Month: July 2023

San Francisco Giants preview: Pirates Await Giants in Three Game Series At PNC Park

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Ross Stripling gets the call against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday night as both clubs return to action for the second half of the season on Fri Jul 13, 2023 (file photo from the Toronto Star)

Pirates Await Giants in Three-Game Series

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the San Francisco Giants (49-41) begin their first series after the All-Star break taking on the Pittsburg Pirates (41-49).

San Francisco is coming off a series win over the Colorado Rockies just prior to the All-Star game winning the second and third game of that series.

The Giants remain in third place in the NL West while the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks are tied for first place right now.

Probable pitchers for this game looks to be Ross Stripling 0-2 for the Giants. Right now he has an ERA of 6.37. Rich Hill will take the mound for the Pirates. The 43-year-old has a 7-9 W/L record and a 4.78 ERA.

This game could very well be the start of a close series. Michael Conforto has hit 13 home runs for the Giants this season with a .236 batting average. J.D. Davis is hitting at .277 and has 46 rbi’s to his credit.

The Pirates threat at the plate for the long ball is Jack Suwinski with 19 homeruns and a .235 batting average. Andrew McCutchen has a .268 batting average and is also a home run threat having hit 10 this season.

The Giants spearheaded the NL’s dramatic win in the All-Star game thanks to the pitching effort of Alex Cobb and Camilo Duval’s seventh inning performance. Cobb and Duval hope to continue their winning ways in the second part of the season in their next appearance at the mound.

San Francisco will try to stay on track as they head into the second half of the season with 72 games left. It’s hard to believe that they already have 90 games under their belt. The first part of the season has literally flown by. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PM.

Oakland A’s preview: A’s host Twins open up second half of season at Coliseum Friday night

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Oakland A’s starter Paul Blackburn pitches against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York on Tue Jun 27, 2023. Blackburn is slated to start against the Minnesota Twins on Fri Jun 14, 2023 at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s begin the second half of the 2023 season by hosting the Minnesota Twins for three games starting Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s find themselves with the worst record in all of baseball. They have won 25 games and lost 67.

The team could break the 1962 New York Mets’ record of 120 losses in a season. The A’s have the lowest team batting average in all of baseball. They are 30th in runs scores, 28th in on-base percentage, 30th in slugging, 30th in runs batted in, 30th in hits, and 30th in OPS.

The pitching staff has the highest ERA (6.04) in baseball. The WHIP (walks, hits divided by innings pitched) is 1.56, 30th in baseball. The A’s have committed 92 errors, the most in baseball. They are 28th in fielding. A’s manager Mark Kotsay sends his players out every night, and the players do their best, but the A’s may have to bring up players from the minor leagues and see if they can help the team improve.

Oakland will start a ten-game homestand against the Minnesota Twins Friday night. The Boston Red Sox will follow for three games, and the Houston Astros will play four to conclude the homestand.

The Twins, currently in second place in the AL Central Divison, are 45-46 and 1/2 game behind the Cleveland Guardians. Twins ‘manager Rocco Baldelli will send Kenta Maeda (2-5, 5.18 ERA) to the hill Friday night. The A’s will counter with Paul Blackburn (1-1. 4.86. The Twins’ Pablo Lopez will pitch on Saturday, and Joe Ryan will go on Sunday. The A’s have yet to announce their starters for those two games.

The key players for the Twins are shortstop Carlos Correa, third baseman Donovan Solano, Left Felder Joey Gallo, right fielder Max Kepler, and DH Byron Buxton. Unfortunately for the Twins, Correa, Gallo, Kepler, and Buxton are not having a great season.

After failing to get a long-term contract, Correa, with the Twins, is hitting .225 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs. Gallo is hitting a meager .186. Gallo has blasted 15 dingers and knocked in 28. Kepler is at 2.07 and has 12 home runs and 30 RBIs. Buxton’s average is .208. He is hitting .208 with 15 big flies and 34 RBIs.

Other players to watch are:

  • First baseman Alex Kiriloff.
  • Catcher Christian Vasquez.
  • Second baseman Edouard Julien.
  • Kyle Farmer.

Closer Jhoan Duran has 12 saves so far this year. Griffin Jax is the setup guy. Other relievers include Jovani Moran, Jorge Lopez, Emilio Pagan, Cole Sands, Jordan, Balazovic, and Oliver Ortega. 

The A’s are rested and hope to take two out three from The Twins. The A’s then face the Red Sox for three. Last week the Red Sox swept the A’s at Fenway Park. The Astros have owned the A’s for the last several years. The A’s will have their hands full trying to get wins over the Astros.

