Month: July 2021

Astros storm back to down A’s 9-6; Alvarez goes yard twice

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The Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez who hit two home runs hits a three run homer in the fifth inning at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Tue Jul 6, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (49-38) opened the three-game set with the Houston Astros (53-33) Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park. The A’s sent their ace, Chris Bassitt, to the mound hoping Bassitt could find a way to slow down the potent Astro offense.

It was not an easy task as the Astros lead the AL in runs, team batting average(.273), and OPS (.794). The Astros are fourth in the league with 109 homers. The Astros are patient hitters and get lots of walks. They don’t strike out much either.

The Astros’ Michael Brantley l is the best hitter in the AL with a .340 batting average. Yuli Guriel, hitting behind Brantley, entered the game with a .322 average. Bassitt did not find the way; the Astros came back from an early 6-2 deficit to win 9-6.

The A’s plated three runs in the top of the first. Oakland greeted Astros’ starter Framber Valdez with five hits to get off to a great start. The Astros answered with two in their half of the first. With one out, Bassitt walked Michael Brantley. He retired Guriel for the second out. He did not get by Yordano Alvarez. The big guy blasted his 15th of the year to make it 3-2.

The A’s put three more on the board in the second. Three hits and a throwing error by Astros’ catcher Martin Maldonado gave the A’s a 6-2 lead midway through the second inning.

Alvarez led off the bottom of the fourth with a single. Third baseman Abraham Toro singled, sending Alvarez to second. Myles Straw singled to drive in Alvarez with Houston’s third run. The A’s led 6-3 after four complete. Things went south for Bassitt in the bottom of the fifth.

Astros’ second baseman, Jose Altuve, doubled. Altuve went to third on a Guli Guriel single. Bassitt now had to face Alvarez again, Alvarez hit his second dinger of the night into the Crawford Boxes in left field to tie the game at 6-6. Alvarez had driven in five of the Astros’ six runs.

The Astros scored three more times in the sixth. Three singles and two put the runs on the board for Houston. The Astros had scored seven unanswered runs to lead 9-6.

The Astros bullpen held the A’s to three singles and no runs after the second inning. The Astros win 9-6.

Game Notes and stats- With the loss, the A’s are 49-38. They are now 4 and 1/2 games behind the Astros. The Astros improved to 53-33.

Elvis Andrus had a double, two singles, and an RBI to lead the Oakland offense. Ramon Laureano and Jed Lowrie each had two hits.

Yordano Alvarez was the hitting star for Houston. Alvarez had three hits, including two home runs. He had five RBIs. Abraham Toro and Myles Straw each had two hits.
The time of the game was three hours and sixteen minutes. Twenty-six thousand three hundred fifty-three fans watched their Astros win.

A’s manager will send Sean Manaea to the hill to pitch for Oakland. The big left is 6-5 with a 3.13 ERA. Astros’ manager Dusty Baker will counter with righty Luis Garcia. Garcia’s numbers are very similar to Manaea’s. Garcia is 6-5 with a 3.14 ERA.

The game will start at 5:10 pm.

Cardinals beat Giants at their own game, win series opener 5-3 at Oracle Park

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Major League hitters don’t come to the park at spray line drives all over the place for nine innings like in days past. Now, they sport paltry batting averages, pick their spots and keep their focus on trying to impact the game with something big.

That’s the Giants winning style. And on Monday, the Cardinals adopted that style and thrived.

Matt Carpenter’s two-run triple in the seventh inning broke a scoreless tie, and sent to the Cardinals to a 5-3 win at Oracle Park in the opener of the Giants’ final homestand before the All-Star break. The Cardinals came to San Francisco sporting a chip on their collective shoulders from too many, narrow losses in recent weeks.

“We’ve been in a lot of close games and we’ve won some and we’ve lost some lately that have stung,” manager Mike Shildt said.

