Photo credit from sfgate: Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith (84) is upended between Oakland Raiders defenders Daryl Worley, left, and Curtis Riley (35) after making a reception during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in Minneapolis.
On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes:
#1 Linebacker Dakota Allen was surprised to find out the Raiders had signed him from the Rams practice squad. What does Allen mean to the linebackers position at this juncture?
#2 The Raiders had a number of injuries to their linebackers after Sunday’s game in Minnesota.
#3 The Raiders promoted linebacker Justin Phillips and received receiver Ryan Grant and the Raiders got Quentin Polling to their practice squad.
#4 After Sunday’s trouncing at the hand of the Minnesota Vikings, Raider quarterback Derek Carr was asked if he had any chances to throw downfield after trailing 21-0.
#5 The Raiders play game two of their six-game out of town schedule in Indianapolis this Sunday as Joe Hawkes sets up the outlook for this week’s game.
NAPA–The Safeway Open has annually been the opening event of the PGA Tour season, but that is not the case this year. Regardless of that, the fans showed up in full force for Thursday’s opening round at Silverado Golf Resort.
Of course, when you have well-known commodities such as Stephen Curry and Tony Romo, the fans are bound to show up.
Two guys who definitely showed up and showed out for the first round were Andrew Landry and Adam Scott, who each shot seven-under rounds of 65 and are tied for the lead after Thursday’s action.
Scott went four-under on the front nine, including an eagle at the par-5 fifth that saw him make a 54-foot putt for his three. He took his only bogey at the par-four 13th, but he more than offset that with three more birdies on the back nine.
“(The eagle was a) fun way to kind of keep the momentum going and get the most out of the round,” Scott said. “If I had any complaints about last season, I didn’t get the most out of my good rounds or my good weeks.
“Today, I felt like I kind of got the most out of myself.”
Landry had no such hiccups, firing a bogey-free 65. He made a pair of birdies on the front side, but he lit the course up on the back nine, making five birdies, including back-to-back birdies to close out his round.
“I can make a lot of putts right now,” Landry said. “That’s kind of what I did all day, I made a lot of putts. Ball-striking wasn’t as good as I wanted, but the putting was there, and it made up for it.”
Right behind those two is Francesco Molinari, who is best known for his heroic play for Europe in the 2018 Ryder Cup, who is one stroke behind with a six-under 66. He made four birdies on the front nine, and made three more on the back to offset a dropped shot at the par-four 14th.
Also one behind is Matthew NeSmith, who spent last season on the Korn Ferry Tour (formerly known as the Web.com Tour). His round of 66 was a bogey-free one, making four birdies on the front and two more on the back.
Romo, who spent many years as the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and now makes his living as an NFL color analyst for CBS, showed that he’s got plenty of game on the golf course. He fired a two-under round of 70 on Thursday and stands a good chance of making the cut and playing into the weekend.
The Oakland A’s downed the Seattle Mariners 3-1 on Thursday night at T-Mobile Park. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is down to one. Any combination of an A’s win or Cleveland loss will give the A’s a Wild Card berth. The Indians lost again to the Chicago White Sox and are now three games behind the A’s. The Tampa Bay Rays did not play. The A’s lead them by one game in the race for the first Wild Card. If the A’s hold on and win the first Wild Card, the one-game elimination will be played in Oakland next Wednesday.
It was a very emotional night in Seattle for their fans and for Felix Hernandez. Hernandez, who had been the ace of the Mariners’ staff for many years, was probably making his last appearance as a Mariner. His record coming into the game was 1-7. His effectiveness and velocity had been affected by shoulder injuries. Hernandez, in the past, had owned the A’s. The Green and Gold feared facing him. However, times changed, and he was just another pitcher. Hernandez had other thoughts on Thursday night as he wanted to go out as a winner.
Fernandez pitched very well for Seattle. He went 5 1/3 innings and allowed five hits and three runs. When he left in the top of the sixth, the Mariners fans gave him a standing ovation that lasted well over a minute and Fernandez, with tears in his eyes, made a final curtain call.
The offensive player of the game for Oakland was Matt Chapman. With one out in the first inning, Chapman walked. A’s first baseman Matt Olson singled to right. Chapman went to third on the play, and when he saw the throw from the right fielder was slow coming into the infield, Chappie took off and rounded third and score. The A’s had an early 1-0 lead.
In the top of the second, Marcus Semien worked Hernandez for a walk. The next hitter, Matt Chapman, as he did Wednesday night in Los Angeles, blasted his 36th home run of the year to make it 3-0.