The A’s would love to play spoilers and upset the apple carts of the three teams coming to the Coliseum. The A’s have a team full of hungry players that would love to show everyone they can be Major League players. It will be interesting to see if the A’s can get their act together and make strides in becoming a better team.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Ohtani coming to SF would be just as big as Bonds signing

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Alex Cobb San Francisco Giants pitcher (left) said Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani (right) is headed for San Francisco and that could happen as early as the trade deadline this month (USA Today file photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Michael, Giants pitcher Alex Cobb pitched a scoreless inning in the All Star Game for the National League he showed off his wears to the nationally televised audience going an inning with a walk and a strikeout.

#2 The talk of the town coming out of the All Star Game was Cobb speaking with Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani about joining the Giants before this month’s trade deadline. Cobb said, “he’s coming to San Francisco.”

#3 A Ohtani acquisition would be a boon for the Giants after the Carlos Correa and Aaron Judge no goes.

#4 Michael talk about how acquiring Ohtani would help San Francisco in the pitching department they’ve got Cobb and Webb as their top starters this could push the Giants over the top as a World Series contender with Ohtani in the rotation.

#5 The Giants open the second half of the season at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The Bucs are eight games below .500 at 41-49 fourth in the NL Central and 8.5 game off the pace. They lost five of their last ten games. No starters have been announced for Friday. How do you see these two teams matching up.

Join Michael Duca for San Francisco Giants podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Will Thao meeting with Manfred save the A’s from leaving Oakland?

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao with 31 books of documents she presented to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and 30 MLB owners at the MLB All Star Game over the weekend at the Seattle Four Seasons Hotel (@MayorShengThao photo)

On Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Mayor Sheng Thao presented where the deal was between the City of Oakland and the Oakland A’s at the time when A’s owner John Fisher announced a binding deal with Las Vegas. MLB Commissioner gave Thao an hour with other MLB owners at the All Star Game in Seattle. Thao presented documents to the Commissioner and some of the owners showing the A’s were close to getting a deal done at the Oakland waterfront ballpark location.

#2 MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred as well as the other 30 MLB owners documents showing that the City of Oakland was close to making a deal worth well over what the Las Vegas deal was worth and that the City and A’s were just 10% close to getting a deal done.

#3 Thao made it clear to the Manfred and the owners so there was no misunderstanding that the city did have a plan to finance the Howard Terminal ballpark and that document showed what studies and legal avenues were going to be taken to finance and how infrastructure and construction of the ballpark how it all was going to work and it was proposed to the A’s. This presentation by Thao shows the Commissioner and the owners that she is serious about getting a deal done and that the A’s are Oakland’s team.

#4 Manfred who heard it from the fans at the MLB draft at Lumen Field in Seattle (the home of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders) where the draft set up to “Sell the Team” and “Stay in Oakland.” Mayor Thao’s timing also couldn’t have been better to meet with Manfred to present documents showing the City was close to a deal with John Fisher and the A’s.

#5 Oakland A’s fans handed out protest cards asking fans to stand with them chanting “sell the team” during the game. This chant was echoed throughout T Mobile Field during the All Star Game will this protest have any influence on any of the owners to vote no on the A’s Vegas relocation?

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

Cristian Espinoza becomes all time assist leader in Earthquakes history in victory over Seattle 2-0

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Earthquakes. Espinoza poses with his kids as he holds up his 51 assists jersey on July 12th 2023.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- At home the Earthquakes were finally able to snap their five game winless streak over Seattle by a final of 2-0.

Previously Seattle had overcame a one-goal halftime deficit to the Whitecaps to earn a 3-2 victory. Before that match Seattle anytime they had been trailing at halftime had lost all four matches but broke that streak with their victory Saturday.

For the Earthquakes JT Marcinkowski got the start in goal with Daniel receiving a red card last match. While for Seattle they had Stefan Cleveland in net.

San Jose came out in a 3-4-3 formation while Seattle was in a 4-2-3-1.

Early on in the match Seattle controlled most of the possession as Marcinkowski was forced to make a save at only the 7th minute of the match.

Not long after the save on a good counter attack by the Earthquakes Jeremy Ebobisse drew a foul in the penalty area at the 18th minute.

Cristian Espinoza took the penalty and scored driving the ball to the bottom left corner giving San Jose an early 1-0 lead. The goal was Espinoza’s 11th of the season and previously with his goal on Saturday he had become just the 19th Argentinian player to have at least one ten goal season in MLS play.

After the goal the Earthquakes were given another good look on a handball by Seattle player Nouhou Tolo. Ebobisse took the free kick that was just outside of the penalty are but he missed very high over the goal.