Carpenter cashed in a competitive at-bat against Giants’ All-Star Kevin Gausman, who was on his way to dropping his miniscule ERA even lower when he left a pitch over the plate to Carpenter in a hitters’ count. The breakthrough wasn’t easily had; Gausman had dealt to that point, allowing just one hit over the first six innings.

Carpenter, hitting just .174 coming into the at-bat, described his blast off the base of the left field wall as a breath of fresh air.

“I’d be OK if that was the swing that turned it around,” Carpenter said. “If we can have those kind of competitive at-bats that we showed and we did against a guy who is as good as anybody we’re going to face all season — if we can do that consistently, we’re going to catch some people.”

While the loss kept the Giants from extending their lead in the NL West, and their perch above all MLB clubs with the best record in baseball, the Cardinals got a needed boost from their spot in fourth place in the NL Central. For a proud franchise like St. Louis, the season hasn’t been what’s expected, but they’re of the mindset to turn it around even if that transition comes against the Giants, who they host coming out of the All-Star break next week as well.

The Giants attempted to rally with a run in the eighth and two in the bottom of the ninth, but came up short. Gausman suffered losses in back-to-back starts for the first time this season, and the Giants failed to build on their home dominance after 26 wins in their first 37 home contests.

Kwang Hyun Kim matched Gausman with a seven-inning outing in which he allowed three hits and two walks and departed with a 2-0 lead. Alex Reyes pitched an eventful ninth inning, allowing RBI singles to Donovan Solano and Steven Duggar, but he closed out with a strikeout of LaMonte Wade Jr. with a runner at third base.

Curt Casali got the start behind the plate in place of the injured Buster Posey, who injured his finger in the finale in Arizona on Sunday. Manager Gabe Kapler didn’t offer much of an update on Posey, other than to say that he remains on the roster, and the possibility of him avoiding a trip to the injured list is still a possibility.

The Giants are also awaiting updates on Evan Longoria, Tommy La Stella, Mike Tauchman and Brandon Belt as a major chunk of their offense is on the shelf heading into the break. Only Longoria appears to be a possibility to return to action during this homestand that concludes with the Washington Nationals over the weekend.

On Tuesday, veteran pitchers Adam Wainwright and Johnny Cueto matchup in the series’ second game at 6:45pm.

Preview of the A’s series with the Houston Astros

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Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt whose been on a role starts for the A’s on Tuesday night at Minute Maid Field in Houston (AP file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are on their way to the state of Texas to face the Astros and Rangers. The three-game series with Houston begins on Tuesday at 5:05 pm from Minute Maid Park. The A’s then go to Arlington for three more before the annual All-Star Game.

The A’s are having a hard time winning baseball games these days. They have lost ten of the last sixteen played. They lost series to the Yankees, Giants, Rangers, and Red Sox The A’s fell to second place in the AL West, 3and 1/2 games behind Houston.

They lost two out of three to Boston last weekend. All three games were decided by one run. The A’ lost 3-2 in ten on Friday night, won 7-6 in 12 on Saturday and lost a heartbreaker 1-0 Sunday. The A’s have had their chances but have not been able to get hits when needed to get the runs needed to win on the board.

They have a chance to reverse things the next six days. It will not be easy when they face the Astros in Houston. The Astros are 7-3 against the A’s this year. The Rangers, in last place in the AL West, have not rolled over for Oakland. The Rangers split the four-game series with the A’s in Arlington took two out of three last week in Oakland.

On Tuesday, the A’s will send their ace, Chris Bassitt, to the mound. Bassitt is 9-2 with a 3.04 ERA. Lefty Framber Valdez will oppose him. Many A’s fans were furious that Bassitt was not picked to play in the All-Star game a week from tomorrow in Denver. Sean Manaea will pitch on Wednesday. His opponent will be Luis Garcia. Frankie Montas will go on Thursday. Lance McCullers, Jr. goes for Houston.

