Month: September 2021

Rodgers, Packers slip past 49ers 30-28

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The Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Croby coverts a 51 yard field goal on the very last play of the game against the San Francisco 49ers for the win at Levi Stadium on Sunday Night Football on Sep 26, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Joe Hawkes
Staff Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif — Jimmy Garoppolo hooked up with fullback Kyle Juszczyk on a 12-yard touchdown pass that gave the 49ers a slim 28-27 lead with 37 seconds left, but that appeared to be too much time for Aaron Rodgers, who completed two deep passes to wide receiver Devante Adams setting up Mason Crosby’s 51-yard field goal on the final play of the game that gave the Packers a 30-28 win over San Francisco on Sunday night.

“My first thoughts in devising how I wanted to get us into field-goal range was how could I get the ball to 17,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers made that task look easy, connecting on passes of 25 and 17 yards to Adams that setup the game-winning score by Crosby. Adams finished the game with 12 catches for 132 yards.

Adams briefly left the game after taking a big hit from safety Jimmie Ward that looked like it would knock him out of the game.

Green Bay jumped out to a fast start, scoring on their first two possessions. On the Packers opening drive of the game, Rodgers completed a 42-yard pass to wide receiver Allen Lazard setting up a 54-yard field goal by Crosby.

Following a punt by San Francisco, Rodgers orchestrated a seven-play, 80-yard drive highlighted by a 47-yard completion to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling setting up a short touchdown pass to Adams. The score put Green Bay up, 10-0.

Rodgers started the game razor-sharp, completing 9-of-9 passing for 127 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter. For the game, Rodgers completed 23-of-33 passing for 261 yards and two touchdowns.

In his last two games, both wins, Rodgers has thrown six touchdowns and no interceptions after throwing no touchdowns and two interceptions in Green Bay’s (2-1) 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.

Following an interception thrown by Garoppolo, who was looking for tight end George Kittle in double-coverage, the Packers added a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Aaron Jones putting Green Bay up 17-0 late in the first half.

The 49ers (2-1) avoided being shut out in the first half when they scored on the final play. After Garoppolo got away with an apparent intentional grounding that would have ended the half, rookie quarterback Trey Lance came in for his first snap since the season opener in Detroit. He ran the ball behind a massive block from left tackle Trent Williams for a 1-yard score that cut Green Bay’s lead to 17-7 at halftime.

For Garoppolo, it was the second-straight game that he had to shake off a slow start before the 49ers rallied from a 17-point deficit. Garoppolo finished the game 25-of-40 passing for 257 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and one fumble lost. After only being sacked once in the first two games, Garoppolo was sacked four times by the Packers on Sunday night.

“There were some great individual efforts of guys just making unbelievable plays that got us in and gave us a chance to win that game,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “But some mistakes that we made throughout the game, you don’t win a lot of football doing that. That’s what we’ve got to clean up.”

In the third quarter, San Francisco cut Green Bay’s lead to 17-14 following a 13-play, 83-yard drive in 7:19 that was capped off by an 8-yard touchdown pass from Garoppolo to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Rodgers threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Valdes-Scantling that gave the Packers a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

San Francisco responded with a touchdown of their own, after rookie running back Trey Sermon plunged in from 1-yard trimming the Packers lead to 24-21.

Following an inexplicable throw to the ground behind him by Garoppolo after trying to avoid a sack by defensive tackle Kenny Clark, the Packers recovered the miscue setting up a 38-yard field goal by Crosby that made the score, 27-21 in favor of the Packers.

Shortly thereafter, Garoppolo responded with a touchdown drive but it wasn’t enough for the 49ers, who returned home after spending the first two weeks of the season back East. The loss at home in the team’s home opening game stings, seeing that it was the first time fans were inside Levi’s Stadium since Jan. 2020.

“There’s always too much time on the clock if there’s ever time on the clock, especially with Aaron Rodgers,” tight end George Kittle said. “I think we have a really good defense. I don’t really have any worries when our defense is out on the field. But it’s Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams over there. They did what they had to do to win.”