At the end of the first half the Earthquakes had seven shots while Seattle registered five. The possession was in favor of Seattle at 60% to 40%.

To start the second half San Jose had some good looks and actually appeared to score just two minutes in but the goal was called off due to being offside.

At the 66th minute the ball was passed out of the box by Espinoza to Miguel Trauco who took the ball out of the air and fired it on goal zipping it past Seattle’s keeper scoring his third goal of the season and making it 2-0. On that goal Espinoza was awarded an assist giving him 51 assists and making him the new all time assist leader in Earthquake’s history.

After the goal Seattle made a couple of substitutions bringing in two midfielders and one attacker.

San Jose wouldn’t make a substitution until the 85th minute at they brought in Tommy Thompson for Jack Skahan. In extra time they also brought in Cameron Cilley who would make his MLS debut.

They were able to hold on to win 2-0 and snap their winless streak of five games bringing them up to fifth in the western conference with 32 points. With this win San Jose has also defeated Seattle for consecutive meetings the first time since 2015 that they have done that.

On top of Espinoza’s milestone Tommy Thompson also played in his 200th match of his career and as seen below the team posed for a photo for both of the milestones.

Photo courtesy of San Jose Earthquakes. The Earthquakes pose for a team photo on July 12th 2023.

“After the kickoff I heard I was the assist leader and it made me feel so happy,” Espinoza said after the game.

San Jose’s next match will be against Portland on the 22nd at 7 p.m at Providence Park.

Roots Avoid Third Loss In A Row With 1-1 Draw Against Memphis

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@oaklandrootssc photo

By Troy Ewers

HAYWARD–At CSU East Bay, the Oakland Roots played their match against Memphis 901 that was rescheduled from earlier in the season and this was an important game for Oakland as they have only scored once in the last four games and were coming off back to back losses where they were unable to score. They were able to score in this match that ended up in a draw on Wednesday night 1-1.

In the first half, the Roots had the sense of urgency to score, with a score by Johnny Rodriguez past the Memphis goalie Bill Hamid, but it was called offside and no goal. The attack didn’t stop for Oakland as they were the first on the board with a goal from a difficult shot by Jeciel Cedeno, assisted by Daniel Barbir in minute 33 putting Oakland up 1-0 and despite this first strike by the Roots, Memphis wasn’t going to let that happen to them again.

In the 61st minute Memphis took advantage of the Roots defensive mistake as 901 forward Laurent Kissiedou scored the equalizer to make the match 1-1. From that point on the Roots went on a flurry of scoring opportunities, but each opportunity was halted and by the final whistle the desperation to score for Oakland was visible and resulted in no change of the score.

A win for Oakland would put them in a position to compete for a playoff spot, but the 1-1 draw leaves them at a complete even record. Next game for the Roots will be on July 15th against Monterey Bay in an away game.

Aces dominate Sparks, 97-78

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By Shawn McCullough

The Aces rolled into the All-Star Break with a commanding 97-78 win over the Sparks in Los Angeles.

“Good way to go into the Break,” said head coach Becky Hammon. “We came out really good in the first half and imposed our will on both ends of the court.”

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 25 points and 12 rebounds, with 23 coming in the first half.

“Our mindset and mental approach every game is locked in,” said Wilson. “We come with so much juice.”

Kelsey Plum scored 21 points including two three-pointers, while guard Chelsea Gray added 16.

With the win, the Aces improved to 19-2 on the season heading into the All-Star Break.

“If we were 2-19, I would say that we are the best team in the league,” said Wilson. “We don’t worry about the record and just compete at a high level.”

The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game will be held in Las Vegas, being the third time since 2019 that the All-Star Game will be held in Sin City.

“It’s a big part of growing the game,” Wilson said about the All-Star Game being in Las Vegas. “Vegas puts the game in the spotlight.”

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

The Aces shot 54.4% from the field.
Las Vegas went nine for 22 from three-point range.
The Sparks won the rebounding battle, 36-34.

Game Starters:

C – 3 Candace Parker
F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 0 Jackie Young
G – 10 Kelsey Plum
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Riquna Williams, Out, Lower Back

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: José Canseco to participate in the Battle for Vegas

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Jose Canseco trying a juice at a Las Vegas promotion will be participating in the Battle for Vegas. Canseco a Las Vegas resident will be involved in the community event. Canseco will joined by members of the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, at the local event. (Las Vegas Review Journal file photo)

By Amaury Pi-González

Ex-A’s star, first 40-40 man in baseball history, World Champion and MVP José Canseco will participate in the Battle for Vegas. In its fourth year, a popular community event that brings members of the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Vegas Raiders, and this year the A’s are joining the local event. The event will take place on July 22 at Las Vegas Aviators Ballpark.