The A’s pitchers will have their hands full with the Houston lineup. Alex Bregman, Houston’s slugging third baseman, is on the 10-day IL and will not be available. Houston still has players that can do damage. Second baseman Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa, first baseman Yuli Guriel all are playing well. The Houston DH, Yordano Alvarez, is not an easy out. Michael Brantley is a hitting machine. The A’s cannot take Myles Straw or Kyle Tucker lightly.

The A’s are going to find a way to get their offense going. They miss their leadoff hitter, Mark Canha. Canha is on the 10-day IL with a hip injury. He may not be available until after the All-Star break. His presence in the lineup is missed. The A’s will need Matt Chapman, Ramon Laureano, Seth Brown, Stephen Piscotty, Elvis Andrus, and Matt Olson to come through with big hits.

Olson will be the A’s only player to participate in this year’s All-Star game. The A’s DH Mitch Moreland is also on the 10-day IL. There is speculation that the A’s will be active in the trade market before the June 30th trade deadline. There are rumors that they might be interested in acquiring Minnesota’s DH, Nelson Cruz. Another player of interest is the Rangers’ right fielder, Joey Gallo.

The Rangers are paying Gallo $6.2 million this season. Gallo has one more year of arbitration and will be a free agent after the 2022 season. He could play right field for the A’s or be used as a left-handed bat in the DH slot.

The A’s do not want to make the playoffs as a Wild Card. Major League Baseball has gone back to the format before the 2020 season. There will be three division champions and two wild cards. There will be a game-playoff between the two wild card teams. The A’s have not fared well in those games. They hosted the 2019 Wild Card game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The outcome was a loss.

If the A’s are to gain ground against Houston, they have to take two out of three. They would cut the deficit to 2 and 1/2 games. A three-game sweep would leave them just 1/2 game behind. However, if the Astros sweep them, they will be six and 1/2 games behind. A’s manager Bob Melvin will have his troops ready. They know the importance of the next two series—the A’s need to make a statement this week. They will be able to enjoy the four-day break.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Cardinals-Giants open series at Oracle with matinee

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St Louis Cardinals starter Kwang Hyun Kim puts his all into this pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks Wed Jun 30, 2021. Kim will be the starting pitcher of record Mon Jul 5, 2021 at Oracle Park in San Francisco against the Giants (AP News file photo)

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris after the San Francisco Giants (53-30) trip in Los Angeles they had better outcome in their meeting with the Arizona Diamondbacks (23-63) at Chase Field over the four game series.

#2 The one opponent the Giants need to really get up for is the Los Angeles Dodgers (53-31) who they started this road trip with getting swept in two games.

#3 Lots of credit to the Giants Austin Slater for an outstanding performance on Saturday night hitting two home runs in helping the Giants cause in their narrow 6-5 win.

#4 The Giants open up a six game homestand against the St Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals anytime your coming towards the All Star break with a half game margin in the standings over the Dodgers it’s hair raising.

#5 The St Louis Cardinals (41-44) will be starting Kwang Hyun Kim (2-5 ERA 3.75) the Giants will start Kevin Gausman (8-2 ERA 1.68) for Monday afternoon’s game at Oracle Park. Morris you’ll be on hand for this game how do you see these two teams matching up?

Join Morris for the Giants podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: A’s open three game series against first place rival Astros at Minute Maid Tuesday

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Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt throwing against the Texas Rangers Wed Jun 30, 2021 at the Oakland Coliseum will pitch against the Houston Astros Tue Jul 6, 2021 at Minute Maid Field (AP News file photo)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara the Oakland A’s (49-36) are hoping to turn up the heat just a little bit after their series with the Boston Red Sox. The A’s are now chasing the Houston Astros (51-33) in the American League West by just 3.5 games.

#2 The A’s who won Saturday in 12 innings are starting to show that fight again something that was concerning in the previous series at home against the Texas Rangers (33-50).

#3 Tony Kemp has been a huge help during the Red Sox (52-32) series on Saturday despite making an error he was all over defensively including chasing a shallow pop in left field that he couldn’t quite reach, at the bat Kemp hit a sacrifice fly that scored Seth Brown in the 12th inning for the game winner.