Kittle finished with seven catches for 92 yards.

The 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, while the Packers welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to Lambeau Field.

Raiders overcome tough start, get 31-28 win over Dolphins now 3-0

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) is jubilant after throwing a second half touchdown to wide receiver Hunter Renfrow at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas Sun Sep 26, 2021 (AP News photo)

Raiders overcome tough start, get 31-28 win over Dolphins now 3-0

By Rich Perez

Las Vegas Raiders beat writer Sports Radio Service

LAS VEGAS- The Raiders overcame a bad start and came out victorious in a tough game with the Miami Dolphins.

John Gruden had to be frustrated in the first half after Miami took a commanding lead in the ball game.

Derek Carr unceremoniously threw an interception while falling backwards that led to a Miami touchdown by the linebackers rolling down the field, Uncontested.

The second half had the Raiders really brewing up a comeback by coming out of a half wanting to seek and destroy a new game attitude, knowing they were at home , knowing that they were up against a second string quarterback in Jacoby Brissett.

Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards ,the dynamic duo with the Raiders ,have really been shining the last few weeks and they did just that again on Sunday. Both helped the Raiders on key drives to secure the victory.

RB Corp of Kenyan Drake and Payton Barber also did well in covering for Josh Jacobs who was out with a toe injury.

The Raiders also added a Dolphins safety as the first of the year for the team.

Next up the Raiders face a very strong challenge with the Los Angeles Chargers in So Cal. Suddenly the Chargers have become a strong contender in the west with new 2nd year quarterback Herbert at the helm and a key win in KC.

Breathing, But Barely: A’s sweep the Astros on Canha’s walk-off hit, and avoid elimination in the AL West title chase

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Too little, too late. Game 1 (through 6) counts just as much as Game 162. Save some of that offense (or defense) for tomorrow’s game. In 2021, the A’s have found themselves on the wrong end of all the familiar catchphrases that shape the confounding game of Major League Baseball.

A sweep of the AL West-leading Astros to end the home campaign sets up an exciting, and critical final week of baseball leading into the postseason. Yeah, the A’s did that by winning 4-3 on Sunday at the Coliseum, but their still six games out with six to play.

The wild card race? Not much hope there either. On Sunday, the Blue Jays and Yankees won, not to mention the huge issue of the Mariners being a game ahead of the A’s in both the division and the wild card race.

The good news? The A’s battled all weekend against long odds and came up winners against the second best team in the American League, and they made it happen in late game situations, which in 2021, have been often been problematic.

“There’s a lot of desperation in what we’re doing right now,” manager Bob Melvin said.

With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Mark Canha delivered an RBI single–scoring Sean Murphy–to earn the A’s a sweep against the team that more often than not (over the last six seasons) has gotten the best of them.

“We needed to grab some momentum and grab some good feels,” Canha said. “To sweep a great team like that feels really good, especially given the last homestand and what’s on the line.”

The A’s finish the season with three games in Seattle starting Tuesday, followed by the final weekend at Minute Maid Park in Houston for three more. Sunday’s win kept them from being eliminated in the division, and six more wins consecutively probably won’t help. According to ESPN, the A’s have a 0.6 percent chance to make the postseason.

“We’re just going to keep fighting. I think everyone is pulling in the same direction,” Canha said.

Across the board statistically, the numbers frame the A’s as a good team, just not good enough. They finished the home campaign with a 43-38 mark, the sixth, straight season they’ve been over .500 at home. But 43 wins isn’t how playoff teams eat. All seven AL teams in the postseason hunt have either won more than 43 games at home or have a chance to do so in the final week (Seattle, Toronto).