The A’s Sean Manaea, making his fifth start of the year, was very effective. He gave up a run to the M’s in the bottom of the fifth. A’s manager Bob Melvin let Manaea go one more inning. Sean went six innings and allowed four hits and one run. Lefty Jesus Luzardo pitched the seventh and eighth and retired all six hitters he faced. Liam Hendriks retired the Mariners in order in the ninth to secure the win for Oakland and earn his 25th save of the year. The A’s won 3-1.
Game Notes: The A’s improved to 96-63 with three games left on the schedule. The Tampa Bay Rays have three games left with the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto. The Indians will finish the season in Washington with three games against the Nationals.
The A’s won 97 games last year, and if they sweep the Mariners, they will finish with 99 wins.
The Houston Astros appear to have the best record in the American League. They will play the winner of the AL Wild Card game. The Minnesota Twins will face the New York Yankees in the other ALDS. The Twins have become the first time in MLB history to hit more than 300 homers in a season. They have hit 301 so far this year. The Yankees need one more to be the second team. They have hit 299.
Up Next: The A’s will send Mike Fiers to the hill Friday night. Fiers is 15-4 for the year, and his ERA is 3.91. Lefty Justus Sheffield will go for Seattle. Game time will be at 7:05 pm PT.
SAN JOSE–The San Jose Sharks finally won in the 2019 preseason, besting the Calgary Flames 4-1 Thursday night at the SAP Center. Dylan Gambrell helped his cause to make the opening night roster by scoring two goals, line mates Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl scored a goal apiece and Brent Burns notched assists on all four goals.
Both teams were scoreless entering the third period, but Kane opened the flood gates by beating Flames netminder Artyom Zagidulin 3:17 into the third. San Jose then scored three goals in a span of 2:58. Tomas Hertl tipped a Burns blast past Zagidulin at the 10:59 mark then Gambrell beat Zagidulin twice for a 4-0 lead.
Gambrell opened the game on the second line with Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl, but couldn’t take advantage of his opportunities and found himself on the potential fourth line with Melker Karlsson and Goodrow. His odds of factoring into the opening night roster, be it as a skater or a scratch were dwindling, especially with Lukas Radil excelling with Kane and Hertl throughout the preseason. The pressure coach Peter DeBoer has put on the young Gambrell paid off in spades with his performance down the stretch, with production from the fourth line being a necessity this year as the Sharks try to replace Joe Pavelski’s production.
One of the many Sharks assured a spot in the lineup October 2nd, Brent Burns still turned in a stellar performance, collecting four assists in a period. The feat would match a franchise record were the game to have counted.
The Sharks got solid goaltending from Martin Jones with the incumbent starter making 24 saves on 25 shots. The lone goal came with 4:02 left in regulation after Justin Kirkland punched home a rebound to cut the lead to 4-1. The same could not be said of Calgary’s goalie Zagidulin. The 24-year-old former KHLer gave up four goals on 12 shots, entering the game to start the third period. Cam Talbot was perfect to open the game, turning aside 24 Sharks shots to enter third tied 0-0.
Up next for the Sharks are some roster decisions and a match-up with the same team the Sharks will face twice in the season’s first two games. San Jose will face the Vegas Golden Knights Monday on the road before opening the season at T-Mobile Arena on October 2nd.
SAN FRANCISCO–Anyway you dissect it, this is a week of permanent transition for the Giants with the retirement of manager Bruce Bochy looming on Sunday.
But that’s not all the change. The Giants offered an interesting lineup on Thursday for the finale of the series with the Rockies without Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Buster Posey or Pablo Sandoval and Joe Panik for that matter.⁹⁷
With the exception of Evan Longoria, Bochy went with the new and the young to tangle with Colorado’s Kyle Freeland and the five relievers that followed him. And that group acquitted themselves quite well, racking up 12 hits (at least one hit against each of the six pitchers they saw) and eight runs in a 8-3 win that was a close game into the eighth inning.
Mike Yasztremski homered in the fourth–his 21st–and Mauricio Dubon in the seventh to support Tyler Beede and a host of relievers. Beede was dominant into the fourth inning where he left abruptly with an oblique injury while facing Ryan McMahon, the first batter of the inning.
At that point, Beede had struck out seven, while allowing no hits or walks. Afterwards, Bochy tried to make light of what was shaping up to be the best start of the rookie righthander’s season.
“I was kidding him, it probably wasn’t good timing, ‘But you know you’ve got a no-hitter going here, you want me to take you out?'” Bochy recounted.
Butch Smith followed Beede out of the bullpen and got through the fourth, but allowed the Rockies a game-tying run in the fifth.