#4 Just an update on right fielder Steven Piscotty, Piscotty is played in a rehab game on Sunday and again later tonight at the A’s single A affiliate in Stockton. Piscotty hit second during the rehab game and is expected to be back in the show in Houston on Tuesday night.

#5 Barbara the A’s open up a three game series against the Houston Astros Tuesday night at Minute Maid Field the A’s will start Chris Bassitt (9-2 ERA 3.04) he’ll be matched up against Framber Valdez (5-1 ERA 2.18) set this one up for us.

Join Barbara for the A’s podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

DeSclafani goes 8.2 innings in Giants win over D-backs 5-2

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San Francisco Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani seen here pitching in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix Sun Jul 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

On the same day that Buster Posey discovered that he would have two teammates joining him at the All-Star Game at Coors Field, he was forced to leave the final game of the road trip early.

Posey, who was elected to the start in the annual midsummer classic was hit on his glove hand in the bottom of the sixth inning after he took a bat to the hand, with fellow catcher Daulton Varsho at the plate.

Manager Gabe Kapler and trainer Dave Groeschner immediately ran to the side of Posey, who said that he was okay; however, after Varsho struck out, Posey left the game and was replaced by Curt Casali. X-Rays on Poseys thumb were taken at Chase Field, and they came back negative.

Posey drove the first run of the game, as he singled in Austin Slater in the top of the first inning and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 at Chase Field.

That was not the only run of the inning by the Giants, as Darin Ruf doubled to center field and Posey scored easily from first base.

Anthony DeSclafani pitched a tremendous game, as he went 8.2 innings. DeSclafani allowed two runs, on six hits, walking two and striking out seven and he saw his record improve to 9-3 on the season.

DeSclafani, who was one out away from his third complete game of the season gave up a long single to Christian Walker with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning that scored David Peralta, who singled and then went to second on defensive indifference with two outs.

Tyler Rogers walked Pavin Smith, but then got Josh Reddick to groundout to Donovan Solano at second base, as he picked up his 10th save in 14 chances on the season.

With the victory, the Giants maintained their one-half game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have nine games in a row since they were no-hit by the Chicago Cubs on June 24 at Dodger Stadium.

After starting the road trip by getting swept against the Dodgers, the Giants came back to finish the road trip at 3-3 and won three out of four in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. The Giants also are now 9-1 on the season against the Diamondbacks.

Slater, who the game-winning two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning on Saturday night was at it again on Sunday, as he hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning for his ninth home run of the season.

Ruf got in the home run act in the top of the sixth inning, as he hit a two-run home run that gave the Giants a 5-0 lead.

Reddick drove in the Diamondbacks first run of the night in the bottom of the seventh inning, as he singled to centerfield that scored Asdrubal Cabrera; however, on the play, Reddick was thrown out at second base by Casali, when he tried to advance after Duggar threw home.

Caleb Smith went six innings, allowing five runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out five and he lost for the fifth time on the season.

NOTES: Brandon Crawford and Kevin Gausman will join C Posey in representing the Giants in this year’s All- Star Game in Colorado. It is the third career All-Star appearance for Crawford, who also to the midsummer classic in 2015 and 2018, and this is the first for Gausman, who grew up in the Denver area.

Crawford ranks among the NL leaders in home runs (17, T-10th), RBI (52, T-7th), SLG (.537, 8th) and OPS (.885, 9th). Gausman sports the second-lowest ERA in the Majors (1.68) behind NYM’s Jacob deGrom and has also thrown 101.2 innings, tied for the ninth-most in MLB while his eight wins are tied for seventh-most in MLB.
The last time that the Giants had at least three representatives in the game was 2016 when Brandon Belt, Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Posey all were All-Stars in the game at Petco Park in San Diego.

This was the first time that the Giants have played on July 4 since the 2018 season, as they were off in 2019 and did not play in 2020 due to Covid-19.

