Month: June 2021

Aces hold off Mystics late, 96-93

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Photo credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

By Shawn McCullough

The Washington Mystics rolled off a 16-6 run in the last four minutes, but the Aces held on for a 96-93 win in Washington, D.C.

“It was a tough one today,” said center Liz Cambage. “We just stayed together and got it done.”

With the game tied with one minute left in the game, A’ja Wilson pulled down a huge offensive rebound and hit the shot to put the Aces in front for good.

“We got good looks down the stretch, but we made the plays when we had to to end the game,” said Laimbeer.

Wilson went just 3 for 14 from the field for 15 points, but three other players scored 20 or more points including Liz Cambage with 24.

The Aces finished off a tiring three game road trip, going 2-1 in that stretch.

“Solid win for us on the road,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “We are a tired basketball team right now, but we gutted this one out.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 7-3 heading into a week-long break before facing the Dallas Wings at home on Sunday, June 13th.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces shot 43.4% from the field.
  • The Aces out-rebounded the Mystics, 44-35.
  • A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage combined for 26 total rebounds.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Angel McCoughtry—Out, right ACL

Giants hit four home runs in win 8-5 over Cubs

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The San Francisco Giants LaMonte Wade (31) is congratulated by third base coach Ron Wotus after hitting a fourth inning solo home run against pitcher Jake Arrieta and the Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco Fri Jun 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

After falling behind to the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants came back to take a lead that they would never relinquish.

Steven Duggar hit a two-run home run and then Alex Dickerson would add a three-run home run in a six-run second inning, as the Giants made it two in a row with a 8-5 victory over the Cubs at Oracle Park.

Duggar gave the Giants the lead for good in that six-run inning, as he hit tied his career high with his fourth home run of the season for the Giants, as he gave them a 3-2 lead. Jake Arrieta then allowed a single to Donovan Solano and then walked, and Arrieta got the next two batters, Dickerson launched a full count Arrieta offering onto the arcade to give the Giants a big six-run inning.

“We’re competitive. We believe that we can really push and win the (NL) West,” Dickerson said. “That’s been our goal from the start and we never thought it was ridiculous to say that. We plan on being there all year.”

The Cubs took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as Kris Bryant hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, as he hit his 13th home run of the season.

“When you go down 2-0 against a team like the Cubs you know it’s going to be a bit of a fight, you know you’re going to have to score some runs,” said Gabe Kapler. “We’ve been stinging together good at-bats up and down the lineup for some time now.”

Scott Kazmir, who made his return to the starting rotation after being out due to a personal matter allowed the two-run home run to Bryant.

Kazmir was making his third start of the season after being out of major league baseball for the past few years, and went two innings, allowing two runs on three hits, not allowing a walk and striking out three.

After the Giants would take that 6-2 lead, former Los Angeles Dodgers infielder/outfielder Joc Pederson, who grew up in Palo Alto continues to be an enemy of the Giants and their fans, as he hit a two-run home run to cut the Giants lead down to 6-4 in the top of the fourth inning.

That would be the score for a half-inning, as Jason Vosler, who was drafted by the Cubs came back to haunt his former organization, as he hit his second home run of his short career and hit first pinch-hit home run to give the Giants a 7-4 lead. Arrieta then gave his fourth home run of the game, as LaMonte Wade, Jr., made it back-to-back home runs for the Giants, who have now won two in a row and eight out of their last 10.

This was the fourth time this season that the Giants have hit four home runs, as they continue to lead the National League West by one game over the San Diego Padres and two over the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Not only due to the Giants continue to be the surprise of the major leagues, as they have the best record in the major leagues at the present time.

On the other side of things, the Cubs continue to lead the National League Central and lost back-to-back games for the first time since May 9-12 when they lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians.

Conor Menez, the third of five Giants relievers who would go to the mound picked up his first win of the season, as he went two perfect innings to get the win. Tyler Rogers came out of the bullpen as the closer, as he pitched the ninth inning to secure his seventh save of the season.

Arrieta fell to 5-6 on the season, as he gave up six runs and six hits in two innings, as he walked two and struck out one and gave up two home runs.

NOTES: To make room for Kazmir on the roster, Nick Tropeano, who optioned to Sacramento after Thursday nights win was designated for assignment to clear room for Kazmir.

Brandon Crawford played his 1,324th career game at shortstop, coming within two of passing Travis Jackson for the most games ever by a shortstop in Giants history.

UP NEXT: Kevin Gausman looks for his seventh win of the season, as he takes the mound for the Giants on Saturday afternoon, while Kole Stewart makes the start for the Cubs.

