Month: May 2018

Sportstalk remote podcast from Hana Zen Japanese Cuisine at Pier 39 in San Francisco on Thursday, May 10, 2018

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yelp.com photo: Hana Zen at Pier 39 San Francisco by night fall and home of some of San Francisco’s best Japanese Cuisine

Cast: Michael Duca (host), Morris Phillips, Amaury Pi Gonzalez, Jeremy Kahn, and Lee Leonard (producer). Our thanks to Alvin and Angie Louie, the owners of Hana Zen Japanese Grill and Sushi Bar on Pier 39 at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, for hosting Sportstalk Radio. Tonight, we were treated to Hana Zen’s famous California Sushi Rolls, Ahi Tuna, Chicken Teriyaki, Calamari, and their wonderful miso soup.

Also, you can enjoy their sushi rolls, sashimi, and other Japanese favorites. Hana Zen also offers filet mignon, New York steak, and try their famous Lava Rock cooking right at your own table. In addition, you can enjoy some green tea ice cream at the end of your meal.

On the podcast, Sportstalk covered the Golden State Warriors and their second round playoff opponent, the New Orleans Pelicans. The San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s both who lost in huge laughers on Monday night 11-0 for the Giants in Philadelphia and the A’s crushed in Oakland 16-1 by the World Champion Houston Astros. The cast explores what to expect from either team for May 2018.

 

A’s enter the lion’s den starting Friday for three games at Yankee Stadium

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photo by nydailynews.com: Former Oakland A’s pitcher Sonny Gray will face his old teammates during the three game series between the A’s and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium starting Friday night

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s begin a 10-game road stand against the top three teams in the AL East. They meet the New York Yankees starting Friday night at Yankee Stadium. The A’s will be facing the hottest team in baseball at the moment. The Yankees have won 17 of the last 18 games and have moved into first place in the AL East. The Yankees On their last road trip, the Yankees swept all four games against the Houston Astros in Houston. The Astros are a very good, young team as well as defending World Championships and they were trampled by New York. The Astros, after two games with Arizona, came to Oakland and swept the A’s.

The A’s have record of 18-19 and are in fourth place in the AL West. The A’s have not announced who will start Friday night. A’s starter Trevor Cahill was placed on the 10-day DL with tightness in his arm. The A’s may recall Kendall Graveman or Chris Bassitt from Nashville to make a start. Andrew Triggs will pitch on Saturday, and Brett Anderson goes for Oakland on Sunday. Triggs has pitched reasonably well but has not faced a fearsome a lineup like the Yankees. Lefty Brett Anderson throws on Sunday, and the hopes are that he will have a better outing. The Astros blasted him in the game on Monday night that they won 16-2.

The Yankees pitching stacks up this way. Former A’s starter, Sonny Gray pitches Friday night. Gray is 2-2 and his an ERA of 6.00. Gray would like nothing better than to beat his old teammates. Rookie Domingo German (0-1, 2.21) goes on Saturday, and Luis Severino, who is rapidly becoming the ace of the Yankee staff, throws on Sunday. Severino is 5-1 with an ERA of 2.21.

The Yankees are living up to the nickname of being the Bronx Bombers. They have players up and down the lineup that can knock the ball out of the park. The A’s pitchers will have to deal with Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton. Didi Gregorius, Gary Sanchez, Neil Walker, Miguel Andujar, and Gleyber Torres. These guys are almost an entire All-Star team. If these guys continue to terrorize opponents’ pitching, A’s manager Bob Melvin butter have some Tylenol ready for his headache.

Even if the A’s can find a way to get the offense going and send the starters to the showers, the Yankee bullpen is loaded. Featured relievers are Chad Green, Chasen Shreve, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman, the closer.

The A’s took two out of three from Boston when they were the hottest team in baseball. It can be done. Hopefully, they will find a way to upset the Yankees’ apple cart.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: How much help will Harden get facing Warriors in round 3?; Can Giants win this series in Pittsburgh tonight?; plus more

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photo from express.co.uk: The Houston Rockets Chris Paul (3) and James Harden (13) confer on the floor during the playoffs as the Rockets prepare to meet Golden State for game one round 3 of the NBA Playoffs

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 James Harden of the Houston Rockets–Will he be like an Island facing the Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson? Will he have a supporting cast in this upcoming series starting on Monday?

#2 Last year’s playoffs, Harden went 2-11 in the loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Will he get some help from his teammates this time around?

#3 The Giants are going into Pittsburgh after getting swept in Philadelphia. After getting swept, the Giants certainly want to get a series win from the Bucs.