The A’s pitching has been just fine, except when it hasn’t. Starters Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea all averaged more than nine strikeouts per nine innings in 2021, which ranks them 1-2-3 in Oakland history besting previous high averages posted by Vida Blue (1971), Gio Gonzales (2011) and Todd Stottlemyre (1995). But all three weren’t what they could be in 2021: Montas’ best outings didn’t take place until the season was half over, Bassitt was terrific until he was felled by a horrific injury in August, and Manaea pitched equal parts dynamite and kryptonite.

The biggest number for A’s pitching in 2021 was a 5.20 ERA by the entire staff in September prior to Saturday. That and the bullpen collapsed at the end of August and beginning September resulting in a couple of disturbing losses and the demotion of closer Lou Trivino.

Offensively, the A’s collective batting average of .239 entering this weekend says it all. That number ranks fourth lowest in the AL, even as batting averages throughout the industry have plummeted. For the A’s who have wonderful numbers in drawing walks, hitting home runs and XBH’s along with a team record 93 passes issued from being hit by pitches, the batting averages lagged, dragging down the overall product. The result a 23-26 record in one-run games, along with one too many losses in which they scored zero, one or two runs.

Finally, the season was a rollercoaster. The A’s started 0-6, than won a major league-best 44 games over the next 65, than only 41 of their next 85 culminating with Sunday’s win. Too much up and down, and not enough in the stretch, which has been the calling card for the franchise under Melvin’s leadership.

Cole Irvin is the A’s projected starter for Tuesday’s series opener in Seattle. Chris Flexen is expected to get the start for the Mariners.

Sharks Preseason: Sharks Win in Vegas 4-2

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The Vegas Golden Knights right wing Evgenii Dadonov (63) moves the puck against the San Jose Sharks Gannon Laroque (28) at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 26, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won 4-2 in a preseason match against the Vegas Golden Knights. The split squad that went to Vegas on Sunday was led by Logan Couture. Sharks goals were scored by Alexander Chmelevski, Jasper Weatherby, Adam Raska and Logan Couture. Sharks goalie Adin Hill made 21 saves for the win. Vegas goals were scored by Paul Cotter and Max Pacioretty. Vegas goalie Logan Thompson made 24 saves for Vegas. More than 17,000 people came to watch the game at T-Mobile Arena.

Alexander Chmelevski scored the only goal in the first period, on the power play at 15:29. Scott Reedy’s pass from the corner found Chmelevski right as he arrved in front of the net. Assists went to Reedy and William Eklund.

The Sharks out-shot the Golden Knights 9-6 in the first period. They had two power plays but scored on just one. They took no penalties. Vegas captain Mark Stone took a puck to the ear in the first and did not return.

Just over a minute into the second period, Vegas’ Peyton Krebs misjudged the situation along the boards and swept the puck into the slot where San Jose’s Jasper Weatherby was ready to take a quick shot. 2-0 Sharks.

At the three-minute mark, Vegas scored with a goal from Paul Cotter. He and Jack Dugan rushed into the zone two-on-one against Santeri Hatakka. Dugan and Brett Howden got assists.

The Sharks extended their lead at 7:31 with a goal from Adam Raska. Jeffrey Viel intercepted a pass off the wall and found Raska with a quick pass. Raska carried the puck to the net and snapped it past the goalie.

The Sharks out-shot the Golden Knights 11-6 in the second period. They took one penalty but killed it.

The Golden Knights closed the gap again, 34 seconds into the third period, on the power play. Max Pacioretty found the puck in a scrum at the net and shot it over the Sharks’ prone goaltender. Assists went to Nolan Patrick and Chandler Stephenson.

Logan Couture padded the Sharks lead with a power play goal at 15:56. Six seconds into the power play, Couture caught a rebound from a Burns shot and slipped the puck behind the Vegas goalie. Assists went to Weatherby and Burns.

In the third period, the Sharks took two penalties and killed just one. They had one power play and scored on that. The third period shots were even at eight each.

In the post-game shoot-out, Thompson stopped William Eklund’s shot but Jonathan Dahlen and Timo Meier both scored. Hill stopped Evgenii Dadonov’s shot, Noel Patrick hit the post, and Chandler Stephenson scored.