With the victory over the Diamondbacks, this was the first time since the 2016 season that the Giants won on July 4 (Colorado Rockies) and now are 24-39-1 on fourth since moving to California in 1958.

UP NEXT: Gausman takes the mound on Monday afternoon, as he looks for his ninth win of the season and the Giants return home to face the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park. The Cardinals will send left-hander Kwang Hyun Kim to the mound, as he looks for his third win of the season.

Fireworks Cancelled: A’s shutout by Red Sox 1-0, face questions and the Astros next

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Envision Nelson Cruz or Kyle Seager in an A’s uniform. After a listless 1-0 loss at the Coliseum, the Oakland offense could use some pop.

“We’re down some guys,” said manager Bob Melvin, trying to make sense of his 49-win club going through a stretch of 10 losses in 15 games. “Mitch is out and Canha is out, too. We’re going to have to dig a little deeper. But I think every day we have a chance to break out of it. Obviously didn’t look good today with four hits, but I think it was just as much about them pitching well today.”

Nick Pivetta took control from the start, allowing two hits in seven innings of dominant work. The Red Sox starter didn’t win in June, going 0-3 with three no-decisions. The stretch was so tough, members of the Boston media in the press box tried to anticipate the juncture the hyped up pitcher would show his temper in a such a close, competitive game. But this time, Pivetta had all the answers, especially when the A’s tried to mount rallies in the first and seventh inning. Instead of being grumpy Pivetta, the pitcher instead talked afterwards of his ability to inspire his teammates.

“I really care about everybody on this team, I really want to do good for them, every single day I want to show up for them,” Pivetta said. “And I want to pump them up, too. I want to be energetic and I want us to have fun, and I want us to go out there and show ourselves every single night.”

James Kaprelian virtually matched Pivetta pitch for pitch in seven innings for Oakland. Kaprelian allowed just one run (on a non-RBI, double play ball), struck out 10 and scattered five hits. Like Pivetta, he was determined to keep the ball in the park as both pitchers had been hurt by long balls in recent starts. So when the Red Sox tensed up, Kaprelian eased up, leaning heavily on his changeup that had the Boston lineup flailing.

But ultimately the A’s offense was absent. After Pivetta departed, the A’s tried to cobble something together on the strength of a base hit in the eighth, and an infield single in the ninth. Neither effort struck gold, and they fell 3 1/2 games behind the Astros with a critical series against their rivals set to begin on Tuesday.

How alarming is all of this? Well, the A’s are 49-37, that’s as good a start to a season as the club has had in all but one of the last 31 seasons. But they haven’t been this far from first place since April 10, two games into their 13-game win streak that turned things around. And while they get bold checkmarks for pitching and defense, their offense is noticeably thin. With catalyst Mark Canha and Mitch Moreland currently on the injured list, they could use some help. Could they find it in the trade market?

Sure.

Well, the A’s aren’t known for spending but with such a glaring hole in their lineup, and the exemplary performance of the club to this point, they’re too smart to try to do without. And there’s that issue of home attendance as well. The A’s had their first opportunity to fill the Coliseum with COVID restrictions lifted and they failed miserably. Sunday’s attendance was a mere 13,000 plus. They won’t want that to happen again, especially with the pernicious timing of the holiday weekend not a factor going forward. So look for a bold move.

The A’s open a three-game set in Houston on Tuesday with Chris Bassitt facing Framber Valdez. Look for a performance statement from Bassitt, who was an All-Star snub despite a 9-2 record. Also, an All-Star statement could be issued by Matt Olson, who received his first mid-summer nod on Sunday and will be part of the AL’s first base rotation.

Las Vegas Finishes Off the Dream 118-95

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The Las Vegas Aces dominate the Atlanta Dream at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Sun Jul 4, 2021 (@LVAces photo)

Las Vegas Finishes Off the Dream 118-95

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the Las Vegas Aces were back on the court taking on the Atlanta Dream who are currently 6-10 in the Eastern Conference. The Aces are coming off a great win against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday. The Aces were pushed to the max against Los Angeles who came out with a great game plan disrupting the Las Vegas offense and at one time in the fourth quarter taking the lead.