The A’s Community Foundation was added as a sponsor for the Battle for Vegas 2023 charity softball game, which will benefit the Public Education Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters this year. A’s President David Kaval said in a statement according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “As the A’s work toward finalizing relocation to Las Vegas, we are proud and honored to support Reilly Smith and members from Vegas Golden Knights, along with Maxx Crosby and his teammates as they engage in a friendly game of softball at our affiliate team’s ballpark while raising funds for deserving nonprofits.”

The Oakland A’s are getting its community efforts going in Las Vegas ahead of their potential relocation. Commissioner Rob Manfred in Seattle, for the All-Star Game, said that the A’s had begun their relocation efforts, later to be voted by MLB team owners.

Canseco is a resident of Las Vegas, where he owns and operates a popular Car Wash off the strip. Kaval added about the A’s participation in this community event: “We can’t think of a better way to start engaging with the Las Vegas community scene and the charity softball game.” While James Sullivan, co-founder of the Battle for Vegas, said: “We are thrilled to have the A’s Community Foundation as a Battle for Vegas partner.”

Team Reilly includes the NHL Champions Golden Knights Jack Eichel, Adin Hill, Keegan Kolestar, Nicolas Hague, Logan Thompson, and Zach Whitecloud, Shea Theodore, and fan favorite Ryan Reaves. Team Maxx includes Crosby and Raiders Nate Hobbs, AJ Cole, Daniel Carlson, Tre-von Moehrig, and Dylan Parham. The A’s will be represented by Canseco, who will be in both, the game and the home run derby.

This Las Vegas charity event has raised more than $550,000 since 2018 for local nonprofits. Gates open at 5 PM July 22, with the home run derby starting at 6:30 pm and opening pitch for the game at 7:30 PM, all at the A’s Triple-A Affiliate Las Vegas Aviators Stadium.

This year’s competition will benefit the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation, distributing funds to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Southern Nevada, and The Public Education Foundation of Las Vegas.

Note: The Teachers Union and vote in Las Vegas efforts won’t affect A’s ballpark, according to the LVCVA, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for Oakland A’s play by play action on the A’s Spanish radio network on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Samuel ends interview hanging up on CBS Sports Radio show host

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San Francisco 49ers Deebo Samuel in camp last Jul 22, 2022 hung up on CBS Sports radio host Zach Gelb during an interview regarding last year’s NFC Championship loss against the Philadelphia Eagles on Mon Jul 10, 2023 (AP News file photo)

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 David on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio Gelb was asking Deebo Samuel about quarterback Brock Purdy, injuries in the NFC Championship and losing to the Eagles. Samuel hung up on last question on about the 49ers returning back to Philadelphia in December. The media relations person came on and said that it was time for Deebo to head out to practice and the interview was over.

#2 Deebo hung up the phone when asked about losing the NFC Championship and Samuel replied he answered the question already and he stood by what he said.

#3 CBS Sports took a poll and it came up that Brock Purdy has the best chance to win of all unproven quarterbacks in the NFC. Purdy came up the top quarterback out of NFC quarterbacks. Do you think he could get the team back to the NFC Championship?

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts at each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Aces Dismiss Mercury 98-72

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Las Vegas Aces Chelsea Gray (12) gets the player of the game against the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Tue Jul 11, 2023 (@LVAces photo)

Aces Dismiss Mercury 98-72

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Las Vegas Aces (18-2) took on the Phoenix Mercury (4-15) in front of their home crowd at Michelob ULTRA Arena the Aces rolled on the Mercury 98-72.

The first quarter was a close one with the Aces leading after the first ten minutes 26- 22. The Mercury were making their presence known but could they keep it up against the power house Aces?

We got our answer in the second quarter. Las Vegas put a real beat-down on Phoenix winning the quarter 26-12. The Aces led at the half 52-34. The Mercury could not stop the Aces offensively or defensively. Las Vegas had really cleaned up the turnovers and breezed through the first half.

After three quarters the Aces continued to extend their lead winning the third 32-23. They had a 84-57 lead after three quarters.

The Mercury did win the fourth quarter in a low scoring affair 15-14 but they were so far behind the eight ball that it was an exercise in futility. The final was 98-72 and the Aces had their eighteenth win of the season steamrolling yet another team.

Jackie Young had the high for the Aces with 23 points followed by Chelsea Gray 21 points and A’Ja Wilson with 20 points. Las Vegas had great ball protection in this game with only four turnovers as they coasted to another victory. They had led at one point in the second half by 36 points. They had this game well in hand from pretty much start to finish.

Wednesday the Aces will take on the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.