The Sharks play again on Tuesday, against the Kings at 7:00 PM PT in San Jose.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: An Underrated Manager; Melvin winningest manager in Oakland history

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Oakland A’s manager is the winningest manager in Oakland history and is regarded as underrated and deserves much recognition (Athletics Nation file photo)

An Underrated Manager

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

Bob Melvin is the winningest manager in the history of the Oakland A’s since they moved to Oakland in 1968, surpassing Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa. In June the A’s exercised the 2022 option on Melvin’s contract, officially keeping him at least one more year.

A three-time winner of the Manager of the Year, with Seattle, Arizona and most recently with the Athletics in 2018. A Bay Area native and alumni of UC Berkeley. He played from 1985 to 1994 mostly as a backup catcher for various teams including the San Francisco Giants .

Melvin led the A’s six times into the Postseason and is as respected, by players, fans and media alike as anybody in the game. Yet for a combination of reasons I believe he is an underrated manager.

For one, the national baseball media usually overlooks the teams here on the West Coast, all the attention is focused towards the teams of the other coast. Other reason is the level of talent he is given every year. These young players come to Oakland and when they become stars, they leave to produce in some other place.

During Bob Melvin reign as manager of the A’s he had to adjust to a system where players usually do not stay with the team for more than a couple of years, or so. Due to the A’s system they move players constantly.

Many become stars in Oakland and then they fly away and sign juicy multi-year contracts with other teams. Guys like Josh Donaldson, who after leaving Oakland won the American League MVP with the Toronto Blue Jays, or Cuban-born Yoenis Céspedes, who was a very popular player here in Oakland, who also left.

Yoenis told me many times, he enjoyed playing here and for manager Melvin, where he began his career in the Major Leagues after defecting from Cuba.

Most recently star closer Liam Hendricks now in the postseason with the recently crowned Central Division champion Chicago White Sox and Marcus Semien with the Toronto Blue Jays having the best season of his career, who could also be playing in the postseason in a little over a week. Both Liam Hendricks (still one of the best closers in the business) and Marcus Semien who recently tied the record of homeruns for a second baseman with 43.

Melvin, however, always gets the most from his players, youngsters or seasoned veterans, whom (like previously mentioned) love to play for him. This manager always does the best with the talent he is given year after year after year.

He is a very good manager for many reasons, not only as an ‘on the field’ skipper with strategy but how he manages every personality inside this clubhouse and the hands-on relations with each of his players.

Bob Melvin told us they are going to fight until the last game of the season, their last home-stand ended with 4 looses in a row against the Mariners and then with a 3-game sweep against the Astros. The A’S are in Seattle for three games and then close the season in Houston for three more next weekend.

Bob Melvin, is one of the biggest assets in the Oakland Athletics organization. But, let’s face it. The best jockey in the world cannot win the race if the horse is limping.

Spanish Coverage: The 60 game A’s schedule in Spanish over KIQI 1010AM/KATD 990AM concluded Sunday with the last home game against the Houston Astros. Hopefully the A’S can increase their Spanish coverage in the future.

Recent US Census showed 41% of California’s population is Latino/Hispanic, making Español the second most spoken language in the State.

Of the 7.77 million people in the 9-county Bay Area there were between 1.7 to 2 million that were reported on the Census are Spanish speakers (plus others that do not report on the Census for obvious reasons but also follow sports via Spanish media as well as general consumers in California’s economy) are Latinos/Hispanics.

A’s end final homestand with Canha walk off hit 4-3 sweep Astros

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Oakland A’s Mark Canha (20) center is mobbed by his A’s teammates after his ninth inning walk off single to score Sean Murphy for the game winning run against the Houston Astros at the Ring Central Coliseum in Oakland on Sun Sep 26, 2021 (Bay Area News Group photo)

By Morris Phillips

Once again the Oakland A’s (85-71) came up with a Mark Canha walk off RBI hit in the bottom of the ninth for the second consecutive day. This time the A’s came up a 4-3 winner over the Houston Astros (91-65) at the Oakland Coliseum on the final home game of 2021.