#4 On Tuesday night, the Seattle Mariners pitcher James Paxton threw a no-hitter in Toronto, marking the first time a Canadian born pitcher threw a no-hitter in his home and native land. It’s the second time a Canadian pitcher threw a no-hitter since 1946.

#5 The Manchester United are in San Jose for a match with the San Jose Earthquakes on July 22. Tony takes a look at how important it is for the MLS to have Manchester here to help promote the league.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: After getting swept by Astros, A’s go into lion’s den at Yankee Stadium Friday night

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Photo credit: @athletics_fanly

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry:

#1 The Oakland A’s got swept by the Houston Astros in Oakland Wednesday afternoon in a 4-1 loss to Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole.

#2 The Astros in their own right got some hitting production with runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

#3 The Astros got hitting production from Jose Altuve’ three hits and a run scored and the Astros catcher Max Stassi had two hits and a run scored.

#4 Cole had a quality start with six innings, four hits, one earned run and nine strikeouts.

#5 For the A’s, it’s onto New York for three games coming off this sweep. The A’s would like to get something going.

Jerry Feitelberg does the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Phillies blast Giants 11-3; SF’s losing streak hits 3 games

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The Giants have hit a serious skid, and things got bad in a hurry on Wednesday.

The Philadelphia Phillies jumped on the Giants early and never really let up, and by the time the game was over, starter Chris Stratton was battered and the bullpen did not fare much better in a 11-3 loss at Citizens Bank Park.

Stratton lasted only 4 2/3 innings and gave up five runs on five hits, including a solo homer to Maikel Franco in the fourth inning that gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead. He struck out seven innings but also walked four others.

Franco, meanwhile, had three hits for Philadelphia, as did first baseman Carlos Santana, who had an eye-popping five RBI on Wednesday.

Pierce Johnson was thrashed by the Phils upon taking over for Stratton, as he surrendered six runs on three hits and walking three while only recording two outs.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia starter Nick Pivetta cruised right along in the five innings he pitched on Wednesday. He gave up only four hits and did not surrender a single run, recording seven strikeouts and did not walk one batter.

The Giants didn’t score a run until the sixth inning, when Evan Longoria’s double brought in Brandon Belt. They would add a couple more runs in the ninth inning off the Phillies’ bullpen, but it was too little and much too late at that point.

Longoria and Brandon Crawford each had a pair of hits for the Giants, who will have one last chance to salvage at least one game on Thursday afternoon.

The series finale between these two teams is scheduled for 10:05 am PT.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: American League West–Everybody Is Playing for Second Place

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Photo credit: @astros

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

After the Houston Astros visited the Oakland A’s for the first time this season, I came to the early conclusion that everybody except for the Astros is playing for second place in AL West.

The world champion Houston Astros lineup leads with three of the very best players in the game. George Springer, the current World Series MVP, as well as José Altuve champion batted last year for the third time and perhaps the most talented of them all. shortstop Carlos Correa. The world champion Astros paid their first visit to the A’s in Oakland this week. The three-game series came right after the A’s dismantled the Orioles, sweeping them and collecting a total of 40 strikeouts against the wounded birds.

However, a significant change in play from the Orioles to the Astros might as well be like from Earth to the Moon. The reigning champion Astros is a better team compared to the 2017 club as they won the World Series in seven exciting games against the Dodgers. The Astros just swept the A’s in Oakland, outscoring the Green and Gold 24 runs to five runs. The A’s did not face Justin Verlander or Charlie Morton.

This season, the Astros have Gerrit Cole, the #1 pitcher of the Pirates until last year. They have had Justin Verlander from the very beginning, unlike last season when he joined the team at the end. But it is obvious that everybody here in the AL West is playing for second place because even the Angels’ highest aspiration would be to advance to the postseason as a Wild Card team. At this time, there is no better pitching rotation in baseball than the Astros with Cole, Verlander, Keuchel, Morton and McCullers along with a very efficient bullpen.

Teams that have set starting rotations are those that advance and go all the way and that was what the Astros have this season. For the Angels to take this division from the defending champions, they need much more pitching that they have shown so far. Mike Scioscia’s team is a better team that last year. They addressed their infield, acquired Zack Cozart and Ian Kinsler, and two-way Japanese rookie Shohei Ohtani.

Scioscia told me this when his Angels visited Oakland: “I really like my team this year.”

You might want to keep an eye on the Mariners as they seem to have some magic this year and could be a serious contender this summer. If the Angels cannot finish second, the Mariners are the most likely candidates for that position and a possible Wild Card team.