With the Raiders in the midst of their 49-day stretch away from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Raiders will try to avoid a three-game losing streak as they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts in Week 4 action. Sunday’s game will mark the first time since 2013 that Oakland has played in Indianapolis, with the Raiders holding a 4-2 edge as the away team in the all-time series. Overall, Oakland is 8-7 all-time against the Colts in head-to-head locations.
The 16th matchup between the two teams will kickoff at 10:00 a.m. PDT from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Last week, the Raiders (1-2) lost to the Minnesota Vikings (2-1), 34-14, in Week 3 at U.S. Bank Field. Oakland quarterback Derek Carr went 27 for 34 for 242 yards and touchdowns to wide receivers J.J. Nelson and Tyrell Williams, but also threw an interception to Vikings safety Harrison Smith.
Nelson scored on a 29-yard flea-flicker pass midway through the second quarter that pulled the Raiders within two touchdowns, but that was as close as Oakland would get for the game.
With his 25th game with at least 100 passer rating, Carr tied Daryle Lamonica for second-most in franchise history.
Even as the Raiders were getting rolled by the Vikings, tight end Darren Waller had a career day for the Silver and Black catching 13 passes for 134 yards. Both the catches and yards were the most by a tight end this year in any game.
Through 3 games, Waller’s 26 catches ranks second behind Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen’s 29 for most in the NFL; and the most for a Raider through the first three weeks of the season in franchise history.
After dropping their first game of the season, the Colts have won two in a row and enter Sunday’s contest 2-1. Indianapolis took down the Atlanta Falcons, 27-24, in Week 4 at home.
Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett had a strong performance, completing his first 16 passes of the game before finishing 28 for 37 with 310 yards and two touchdowns.
Indianapolis scored on five of their seven possessions in the game.
Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will fly to London to take on the Chicago Bears for the NFL’s first game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week 5.
The Colts will head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in prime-time on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
#1 Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says he hopes the offense could provide more vertical shots and that the receivers can be more aggressive.
#2 Gruden did say that the offense needed to be more aggressive and that was before the release of Antonio Brown during the first three weeks of the season.
#3 In the first three games of the season, Raider quarterback Derek Carr has thrown 23 passes for 10 yards past the line of scrimmage and has completed 13 pass for 257 yards.
#4 Turning to baseball, at one time, the Oakland A’s had a two-game lead before Wednesday night. The A’s had just a 1/2 game lead and the Tampa Bay Rays keep winning, beating the New York Yankees on Wednesday and the A’s dropped two straight games and almost lost a third in Anaheim on Wednesday night, but thanks to a Matt Chapman home run, they came back with two runs in the ninth to win it 3-2 and hold a 1/2 game lead in the AL wild card.
#5 The PGA Tour Safeway Open starts today at Silverado Resort in Napa. Some of the big names at the event include the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Phil Mickelson and Hideki Maysuyama, a five-time winner.
#1 The A’s dropped two crucial games — one against Texas last Sunday at the Coliseum and another on Tuesday night in Anaheim. The A’s in never give up style, down 2-1 on Wednesday night in the top of the ninth, got a two-run jack from Matt Chapman his 34th to get the A’s a 3-2 one-run win.
#2 You look at that score last night in Anaheim 2-1 going to the ninth, manager Bob Melvin just had to have that bad feel in his stomach that the club was going to go down three in a row, but these never give up A’s have a hero every night when they win a game.
#3 Talk about A’s starter Frankie Montas’ return back in the rotation. He misses 60 games and he comes back pitches six innings and gives up four hits and an earned run, two walks and six strikeouts.
#4 Jerry talk about the relievers the A’s used four relief pitchers and they held it together to beat the Angels in the Big A. Everybody is up to beat the A’s in the wild card drive and the A’s are doing everything to stay at the top.
#5 A’s are headed for Seattle to open up a four-game series with the Mariners on Thursday, who can be tough customers in their own right. The Mariners, who got two hits and shutout 3-0 on Wednesday night by the Houston Astros, are not too happy and are looking to take things out on the A’s, but the A’s will scratch and claw to try to keep their heads above water in the AL wild card race.
According to Mark Soltau, Colby Parkinson didn’t see it coming.
Last November on Senior Day against Oregon State, Parkinson — a junior tight end — tied a school record by catching four touchdown passes from then junior quarterback K.J. Costello — all in the first half — in Stanford’s 48-17 win. Coming into the contest, Parkinson had 17 receptions and no touchdowns, but finished with six grabs for 166 yards.
Parkinson scored on a variety of routes, finding pay dirt from 5, 9, 28 and 75 yards.