The win also gives the A’s a three game sweep over the Astros beating the AL West leaders the win puts the A’s who are in third place six games behind the Astros with six games games left in the regular season. The A’s are 3.5 games back for the second Wild Card spot.

The Astros who took the loss their magic number remains at two. The Astros Alex Bergman hit a home run for the Astros. After the three game sweep a exhausted Astros manager Dusty Baker said he’s looking to move on to the next series, “I’m glad we’ve got an off day tomorrow.” said Dusty “This was a tough series. Two walk-offs and the other game was close until the end. This was tough. It was real tough. Things will change, I know it.”

The Astros have played 17 straight games without a day off which is one of the reasons why the Astros might have such a struggle during the three game series. On Saturday the A’s Starling Marte hit a double which scored Elvis Andrus who broke his leg when tried to slide but belly flopped at the plate. Andrus and also Jed Lowrie are both on the ten day injured list.

In the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday with the bases loaded Mark Canha got a game winning hit scoring Sean Murphy from third. Canha said he was just trying to look for a pitch to hit, “I try not too look for pitches as much and just try to get into the flow of the at-bat and usually that means not swinging at the first pitch,” Canha said. “But this AB, I felt good. I said to myself, ‘If you see it well, let it rip.’ I just saw it well out of the hand.”

The A’s head to Seattle for a three game series with the Mariners at T Mobile the A’s will be starting Cole Irvin (10-14 ERA 3.99) and for the Mariners Chris Flexen (13-6 ERA 3.56) a 7:10 pm first pitch.

Sharks lose first exhibition game to Ducks 6-3

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The San Jose Sharks forward Tristen Roberts (52) is all happy after scoring a second period goal against the Anaheim Ducks on Sun Sep 26, 2021 at the Honda Center in Anaheim (AP News photo)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ September 26, 2021

~ ANAHEIM– The mostly back-and-forth game went to the home team as the Anaheim Ducks’ Kodie Curran scored the game-winner with a Gordie Howe hat trick in the Sunday victory.

For the San Jose Sharks, this was the first of a split-squad game, with the other half of the team playing the Golden Knights in Las Vegas later at 7pm.   

New Shark Nick Bonino and Jake Middleton each earned two points with a goal and an assist apiece, Bonino’s goal accomplished during the power play.  

Both teams scored in each period of the first preseason game of the 2021-22 NHL season Sunday. That included the extra exhibition period after the third period buzzer, which the Ducks also won by way of Curran. 

San Jose went 1 of 5 on the power play while the Ducks went 1 of 2. Each team went with two  goalies during the game, for the Sharks, Alexei Melnichuk and Zach Sawchenko saved 8 of 10 and 14 of 16 shots respectively and for Anaheim, Lukas Dostal and Olle Eriksson Ek saved 13 of 14 and 11 of 13 on their end.

The crowd saw some fighting action just over a minute into the game when Middleton took exception to a hit on his teammate and got into it with Sam Carrick. 

The Sharks had trouble getting into their offensive end at first with not one player present until about two minutes in and then multiple skaters around three minutes in. John Leonard had San Jose´s first shot on goal around the five minute mark. 

Hampus Lindholm got the Ducks up on the board first at 5:30 with a slapshot from the point. 

The Sharks got a chance for redemption on the power play with a roughing call to Alexander Volkov six seconds later. Ryan Merkley missed a shot and Kevin Labanc´s two shots were blocked by Curran.

Anaheim went on their first power play at 9:36 when Nicolas Meloche was called for holding.

The fourth penalty of the first period occurred when Marc-Edouard Vlasic´s stick was held by Buddy Robinson. San Jose was able to capitalize on their second power play. Merkley was able to stop the clear to keep it in their end and Bonino made a diagonal shot off the post at 14:53 after a pass from Joachim Blichfeld.  

