’s lead 5-0.

The A’s added two more runs in the fourth. The A’s loaded the bases with no out, Lowrie walked to force in a run. The other run scored when Khris Davis hit into a double play.

The Tigers tallied two in the bottom of the fifth and one in their half of the seventh to make it a 7-3 game. The A’s finished their scoring in the eighth when they scored their final run of the game. The A’s won by a score of 8-3.

Game Notes- Liam Hendriks, the A’s third pitcher of the night, received credit for the win. Buck Farmer took the loss for Detroit. Marcus Semien had two hits, Matt Joyce was 3-for-6, Matt Olson has now hit homers in his last four games in a row and in eleven of his last fifteen games. He has twenty-two for the season in just 54 games. Quite a performance for the young man. Chad Pinder had two hits and two RBIs.

Game two of the three-game series will be played Tuesday night at Comerica Park in Detroit. Game time is at 4:05pm. Daniel Gosset (4-9) will pitch for Oakland. Gossett will be making his sixteenth start for the A’s and has been pitching better lately. Chad Bell (0-3, 6.42 ERA) has not completed five innings in his three starts since moving from long relief into the rotation. In his last start, Bell gave up six runs and nine hits in just 3 1/3rd inning of work against the White Sox last Thursday.

San Jose Sharks Podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks players coming back from minor league system; What Toronto looks like with Marleau

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, left, talks with forward Patrick Marleau, right, during NHL hockey training camp in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

1 The San Jose Sharks faced off with their first pre season game last Sunday with a huge 9-4 victory in Vancouver with lost of rookies and minor league players trying to break in. Lots of scrums and a hard effort by all trying to make the club. Len takes a look.

2 Former and current San Jose Baracuda AHL players Timo Meier, Ryan Carpenter, Dan O’Regan, and Troy Grosenick a look at their roles and most likely Meier, Carpenter, and O’Regan will be extra players on the roster.

3 The Toronto Maple Leafs Jerod Cowen was not too happy by the way he felt used by the Leafs to be placed on the injured reserve list to help loosen up cap room and then Cowen was later dealt to the Colorado Avalanche.

4 The Toronto media will be evaluating 38 year old Patrick Marleau who will be in his first year with the Leafs. Marleau is expected to actually lead the team in scoring and assists. He played up to the level for the Sharks last season but he’s in an entirely different environment this season.

5 Joe Thornton looks like he’s going to continue to grow his beard until the Sharks win their first cup it’s down to the Sharks emblem on his sweater Len talks about what impact Thornton expected out of him going into the season

Len Shapiro does the SJ Sharks podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears Podcast with Morris Phillips: As USC heads to Cal Bears getting ready to step up their play

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AP File Photo: Cal Bears Head coach Justin Wilcox during the NCAA Football game between Weber State Wildcats and the California Golden Bears 33-20 win at California Memorial Stadium. Thurman James / CSM (Cal Sport Media via AP Images

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

1 Cal Head coach Justin Wilcox said it was a team effort for Cal to win last Saturday against Ole Miss

2 The Bears success has been on depending on each other to back each player up

3 Morris talks about the chemistry of the Bears and how they’ve been so cohesive through these first three games

4 Number four USC comes to Cal on Saturday at 12:30PM Morris tells us how much of a show down will this game be and could there be an upset?

Morris Phillips does the Cal Bears podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

San Francisco Giants Podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants looking to rebuild in off season; Countdown to a 100 loss season can the Giants do it they need seven to make it

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San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (15) cracks a smile during batting practice prior to the regular season game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 13, 2017 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA (Photo by Samuel Stringer/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

1 Morris takes a look at what happens with the Giants and what improvements and steps the club takes to improve for the 2018 season

2  It’s countdown to a 100 loss season the Giants with 12 games left in the year need only seven more loses to tie the 1985 Giants for the most loses in one season at 100

3 The Giants open up a two game series with the Colorado Rockies beginning Tuesday night at Coors Field. The Rockies still playing for something while the Giants will play the role of spoiler.

There’s much more on the Giants podcast with Morris take a listen at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Mr. Intense: Vogelsong’s impact on the Giants bigger than his numbers

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong waves from the mound before the start of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in San Francisco. Vogelsong took the mound and then retired as a San Francisco Giant. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Ryan Vogelsong was back. But his signature intensity was not.

The then 39-year old former Giants pitcher attempted to extend his big league career one more season by accepting a spring training invite from the Twins. But when it became apparent that he wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster, Vogelsong checked out, and all the passion and intensity that drove his unlikely career arc went away as well.