Offensive Fireworks By Oakland Beats Colorado 9-5

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The Oakland A’s rallied for four runs in the top of the third inning to defeat the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Fri Jun 4, 2021 in Denver (@Athletics photo)

Offensive Fireworks By Oakland Beats Colorado 9-5

By Barbara Mason

After some offensive struggles the Oakland A’s (34-25) finished up their last series against the Seattle Mariners with not only some great defensive play but getting back on track offensively winning the series after dropping the first of the three game series.

Tonight the A’s were back on the field in a three game series against the Colorado Rockies (23-35) looking for more great offensive play. Frankie Montas was on the mound for Oakland and Jon Gray for the Rockies. The A’s offense went to work once again with a four run rally in the top of the third inning as the A’s defeated the Colorado Rockies to open the series 9-5 at Coors Field.

The A’s did not waste any time scoring in the first inning. Matt Olson hit a double and Mark Canha who was on second scored for the early 1-0 lead.

Oakland extended their lead in the second inning when Sean Murphy hit his 6th home run of the season for a 2-0 lead.

The A’s Mark Canha would hit a home run in the third inning, his 11th of the season. The offense was on fire and showed no signs of letting down. Matt Olson would single, Brown walked, Lowrie singled scoring Brown. Matt Chapman would sacrifice and drive in Lowrie.

The A’s had 4 runs, 4 hits and a 6-0 lead. The Rockies would have a nice third inning scoring two runs off of hits by Tapia, Daza and Fuentes. The score after three innings was 6-2 in favor of the A’s.

The Rockies would score a run in the fourth inning . It was a quiet fifth inning for both teams going three up three out.

Oakland got something going in the sixth inning. Mark Canha would hit a double bringing in Matt Chapman who had singled. The A’s now led by the score of 7-3 after six innings.

This was offense at it’s finest for Oakland. Sean Murphy hit a double in the seventh inning bringing in Jed Lowrie and now the score stood at 8-3 for the A’s.

The Rockies did rally a number of times but Oakland was able to hang onto the lead. The A’s would finish off the game with a double play. The final score was 9-5. Oakland had scored in six of the nine innings in this game. First pitch in tomorrow’s game will be at 6:10 PM

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Olympics in Japan Money or Health

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2021 Tokyo Olympics NBC logo; The Tokyo Olympics are in jeopardy due to the spike of Coronavirus cases in Japan. The International Olympic Committee is planning to move forward with the games. (image from creative blog)

Olympics in Japan: Money or Health

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

According to the Associated Press between 50-80% of Japanese citizens do not want the Olympics to take place in Tokyo. Organizers have already announced that international fans will not be permitted. The IOC has repeatedly said that the Games will move forward safely.

Japan has extended the state of emergency in the country through mid-June in both Tokyo and Osaka. “The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee will absolutely make sure to protect the health of the athletes,” organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto told the AP. Japan’s population: 126.3 million.

Over 750,000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus since pandemic began. 13,000 plus deaths reported 3% of the country has been fully vaccinated. Originally to take place in 2020 and after the Covid pandemic forced the cancellation last year; some estimates today project Japan will have spent $35 Billion dollars to host the games this year. The original budget was about $7.5 Billion.

The opening ceremony will take place on July 23. NBC is the Official Olympic Network. Japan is 16 hours ahead of the West Coast.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s on Spanish flagship station 1010 KIQI LeGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants hitters do some handy work against one of the best teams Cubs

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San Francisco Giants Steven Duggar connects for an RBI single in the second inning against Chicago Cubs pitcher Zach Davies at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Jun 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The San Francisco Giants (35-21) opened the four game series on Thursday night with a rather decided win over visiting Chicago Cubs (32-24) at Oracle Park 7-2 as the Giants gets some timely hitting and solid pitching.

#2 Giants pitcher Anthony DeScalfani pitched for six innings giving up four hits and two runs except for the two run third DeScalfani looked like he could have thrown a complete game.

#3 The Giants chalked up some run production in the bottom of the second inning with Steven Duggar who singled in a run and in the fifth inning the Giants added three runs and wound up with a five run win over one of the best teams in the National League.

#4 Usually to beat your opponent your try and put some runs up on the board early but the Cubs struck first with two runs in the third but DeScalfani with some good pitching held the Cubs back and the Giants were able to win their seventh in ten games.

#5 Next up for Friday night’s game the Cubs will start Jake Arrietta (5-5 ERA 4.41) the Giants were going to go with Logan Webb (4-3) but he has a recurring shoulder injury and will sit out tonight’s game. Giants manager as of Friday morning has not announced who will start.

Join Michael Fridays for the Giants podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s just above water with one game lead over Houston

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The Oakland A’s Mitch Mooreland gets congratulations in the dugout on Wed Jun 2, 2021 in Seattle after hitting a two run home run against the Seattle Mariners at T Mobile Park. Mooreland and the A’s will face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field Fri Jun 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, a little something different for the Oakland A’s (33-25) as they head into Denver to play the Colorado Rockies (23-34). The A’s will be playing in National League park no designated hitter how much of a pitching advantage will that be for the Rockies?