The second period also saw an early fight but not before an earlier goal. Volkov altered 

Kevin Shattenkirk´s shot to give the Ducks the 2-1 lead at 1:39. Curran received the secondary assist. 16 seconds later, Meloche (second penalty) and Curran were cited for fighting. At the same time, a concurrent penalty was given to Volkov, his second of the night, for interfering with Blichfeld.

Halfway through the second period was when the goalie changes occurred. The Sharks took advantage of the fresh goalie at 10:24 to re-tie the game at two apiece. Tristen Robins scored his first, helped by Dylan Gambrell and Rudolf Balcers. 

At 15:36, Anaheim went back ahead. Vlasic’s pass went behind the net to Sonny Milano instead, who made a straight pass to the incoming Benoit-Olivier Groulx, as Groulx converted. 

In the third, after a barrage (four in the span of 36 seconds) of shots by the Ducks, Balcers shot in between two defenders and went top post for the game´s third tie at 6:35.  Middleton and Bonino earned the assists. 

Starting at 12:03, scored three goals in a span of six minutes and 20 seconds. Troy Terry found a wide open Curran on the left for the first. Robinson got the second assist. Momentum continued in Anaheim´s favor as they went on their second power play. Volkov aimed at the net as the puck went behind Sachenko. Unable to fish it out, Terry was able to poke the puck into the net to make it 5-3. It was Milano´s second assist. With 1:37 left, Greg Pateryn made it three goals in the third period with an empty-netter to conclude the regulation scoring.

In the exhibition shootout, the Ducks went first as it went from Jacob Perreault to Labanc to Volkov to Alexander Barabanov to Milano (the first one who did not score) to Hertl (blocked) to Curran (scored) to Leonard (wide). 

Up Next: In the second split squad game in Las Vegas the Sharks defeated the Knights 4-2 at the T Mobile Center. On Tuesday, the Sharks will host their home preseason opener against the Los Angeles Kings at 7pm. 

NCAA Football podcast with Michelle Richardson: Crimson Tide remain perfect; Georgia gets huge win; Buckeyes keep rolling

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Alabama Crimson Tide running back Roydell Williams (23) and quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrate a Young keeper in the first half agianst the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Tuscaloosa Ala on Sat Sep 25, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the NCAA Football podcast with Michelle:

#1 The Alabama Crimson Tide No.1 (4-0) remain perfect with a landslide victory over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (1-3) 63-14. The Tide used three quarterbacks and starting quarterback Bryce Young threw for five touchdowns and 313 yards for the Tide’s fourth straight win.

#2 The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-2) blew out the North Carolina Tar Heels (2-2). The Jackets came right out in the second quarter with 14 points in the third quarter and 18 points. In the third quarter for a 45-22 win. Jackets quarterback Jeff Sims 10-13, 112 yards and one touchdown.

#3 The Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1) blew out the Akron Zips (1-3) at Ohio State Saturday 59-7. The Buckeyes led at the half and never looked back 38-7. The Zips only score was in the first quarter. Ohio State starting Kyle McCord quarterback threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns.

Michelle’s Final Thoughts

Join Michelle for the NCAA Football podcasts each Sunday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants sweep Rockies at Coors Field 6-2; Belt hand injured had to leave game

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San Francisco Giants Brandon Belt hurt his hand when hit by a pitch in the seventh inning by Colorado Rockies reliever Lucas Gilbreath at Coors Field in Denver on Sun Sep 26, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

Once again, there was late innings heroics for the San Francisco Giants and this time it was Tommy La Stella who came up with the big hit.

La Stella came off the bench and picked up a pinch-hit single that scored Steven Duggar with the eventual game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning, as the Giants completed a three-game sweep with a 6-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

With the victory, the lead for the Giants stayed at two games with six games to go over the Los Angeles Dodgers and the magic number for the Giants to clinch the National League West is five.