In other words: the race for second place here between Angels and Mariners could prove to be the most interesting. That could be the story this season.

Astros beat A’s 4-1 to finish 3-game sweep

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Photo credit: @astros

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Houston Astros rallied for two runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to defeat the A’s 4-1 to sweep the three-game series. The A’s starter, Daniel Mengden, pitched one of the best games of his career, but his effort was not quite good enough as opposing pitcher, Gerrit Cole, was a wee bit better. Cole, in his first year in the American League, improved to 4-1 and his ERA is just 1.43. Mengden’s record is now 2-4.

It was an old-fashioned pitching duel as Mengden and Cole baffled the hitters for the first five innings of the game. The A’s broke through in the bottom of the sixth after Matt Joyce singled with one and Jed Lowrie followed with a double. Cole walked Khris Davis to put men on at first and second with one out. Cole rose to the occasion as he struck Matt Olson and Matt Chapman to end the threat. The A’s led 1-0 after six.

Mengden was cruising along quite nicely until there were two outs in the top of the seventh. Former A’s prospect Max Stassi hit a bomb that went over the right-center-field wall for his third of the season. The next hitter Derek Fisher outdid Stassi as his home run went way, way back into the second deck of the bleachers in center field.

A’s manager Bob Melvin took Mengden out of the game and brought in Yusmeiro Petit to get the final out of the inning

Game Notes: The A’ s announced that starting pitcher, Trevor Cahill has been placed on the 10-day DL.

The A’s have five pitchers on the DL: Cahill, Paul Blackburn, Liam Hendriks, Jharel Cotton, and Ryan Buchter.

The A’s recalled Dustin Fowler from Nashville to fill the spot on the roster. Fowler had his first at-bat in the Majors in the bottom of the seventh, and he popped out to the Astros’ second baseman Jose Altuve.

The Astros used four pitchers to down the A’s on Wednesday. Cole got the win, but relievers Joe Smith and Will Harris were credited with holds and Ken Giles was credited with his fifth save of the season.

The A’s split the six-game home series with a record of 3-3.

Up Next: The A’s start a 10-game road trip on Friday in New York as they face the red-hot New York Yankees at 4:05 pm PT. Then it’s off the Boston for three and Toronto for four. It doesn’t get any easier as the A’s return home to play the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. Whoever put this schedule together at MLB must have it in for Oakland.

This date in A’s history: Braden pitched 19th perfect game against Rays

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND — The A’s are undoubtedly struggling against the world champion Astros at the moment, but here’s a positive fact to take your mind off the Green and Gold’s issues.

On this date in 2010, which happened to be on a Mother’s Day, Dallas Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in MLB history against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was the second by an Athletic and it came 42 years and one day after Catfish Hunter did it against the Minnesota Twins on May 8, 1968.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Braden is the first pitcher to throw a perfect game against a team entering the day with the best record in the majors and it came in his 68th career appearance, which was third fewest among the pitchers with a perfect game at the time.

Braden’s no-hitter was the sixth no-hitter by an Athletic and the first since Dave Stewart on June 29, 1990 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Also, Braden’s astonishing performance was the 11th nine-inning no-hitter in A’s history.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca and Morris Phillips: Giants look to get out of Philadelphia and shoot for a series win in Pittsburgh

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca and Morris Phillips:

For the San Francisco Giants, it’s been almost regular for them to win a three-game series after not doing that and they have managed to string together four. Despite the injuries, the Giants have been looking good winning those series. This inspired them not having a rotation that they might have expected to have.

Before leaving San Francisco for Atlanta and Philadelphia the Giants had a great homestand. Then onto Atlanta where they swept the Braves and then in Philadelphia they dropped the first two games of the series. They play three teams that on this trip as they conclude this journey in Pittsburgh starting on Friday night.

 

NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Vegas goes into third round with momentum; Nashville takes home ice into Game 7

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Photo credit: @PredsNHL

On the NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 How amazing are these Vegas Golden Knights in their last series win with San Jose after getting shutout 4-0 in Game 4, then coming back to win two straight–one in Vegas and the other in San Jose?

#2 How would you evaluate the Sharks season–as a hard effort in the second round, but a good season? That the Knights were just too much for the Sharks to get by in the last two games.

#3 The Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets face off with the series all tied up 3-3. The Preds won Monday night in Game 6 to force a Game 7. The Preds dominated with a 4-0 shutout and take the series back to Nashville for a Wednesday night face off.

#4 Game 7 will be in Nashville and this will be a tougher setting for the Jets than home ice. Mary Lisa gives us her take on how Game 7 will turn out.

Mary Lisa Walsh does the NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com