The Aces remain tied for first with the Seattle Storm in the Western Conference with 13-4 records. The Storm will be taking on the Los Angeles Sparks today in their quest to remain in first place.

The Aces planned to lean heavily on Chelsea Gray, Liz Cambage, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young. This team has consistently seen double digits from all of their starters and will need to see more of this in Sunday’s game against the Dream.

Atlanta is trying to turn their season around after starting the season strong with an early four-game winning streak. The Dream played a very close game against the Storm on Friday night. They are scrappy and will give the Aces a challenge although Vegas will be a very tough team to get past.

The Dream lived up to their scrappy reputation and after the first quarter were leading the Aces by the score of 31-29. So far in this game the Dream were giving the Aces a run for their money. At the half Las Vegas had taken a lead albeit slim, but a 51-48 lead. The Dream were proving to be very tough for the Aces.

At the half A’ja Wilson had 13 points and the Dreams Cheyenne Parker had 10 for high score. Liz Cambage had 11 and Jackie Young had 10 for Las Vegas. They would need all on board to get past Atlanta.

Las Vegas really got onboard in the second half. The Dream hung around in the third quarter but ran out of gas in the closing minutes. The Aces outscored them 34 to 20 in the final quarter. Las Vegas won this one 118-95, a franchise record for points as the Aces closed this one out in dazzling Las Vegas style.

Kelsey Plum finished with 23 points off the bench and Wilson, Cambage, Young and Williams all shot double digits. It was a magnificent team effort.

Next up for Las Vegas will be the 7-9 Phoenix Mercury at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The Aces have now improved to 14-4. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

NBA Finals podcast with Joe Hawkes: Bucks heading to Finals for first time since 1974; Suns first time back since 1993

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The Milwaukee Bucks touch the Eastern Conference Champion Trophy for good luck after game 6 Sat Jul 3, 2021 in Atlanta as they prepare for game 1 on Tue Jul 6, 2021 in Phoenix against the Western Conference Champions Suns (AP News photo)

On the NBA Finals podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 The Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo who missed his second straight game against the Atlanta Hawks out due to a knee injury could be assured that his talented teammates pressed on without him and won Saturday’s sixth game 118-107 to move onto the NBA Finals.

#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the staple for the Bucks since his acquisition and he’s not doubt going to be a huge part of these finals coming off that knee injury.

#3 The last two games the Bucks won in games 5 and 6 and they made it look relatively easy with an 11 point win to close out the Hawks on Saturday night.

#4 The Phoenix Suns have handled many of their opponents in the post season and closed out the Los Angeles Clippers in game six last Wednesday 130-103. The Suns Chris Paul put away the Clippers almost single handedly with 41 points.

#5 Tip off for game 1 of the Finals is on Tuesday 6th in Phoenix Joe how do you look at this series that opens up on the Suns home floor.

Join J Hawkes for the NBA Finals podcast Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Earthquakes’ late equalizer earns 2-2 draw with Minnesota FC

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Shea Salinas picked up his 50th assist for the San Jose Earthquakes against Minnesota FC at Allianz Stadium in St Paul on Sat Jul 3, 2021 (@SJEarthqukes photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

ST PAUL—The San Jose Earthquakes used some late match magic from one of their young forwards to earn a 2-2 draw with Minnesota FC on Saturday evening at Allianz Stadium.

Benji Kinkanovic scored his first career MLS goal in the 82nd minute as San Jose escaped the Twin Cities with a point. While it snapped their two-game losing streak, the Quakes are still winless in its last eight games. Minnesota is undefeated in its last seven games (4-0-3) and have conceded only four goals in that stretch.