#2 The Rockies are in fourth in the National League West and have a good home record at 18-12 could that mean an interesting series in Denver?

#3 The A’s have an upper hand they have a good road record at 16-8 and could a park like Coors Field be used to their advantage as the A’s need wins in this series to catch up with the Astros who are right behind them in the standings.

#4 A recent article was written about the disadvantages of broadcasting games remotely. You don’t get to see some of the things you might catch when your at the ball park broadcasting since Covid how has this impacted radio coverage in baseball?

#5 Jeremiah talk about the pitching match ups for tonight’s game in Denver starting for the A’s Frankie Montas (5-5 ERA 4.45) and for the Rockies Jon Gray (4-2 ERA 4.45)

Join Jeremiah for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hard-hitting Giants get the jump on the Cubs in 7-2 win

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Half full COVID restricted ballparks translate to fully-audible bat swing contact, and that couldn’t haven’t been more apparent at Oracle Park on Thursday night.

With balls being whipped around the park from the game’s initial pitch, fans were treated to an audible fireworks show from both teams. Joc Pedersen started it with a rocket that was caught spectacularly by Steven Duggar at the wall on the game’s first pitch. Kris Bryant got his lick in with a ringing double as the game’s second batter, and Pedersen doubled down with a 427-foot splash hit that had kayaks in the cove scrambling in the third.

But the night’s loudest smack belonged to the Giants’ Brandon Crawford swinging on a 3-0 pitch in the fifth that became a decisive three-run homer that propelled the Giants to a 7-2 win in the opener of a four-game series.

“We had the go-ahead run at second base against a hard-throwing lefty,” Crawford said. “It was three sliders in a row and then a fastball over the plate.”

“He knew he was going to get a fastball from Brothers and he was ready for it,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “The ball wasn’t carrying tonight and that ball was hit very well.”

In the absence of Evan Longoria, Mike Yastrzemski, Darin Ruf and Brandon Belt–all dealing with injuries–Crawford’s contribution was essential to getting past the Cubs, winners of 15 of 19 coming in, and far healthier than the host Giants. With the game tied 2-2 the Giants were getting their first look at the Chicago bullpen after starter Zach Davies departed with an elevated pitch count, and allowing the first three hitters in the inning to reach.

Reliever Rex Brothers fell behind Crawford 3-0, and wasn’t afforded a get-across pitch as the host’s leading home run hitter was granted the green light. Brothers’ first fastball provided the speed, and Crawford the heft, on the biggest pitch of the night.

The home run capped Crawford’s big night which started with an RBI single in the second and a bare-handed catch-and-throw in the third to retire Kris Bryant in the third.

The Giants have won five of six and improved to an NL-best 35-21 on the season.

Anthony DeSclafani may have allowed some loud contact early, but he was the winner in the end, pitching six innings, allowing four hits and two runs. DeSclafani also aided his cause with his first hit of the season, an RBI double that tied the game in the fourth. Ironically, the pitcher had gone 40 official at-bats without a hit and suffered a feeble strike out with the bases loaded to end the second inning.

The Giants get a second shot at the Cubs on Friday with familiar face Jake Arrieta pitching for Chicago and the Giants’ pitcher unannounced.

Aces get by Liberty, 94-82

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By Shawn McCullough

The Aces bounced back from a tough loss in Connecticut with a 94-82 win over the New York Liberty at Barclays Center.

“We won the game, that’s a positive,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “We made some mistakes in this game and we didn’t play smart.  Overall, we have to play smarter.”

The Aces outscored the Liberty 14-3 in the last four minutes of the game.

“We started playing Aces basketball,” said Laimbeer. “Getting rebounds was the key to the last four minutes.”

The Aces were led by forward A’ja Wilson who scored 30 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.

“We are still trying to find our identity,” said Wilson. “We let them back into the game, but we grinded.”

Jackie young added 16 points, while Chelsea Gray scored 11 and dished out nine assists.

“Proud of this team and their fight,” said Gray. “We just needed to stick to our game plan and get locked in.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 6-3 on the season heading into their next game on Saturday in Washington against the Mystics.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces shot 45.7% from the field, while holding the Liberty to 40.7%.
  • Rebounding in the game was tied 38-38.
  • Guard Kelsey Plum returned from the U.S. Women’s 3×3 basketball team Olympic qualifiers and came off the bench to score four points.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Angel McCoughtry—Out, right ACL

Preview of the A’s three-game series against the Colorado Rockies

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Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin seen here in Seattle against the Seattle Mariners on Wed Jun 2, 2021 will lead the A’s against the Colorado Rockies on Fri Jun 4, 2021 at Coors Field in Denver (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (33-25) will be in Denver to play a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies (22-34) starting Friday night. The A’s own a modest two-game winning streak and are hoping to extend the streak to five. Things will be slightly different for Oakland as they are playing in a National League park, and the A’s will not be able to use the Designated Hitter. The A’s pitchers will be taking batting practice as they will have to go to the plate and be ready to hit.