This was the second time this season and in the month of September that the Rockies were swept at home, and it is the longest such streak by the Giants at Coors Field since the facility was opened in 1995.

The Giants won seven in a row at old Mile High Stadium, from May 11, 1993 until June 23, 1994 and the Giants ended the season with a 15-4 record against the Rockies in 2021, tying the record for the most wins in a season against an opponent, as they went 15-3 versus the Houston Astros in 1965.

Brandon Belt was forced to leave the game in the top of the seventh inning, when he was on the left thumb on a 93 mile per hour fastball thrown by Rockies reliever Lucas Gilbreath.

After Belt was checked out by Giants trainer Dave Groeschner and manager Gabe Kapler, he went to first base and was eventually replaced by Flores when the Giants returned to the field in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Flores committed a huge fielding error in the bottom of the seventh inning off the bat of Sam Hilliard that sent C.J. Cron to second base. With Cron and Hilliard on bases, Zack Littell committed a balk and then Elias Diaz reached on a ground ball that was overturned on a ball fielded by Donovan Solano that allowed Cron to score the tying run.

Cron scored the Rockies first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, as he hit his 28th home run of the season.

Following the La Stella single, Brandon Crawford broke the game wide open, when he hit an opposite field three-run home run just out of the reach of Raimel Tapia in left field to lengthen the lead up to 6-2.

Crawford gave the Giants an early 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning, as he drove in a run when he grounded out to score La Monte Wade, Jr., from third base.

Denver-area native Kevin Gausman pitched the first six innings for the Giants, as he allowed just one run on three hits, not allowing a walk and struck out 11 and was in line for the win until Cron scored the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning and ended up with a no-decision.

Jose Alvarez, Littell, Doval and Kervin Castro came on to finish the game for the Giants, who raised their record to 102-54 on the season.

Doval pitched the eighth inning and struck out the side to pick up his fifth win of the season against just one loss.

NOTES: Belt is the first Giants player with at least 29 home runs in a season since Barry Bonds hit 45 in 2004…he’s also the first Giants first baseman to hit at least 29 since Will Clark did so in 1991 and Clark is the last Giants first baseman to hit at least 30 homers (35 in 1987).

The Giants ended the road portion of their schedule with a record of 53-28 (.654), tying the 1993 team for the second-most road wins in team history and only trailing the 1912 New York Giants, who won 54 road games.

UP NEXT: After an off-day on Monday, the Giants begin a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Oracle Park.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: Garoppolo, 49ers knows lots riding on week 3 vs. Rogers and Packers

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Jimmy Garoppolo San Francisco 49ers quarterback is hoping to keep it going for a third win as they meet the visiting Green Bay Packers on Sun Sep 26, 2021 at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara (West Hawaii Today file photo)

On the 49ers podcast with J Hawkes :

#1 Joe, The anticipated show coming to Levi Stadium on Sunday with the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers with Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers and the 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be a test and a show stopper on Sunday.

#2 Rogers whose the superior of the two quarterbacks going on Sunday was one that the Packers had lure back into the fold as Rogers was prepared to go shopping for a new team but Rogers out of dedication to the Packers organization signed on for another season.

#3 Rogers certainly too a lot of criticism after the Packers got crushed by the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome 38-3 during week 1. Rogers just was off missing receivers and the Saints line was in his face all day long.

#4 Last week the Packers won in week 2 against the Detroit Lions 35-17 and got to .500 at 1-1 Rogers under certain show much better improvement including getting more time to throw with a line going 22 for 27 with 255 yards and four touchdowns.

#5 For Jimmy G he’s led San Francisco with two wins in the first two wins of the season with a week 1 win over the Lions 41-33 and a six point win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the city of brotherly love Philadelphia 17-11 to go up 2-0. Garoppolo’s line against the Eagles 22-30 for 189 yards and a touchdown.

Join J Hawkes Sunday mornings for the 49ers podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com