“I pretty much checked out mentally,” he said. “And I knew when I checked out mentally, it was time.”

After seven seasons with the Giants, and nine more in a whole bunch of other places, Vogelsong was done, bringing him to Sunday, when the Giants opted to honor the reliever turned starter for all his service. The club and the pitcher had different ideas on what should be included in the pre-game ceremony.

The Giants offered to sign Vogelsong and have him pitch in a Giants uniform one final time. But Vogelsong, now 40, passed, not wanting to disrupt the sanctity of the game.

So instead, Vogelsong threw out the first pitch, donning an entire uniform, and received a lengthy ovation from the AT&T Park crowd, including his gregarious wife, Nicole and son, Ryder. Emotional and heartfelt, the moment matched the intensity of the pitcher’s career.

Vogelsong was drafted by the Giants in 1998, and made his big league debut in 2001 as a reliever. Midway through the 2002 season, Vogelsong was part of the trade that brought Jason Schmidt to San Francisco in advance of the club’s World Series appearance that fall.

Injuries derailed Vogelsong in Pittsburgh with the Pirates, and his oddysey through Japan and the minor leagues commenced, taking him away from the major leagues for four seasons. In 2011, the pitcher resurfaced, earning a roster spot with the Giants, and going on to win 13 games as a starter. That season, Vogelsong also earned his one All-Star appearance as a more than capable fill-in for the injured Matt Cain.

In 2012, Vogelsong won 14 games, and made three postseason starts, as the Giants won all three on their way to a World Series crown.

Throughout the championship season, Vogelsong labored, pitching with traffic on the bases, refusing to give in, and more often than not finding an escape before trouble surfaced. The quintessential fifth starter, Vogey labored while his more talented rotation mates cruised. But the pitcher earned the respect of his teammates and coaches with his tenacity and willingness to contribute however manager Bruce Bochy saw fit.

“He was very popular in the clubhouse but you saw a different look when it was his day to pitch, and how he competed,” Bochy said.

 

Oakland Raiders-New York Jets game wrap: Carr throws for three touchdowns in lopsided win 45-20

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Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) and quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrate after connecting on a touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-Marshawn Lynch wanted to come back to the Oakland Raiders, so that he could play in front of his family and friends.

In his first game back in the Bay Area as a member of the Raiders, Lynch did not disappoint the Raider Nation, as he carried the ball 12 times for 45 yards and a touchdown and the Raiders defeated the New York Jets 45-20 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

You knew that Lynch was having fun, as he began to dance on the sidelines with the Raiders firmly ahead with 12:49 remaining in the game.

“Looked like our crowd had some fun,” coach Jack Del Rio said. “Good, solid day. Once again, I thought all three phases contributed. Awesome to see.”

Derek Carr also did not disappoint in his first game in the building where he broke his leg in the home finale on December 24 against the Indianapolis Colts, as he threw three touchdowns, all of them to Michael Crabtree.

Carr went 23-of-28 for 230 yards, including those three touchdown passes of 2 yards, 26 yards and 1 yard.

Cordarrelle Patterson scored on a 43-yard run late the third quarter, and Jalen Richard scored on a 52-yard early in the fourth quarter to essentially put the game away.

With the victory, the Raiders are 2-0 for the first time since they won the AFC Championship in 2002 on their way to Super Bowl XXXVII against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Despite being on the losing end of a 25-point loss, Josh McCown threw a pair of touchdown passes to JermaIne Kearse.

Giorgio Tavecchio kicked a 29-yard field goal with just 25 second remaining in the game to close out the scoring for the Raiders.

Marquette King continues to be one of the best punters in the NFL, as he hit a 65-yard and 55-yard punt and it was the 55-yard punt with under two minutes remaining.

King’s punt was called for a fair catch by Khalif Raymond; however, Raymond was unable to gain control of the punt and Johnny Holton recovered it at the Jets’ four-yard line.

“I give Marquette all the credit, because he did a good job punting the ball,” Holton said. “I was just focusing on whether he caught it or not. He called a fair catch, I broke down, he made a mistake and we capitalized on the mistake.”

Three plays later, Lynch scored on a two-yard touchdown run and what was a 14-10 Raiders lead turned into a 21-10 Raiders lead at the half.

NOTES: Once again, the Raiders head out on the road, as they travel to Landover, Maryland, where they face the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football.

The Lynch touchdown was his first in a game since scoring on three-yard run on November 15, 2015 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Oakland Raiders Sunday Spotlight: Michael Crabtree

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Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New York Jets during the first half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — Michael Crabtree was a scoring machine against the visiting New York Jets, hauling in six catches (on six targets) for 80 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in Oakland’s 45-20 rout Sunday in the Silver and Black’s home opener.