“It was a great game and fun to be part of,” Parkinson said. “I don’t think I caught a ball twice on the same person.”
Leading into the game, junior tight end Kaden Smith and senior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside had been Costello’s favorite targets. But Arcega-Whiteside didn’t play after sustaining an injury the week before at Washington.
“It’s just kind of how it evolved,” Parkinson said of his first half. “We always put in different plans for different people in certain games and we have matchups that we like. The ball was coming my way.”
After playing in Smith’s shadow, Parkinson showed he was a threat.
“We did some things to get him singled up,” said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football. “I don’t know that he was enough of a name to have specialty coverage for. That game really proved how special he can be.”
The contest had special meaning for Parkinson, who grew in Simi Valley, Calif. That week, the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County and Woolsey Fire west of Los Angeles were raging in Northern and Southern California. Additionally, a shooting near his hometown in Thousand Oaks, took the lives of 12 people.
“It was almost sentimental,” Parkinson said. “It was pretty cool to hopefully give some of my friends and family back home something to watch.”
This season, the 6-foot-7, 251-pound Parkinson ranks second on the squad with 17 receptions for 178 yards, but has yet to score. With Arcega-Whiteside and Smith now playing in the NFL, opposing defenses have made stopping Parkinson a priority, often jamming him at the line of scrimmage and double-teaming him.
“You’ve seen it in the first four games – I’m not getting the same looks I was getting last year,” said Parkinson, who will try to help Stanford (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) snap a three-game losing streak at Oregon State (1-2, 0-0 Pac-12) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. “It seems like they’re game-planning for me, which is definitely a compliment.”
The coaching staff is working hard to find ways to free him up.
“It’s incumbent on us to move him around and show his versatility,” Shaw said. “At the same time, if they want to take him away, other guys have to make plays.”
All Parkinson cares about is winning.
“I’m happy not to catch a single pass if that means other people are getting open,” Parkinson said. “It’s absolutely a team sport, especially in that way.”
Plagued by penalties and near misses, the Cardinal offense has only produced four touchdowns.
Parkinson is confident the offense is close to clicking.
“Absolutely,” Parkinson said. “I feel great at practice this week. I’ve kind of changed my attitude. It was easier for me last year having those established vertical threats like JJ and Kaden. We have great talent on this team. It’s been tough, but I’m excited about where we’re going.”
SLOW START: Stanford’s losses have come against No. 22 UCF, No. 21 USC and No. 13 Oregon, who are a combined 9-3. Although many consider the Cardinal’s first four games the toughest stretch in the country, Shaw offered no excuses.
“We haven’t been up to our standards,” Shaw said. “Injuries aren’t the reason for our record.”
Eliminating mistakes, better execution and making plays are the Cardinal’s keys going forward.
“I trust the mentality of this football team,” said Shaw. “I think we all are a little frustrated, which I think is a positive, because we should be frustrated. We’re not going to press and scrap a lot of things. We need to tweak some things and improve the things we’re doing.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
HANGING TOUGH: Costello is questionable for Oregon State. He injured his throwing thumb early in the game after hitting an Oregon helmet with his follow through on a pass.
“He fought through it the whole game and made some great throws late in the game,” Shaw said. “It’s hard to say how much it affected him.”
Asked if he considered inserting junior backup Davis Mills, Shaw said, “Honestly, I think there were only two errant throws the entire game. He put the ball on the money a couple times with guys in his face. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do the job.”
INJURY UPDATE: Junior offensive tackle Foster Sarell is probable and senior offensive tackle Devery Hamilton is doubtful.
Sophomore cornerback Ethan Bonner, senior cornerback Treyjohn Butler and junior strong safety Stuart Head could return to practice and might be available Saturday.
DEFENSIVE FORCE: Fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill is first in the Pac-12 in sacks with four and second in tackles for loss with six. He leads the team with 28 tackles and has one forced fumble and two hurries.
“I thought we came out with more fire,” Toohill said of last week’s 21-6 defeat to Oregon. “That really should be our standard. I think we really need to bring the same juice every game.”
ALL OUT: Sophomore wide receiver Michael Wilson likes being physical and goes hard until he hears a whistle on every play. He developed that mentality in youth football.
“I just have the desire to out-work my opponent,” Wilson said. “Coach Shaw really wants that to be the theme of the Stanford football team. It has been in the past. I like to bring professional brutality. If you keep attacking over and over again, a lot of guys aren’t going to like that.”
Asked about the team’s offensive struggles, Wilson said, “People love to see big plays made and we want to make big plays. That’s why we put in all this work throughout the offseason.”