Shea Salinas setup Kikanovic just outside the box on the left side. The rookie, who came in as a substitute in the 73rd minute, dribbled past two defenders before roofing a shot into the upper center of the net past Minnesota FC goalie Tyler Miller. Kikanovic scored his first goal for San Jose in just his fourth appearance for the club.

“Yeah, we were actually down 2-1. He just told me to keep attacking, go forward, don’t try to play back, but keep it simple. Once I came in, I was just kind of waiting for my opportunity. Obviously, Shea [Salinas] was on the left and I just tucked in a little bit. He found me and I saw open space and was like, ‘Alright I’m going to take it. Either he’s going to foul me in the box and we’ll get a PK or I’m going to score,’ and I just happened to score,” Kikanovic said.

San Jose (3-7-2) drew first blood early in the first half. Cristian Espinoza pick-pocketed the ball away from Bakaye Dibassy. Espinoza dribbled into the middle of the before finding a wide open Cade Cowell who one-timed the ball into an empty net. It marked Cowell’s team-leading fourth goal of the season.

“I think as a young player, it’s not easy playing in these types of matches,” said Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda on the team’s youth scoring both goals of the match. “I have always debuted young players, and there are moments for them to play, and moments when they don’t play. Today, we were forced to play them because that is our reality. It makes me happy to see them progress rapidly. When they have 50 appearances with the senior team, I think then they will be ready to execute what I ask from them.”

Minnesota FC (4-4-3) answered back in the final seconds of stoppage time in the first half. Off a corner kick, Franco Fragapane volleyed the ball back into the center of the box with a bicycle kick. Brent Kallman out battled Tyler Beason and in one motion kicked a left-footed shot from a tough angle past Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski for his first goal of the season.

The home team seized the momentum from the late first half goal and carried it into the start of the second half. They had three scoring chances inside a minute from the 52nd-53rd minute which included Fragapane’s left footed shot hitting the post.

Minnesota FC drew a penalty kick when Judson took down Chase Gasper inside the box in the 64th minute. A VAR review of the play confirmed the penalty. Ramon Abila’s initial penalty kick was saved by Marcinowski but Abila cleaned up the rebound for his second goal of the season a minute later.

The Quakes almost pulled off the upset in the third minute of stoppage time when Orlando Alanis’s free kick from right side hit off the post.

Marcinkowski finished the match with three saves on five shots. Miller made one save on three shots.

Nathan Cardosa, known simply as Nathan, made his MLS debut for San Jose since the team acquired the Brazilian center back from Swiss club FC Zurich and signed him to a three-year contract (2021-23) with a club option for 2024 using Targeted Allocation on June 25th. Nathan started in the back four and played all 90 minutes.

“Some ties can be a good thing,” said Nathan after playing in his first MLS match. “I think we should be pleased with the result on the road. I’m pleased with my performance, but I am not yet in sync with the team. Before these next few matches, I will work to improve and get better. I think I will be at 100 percent very soon.”

GAME NOTES: San Jose had four corner kicks. Minnesota FC had seven.

The Quakes are now 4-3-1 all-time vs. Minnesota, including a 2-1-1 away record.

San Jose became the first team to score 2+ goals vs. Minnesota since May 8, snapping a streak of six matches with one or fewer conceded.

Cowell scored his fifth goal of his MLS career. He has now scored in each of the last two matches.

Espinoza tallied an assist on Cowell’s goal, marking his third assist of the season and 25th of his MLS career. Espinoza is now in sole possession of 10th place on the team’s all-time assists leaderboard.

Salinas tallied an assist on Kikanovic’s goal, marking his second assist of the season and 53rd of his MLS career. It also marked his 50th assist with the Earthquakes, extending his club assists record.

Marcinkowski made his 12th start of the season, the most starts he’s made in a single season in his MLS career.

Cowell (17 years and 263 days) and Kikanovic (21 years and 179 days), the Earthquakes’ two goal-scorers tonight, have a combined age of 19 years and 226 days.

UP NEXT: The Quakes return to action when they face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, July 17. The match kicks off from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 6:00pm.