Oakland is 2-0 for the first time since 2002, the last time the team played in the Super Bowl after winning the AFC Championship. Crabtree briefly left the game in the first quarter with an ankle issue, but returned to the game and was the Jets’ worse enemy the rest of the game.

With the Jets doubling fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper for most of the game, Crabtree took full advantage of single coverage, scoring on a 2-yard fade route up the left side in the first quarter, a 26-yard fly-route down the right side in the second quarter, and 1-yard option route in the fourth quarter that pushed Oakland’s lead to 42-13.

The Raiders racked up 410 yards of total offense against New York (0-2), who gave up 400-plus yards of total offense for the second straight week after surrendering 408 yards to the Bills in a 21-12 loss at Buffalo in Week 1.

In two games this season, Crabtree leads Oakland with 12 catches (on 13 targets) for 163 yards and four touchdowns.

Oakland heads to Washington next Sunday to play the first of their franchise-record five prime time games in 2017 on NBC Sunday Night Football. Crabtree could be in for a tough matchup against the Redskins, who have one of the NFL’s best shutdown cornerbacks in Josh Norman.

Washington (1-1) defeated the Rams 27-20 in Los Angeles Sunday after intercepting Rams starting quarterback Jared Goff in the final minute of the fourth quarter to seal the win.

 

49ers Held Without a Touchdown for Second Straight Week; Lose to Seattle 12-9

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer gestures to the team at the line of scrimmage against the Seattle Seahawks in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

By Joe Lami

The San Francisco 49ers will have to wait another week for their first touchdown of the season, as they failed to find paydirt once again in Sunday’s 12-9 loss to Seattle. The game consisted of two offenses completely struggling and dragged on since the initial snap of the ball; the Seahawks were slightly better to earn their first victory of the season.

San Francisco was given a chance at a huge road win in Seattle, something they have not done since October 18th, 2015 but a lack of offensive consistency was their downfall.

Seattle stormed out of the gate on the opening possession, marching the ball 68 yards before stalling out for a 25-yard field goal from Blair Walsh. Walsh added a 27-yarder before the end of the first for a 6-0 lead.

San Francisco’s defense looked strong early when pushed into the red zone as they bent but didn’t break, doing a great job of keeping Seattle’s offense out of the end zone.

The 49ers tied things up at six going into the half with Robbie Gould knocking two field goals through from 40 and 37 yards out. The first one was set up by a 61-yard run from Carlos Hyde, in which, he was able to break off the left tackle and burst away before being dragged down at the Seahawks 22-yard line. The run was the longest in his four-year NFL career.

Hyde was crucial for the 49ers, who struggled once again on offense. He led the team in yards with 124 on 15 carries. Hyde was half of the Niners offense on Sunday, as the team combined was able to muster up 124 yards of their own, finishing with 248 total yards.

The passing attack was a nightmare for San Francisco, as Brian Hoyer finished 15-of-27 for 99 yards. For whatever reason, whether it be the lack of trust of an offensive line or the slippery ball on a soaking Seattle afternoon, the Niners refused to let the ball fly; and when they did, they were throwing short, intermediate routes in front of the first down sticks.

Hoyer had another poor game, throwing for less than 100 yards, but the worst play was an interception he threw to Bobby Wagner. It marked the second time in which he was picked off by a middle linebacker, signaling he’s either completely missing the most obvious defender on the field or some other significant deficiency.

Despite the horrendous offensive performance, San Francisco still had a chance to win the game. They took the lead in the third quarter, as Gould hit his third field goal of the game from 34 yards for the 9-6 lead.

However, the defense began to get tired, as the Seahawks won the possession battle 37 to 23 minutes and wore down as the game progressed. This allowed Seattle to run the ball down the throats of the 49ers’ front seven.

Chris Carson, a 7th round rookie from Oklahoma State, led the way with 93 yards on the ground. Quarterback, Russell Wilson, also took over when it mattered most marching down the field using his legs for 34 yards. It seemed that the 49ers defense refused to set a spy to slow him down.

Wilson’s magic continued on the lone touchdown of the game, in which, he was able to escape multiple pressures before finding Paul Richardson in the left corner of the end zone. It was the first touchdown of the season for Seattle with 7:06 left in the fourth.

San Francisco’s offense couldn’t get anything done in the last seven minutes of the contest, allowing Seattle to win their first of the season.