The danger is trying to force things.
“In a way, you kind of have to let the game come to you,” Wilson said. “I think when you try too hard to make a play, that’s oftentimes when you don’t. You have to have this calm way about it. We’ve got guys across the board that can make plays. Hopefully, it starts this game.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
BACK TO CLASS: Autumn quarter classes began Monday.
“It’s definitely gotten more hectic, but we’re Stanford men, and this is what we signed up for,” Wilson said. “I love it. School is a big part of why I came here. I love the challenge.”
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS: Toohill is impressed with Oregon State’s offense and knows stopping it will be a challenge.
“Great running backs and receivers,” Toohill said. “Like any Pac-12 offense, they can put up a lot of points. I don’t think their record reflects how good they are. There are no easy weeks in the Pac-12, so you always have to be on your game.”
Quarterback Jake Luton, now in his sixth year of college football, has thrown for eight touchdowns and hasn’t been intercepted. Running back Jermar Jefferson has rushed for 270 yards and averages 5.7 yards per carry, while wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins has snared five scoring passes and averages 15.1 yards per catch.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
NOTES: Shaw typically watches film of the last game at least three times by Sunday night … Shaw on playing at Reser Stadium: “Every time I think of Corvallis, I think of that third down chainsaw (played over the PA system). It’s unnaturally loud. It’s a great atmosphere, it’s loud and those guys are going to be fired up.” … Junior tight end Tucker Fisk and sophomore fullback Jay Symonds made their first collegiate catches against Oregon … Fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 321 yards and has caught 10 passes for 88 yards.
QUOTE: “I’ve never seen a guy that has so much natural wiggle. He’s like a magician with his body.” — Michael Wilson on freshman running back Austin Jones
Mamma Mia! What a game! The A’s snapped a two-game losing streak when Matt Chapman hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to defeat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 at Angel Stadium on Wednesday night.
The A’s knew that the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees for the second night in a row, and if they A’s were to lose, they would find themselves a 1/2 game behind the Rays in the race for the first Wild Card.
Players, coaches, managers, and fans know that teams have to cash in when they have a chance to score. Failure to take advantage of opportunities leads to frustration. When that happens, teams lose games they should win. That was the situation for Oakland. The A’s failed to score in the first, second, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. They found themselves trailing 2-1 after eight. A loss to the Angels would have been devastating. Here’s how they pulled off the win. TheAngels had their closer, Hansel Robles, in the game to shut the door. A’s shortstop, Marcus Semien, who is a candidate for Most Valuable Player, led off the ninth with a single. The next hitter, Ramon Laureano, who homered in the fifth, laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Semien into scoring position. The A’s needed one run to tie the game if they hoped to salvage the win. A’s manager Bob Melvin was probably thinking to get the contest into extra innings and hope to win it in overtime. Matt Chapman, who had been in a slump, had other thoughts. He sent the first pitch from Robles and sent it over the trees in center field. The ball traveled 436 feet, and the A’s led 3-2. It was Chapman’s 35th home run of the year.
A’s closer Liam Hendriks set the Angels down to secure the win for Oakland.
Game Notes: Frankie Montas made his first start after returning from an 80-game suspension. Montas pitched well as he went six innings and allowed four hits and one run.
The A’s improved to 95-63 and have four games left in the regular schedule. They will be in Seattle to finish the season. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is three. They lead the Rays by a 1/2 game and have a two-game advantage over the Cleveland Indians. The Indians lost to the Chicago White Sox Wednesday night.
Ramon Laureano hit his 23rd homer in the fifth. It was his first home run since returning from the IL. He also made an excellent defensive play in the fourth. With a man on first, he caught a ball as it was slicing to the right-field line. He unloaded a laser and nailed the runner as he was trying to make it back to the base.
The A’s line score was three runs, 12 hits, and no errors. The Angels’ line was two runs, six hits, and no errors. Joakim Soria was the winning pitcher, and Hansel Robles was the loser.
The A’s were one for 14 with runners in scoring position before Chapman homered in the ninth. They had chances, but couldn’t get the hit when needed.
A’s center fielder Mark Canha suffered a left groin strain in the bottom of the seventh and had to leave the game.
Time of game was three hours and 29 minutes. 38,685 fans watched the A’s come from behind and defeat the Angels.
Up Next: Lefty Sean Manaea will go for Oakland Thursday night in Seattle. He will be making his fifth start since coming back from a shoulder injury. The King, Felix Hernandez, will go for Seattle. Game time at 7:10 p.m.
Sports Radio Service 