The Rockies are currently in fourth place in the National League West. The Rockies’ record for the season is 22-34. That will change as they are playing the Texas Rangers on Thursday. The Rockies are very good at home as they are 18-12. On the road, it’s a different story. Their road record is underwhelming as they have won four and lost twenty-two. The A’s, on the other hand, are great on the road. They are 16-8, while their home record is just 17-17.

Frankie Monras will go for Oakland Friday night. Montas is 5-5 with an ERA of 4.45. Montas has lost his last three starts but has pitched well, posting an ERA of 3.24. Montas is 0-2 in two starts against Colorado. Rockies’ manager Bud Black will send righty Jon Gray to face the A’s. Gray is 4-2 with an ERA of 4.45.

On Saturday lefty Cole Irvin will be on the mound for the A’s. Irvin has not done well in his last three starts. The lefty has allowed at least four earned runs in each start. Lefty Kyle Freeland (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will go for the Rocks. On Sunday, James Kaprelian will be on the hill for the A’s. Kaprielian is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.95. In his last start against Seattle, Kaprielian went three and 2/3rds innings and was tagged for four runs. The Rockies will counter with German Marquez (3-5, 4.13 ERA).

The Rockies traded their best player, Nolan Arenado, to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2021 season. There are rumors that their star shortstop, Trevor Story, will be traded before or at the trading deadline. Currently, on the 10-day IL, Story will be a free agent at the end of the year.

The Rockies still have players that the A’s will have to handle. Rockies’ right fielder, Charlie Blackmon, is having a down year. Blackmon, a career .300 hitter, is hitting .250 with three home runs and 26 RBIs. The A’s pitchers will be hoping that Blackmon doesn’t find his stroke in the series.

Another player the A’s are familiar with is first baseman C.J.Cron. The A’s faced Cron many times when he was with the LA Angels. Cron is hitting .275 with five dingers and 18 RBIs. Their new third baseman, Ryan McMahon, is making a name for himself. His batting average is .259, and he has 13 homers and 32 RBI’s to his credit.

The A’s offense woke up in the last two games against the Mariners. The A’s had 23 hits in the last two games and scored 18 runs. A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, is hitting over .300 for the last three weeks. Tony Kemp had five RBIs in Tuesday’s game in Seattle. Matt Chapman, struggling at the plate, had two hits Wednesday night. Matt Olson had three. Mitch Morland blasted a 444-foot monster home run Wednesday night.

The A’s lead in the West is precarious. The Houston Astros are just 1/2 game the A’s in the race for first place in the AL West. The Astros have won four in a row. They have won the last three against the Boston Red Sox and will be going for a sweep of the four-game set Thursday afternoon. A Houston win will tie the A’s for first place. A loss will put them a game behind Oakland.

The A’s will be ready for the Rockies as they have an off-day on Thursday after playing 17 consecutive days. Oakland will need their starters to pitch well. The Rockies would love nothing more than to upset the A’s plans. The series starts Friday night at Coors Field at 5:40 pm.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s showing improvements Manaea throws 6-0 shutout

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Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea in the process of throwing a four hit complete game shutout against the Seattle Mariners is seen here pitching in the fifth inning on Wed Jun 2, 2021 at T Mobile Center in Seattle (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, Sean Manaea has had some tough outings his last few times out but that all seemed to change on Wednesday night when he threw a complete game four hit shutout.

#2 Manaea struck out eight hitters and kept the Mariners off balance all night.

#3 Previous to Tuesday night’s game which the A’s won the A’s had lost four of five games to the Mariners and they knew they had to come back and they have showed some improvement over these last two games.

#4 Like Tuesday night when the A’s rallied for six runs in the seventh inning on Wednesday night the A’s rallied in the top of the third inning getting five runs and getting solid pitching from Manaea the A’s capped off the three game series taking two out of three from the Mariners in Seattle.

#5 The A’s open up a three game series against the Colorado Rockies starting on Friday night the A’s pitcher Frankie Montas gets the start (5-5 ERA 4.45) will be matched up against the Rockies Jon Gray (4-5 ERA 3.71)

#6 Lastly the Oakland A’s minor league system says that the food served to the players have been an embarrassment and it was widely reported on Wednesday that the A’s have served the players either a slice of cheese with a slice of tomato between two slices of white bread or a tortilla with a little chicken and bell pepper. A’s president Dave Kaval apologized for the fare that was photographed and made the rounds on social media and said we have to do better and put the blame on the caterer saying they will redouble their efforts at serving better options.

Jerry Feitelberg is an Oakland A’s beat writer and podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Thursday