The 49ers added injury to insult as Eric Reid went down multiple times in both the second and third quarters with non-contact injuries favoring his knee. He later said after the game that he did tweak it but it should be fine, but Rueben Foster said the same and it going to be out the next month.

The Niners will have the shortened week to get their offense in check as they continue to search for their first major of the season when they host the LA Rams on Thursday night.

Ex-Giant Ryan Vogelsong retires, Giants avoid sweep with big 7-2 win over Dbacks

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Chris Stratton throws to the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

By: Ana Kieu

SAN FRANCISCO — Ryan Vogelsong retired on the same mound where it all began and the San Francisco Giants avoided a sweep with a 7-2 blowout win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park Sunday afternoon.

Chris Stratton and Taijuan Walker engaged in an impressive pitcher’s duel, but Pablo Sandoval snapped the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sandoval was out on a sacrifice fly to David Peralta. Austin Slater scored to put the Giants on the board 1-0.

The Giants scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning for a 4-0 lead. Slater drew a walk that scored Stratton. Brandon Crawford followed with a sacrifice fly to score Denard Span. Jarrett Parker then grounded into a force out that scored Joe Panik.

J.D. Martinez cut the lead in half in the top of the sixth inning with a two-run homer to center field to score Paul Goldschmidt. Martinez’s two-run jack was his 40th of the season and 24th with the Diamondbacks.

Sandoval homered on a fly ball to left center to extend the Giants’ lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Kelby Tomlinson was out on a sacrifice fly to Martinez. Panik scored to expand the Giants’ lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

After flying into a force out, Sandoval picked up an RBI single that scored Slater. The Giants took a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Giants (58-93) blew out the Diamondbacks (87-63) with a lopsided 7-2 victory at home.

Notes
Ryan Vogelsong took the mound for one last time at AT&T Park. He retired as a Giant today. He officially ended his 12-year Major League Baseball career that began on September 2, 2000.

Pablo Sandoval ripped a home run off Jorge De La Rosa for his his first right-handed home run in three years.

Orlando Cepeda turned 80 years old today.

On this day in 1997, the Giants beat the Dodgers 2-1 to move a game behind Los Angeles-NL in the National League West. Barry Bonds hit a two-run homer and Kirk Rueter allowed just one run over seven innings of work for the win.

Up Next
The Giants have a much-needed off day before returning to action Tuesday for a two-game series against the Colorado Rockies. Game 1 starts at 7:15 p.m. PST on NSBA, ATRM.

Wendle lifts A’s with slam over Phillies

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~ (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ In a 2-out, 1-run down situation, Joey Wendle hit a game-winning grand slam over Philadelphia in a 6-3 win Sunday.

The native Philadelphian hit his first career slam on the first pitch thrown to him in the inning. Oakland started off the sixth with a leadoff walk and single but Hoby Milner struck out Matt Olson and Matt Chapman struck out versus Edubray Ramos. However, Wendle rescued the A’s after Canha walked.

Oakland scored at least four runs in two of the three-game series they won. They have now homered in five straight games. In fact, all of their runs this game came via the long ball.

The Phillies’ Maikel Franco went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Chapman had an error that enabled one run to score immediately and then one more later. Two of Philadelphia’s scoring runners were able to advance a base in different innings due to a wild pitch.  

1-2-3 innings preceded both teams’ first scoring innings.

After a rough start, Sean Manaea (11-10) earned the win in five innings, giving up six hits, one earned run, two walks and striking out four.

Henderson Alvarez (0-1) took the loss in his first return to the Majors since 2015. He also pitched five innings, giving up four hits, four earned runs, two walks and striking out four.

Blake Treinen got his eighth save in one inning, giving up one walk and striking out one.

Manaea faced seven batters in his first inning. Two outs after a leadoff single, Cesar Hernandez moved over on a wild pitch. He then scored on an error by Chapman. Two more singles resulted in a second run.

To start the fourth, the A’s Chad Pinder homered on the first pitch and three pitches later, Matt Olson duplicated his effort to tie the game. Olson homered in each game of this series.   

The Phillies’ J.P. Crawford scored the 3-2 go-ahead run in the fifth with a leadoff walk. He moved over on a wild pitch and with two outs, scored on a single.

After Wendle’s grand slam, there was only a double by Oakland’s Matt Joyce and two walks by Crawford the rest of the game.

Game notes: Philadephia threw five 1-2-3 innings versus Oakland’s three. The A’s were able to keep Rhys Hoskins hitless in the series. Including another error by Chapman in the bottom of the fourth, Oakland has now had four errors in the last two games. The A’s will now face the Detroit Tigers for three, starting Monday at 4:10pm.