Month: August 2023

Oakland Roots Shut Out Charleston Battery 1-0 To Secure Three Points In The Table

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The Oakland Roots used their heads in this one as they got by the Charleston Battery at Patriots Point Soccer Complex in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina on Fri Aug 4, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Friday, August 4th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Oakland Roots face the Charleston Battery as the Roots try to hold on to their third place standing in the Western Conference at Mount Pleasant, South Carolina -. This is the first time either team has ever played each other in their team histories and the game started with Charleston playing an aggressive style of defense with hard tackles and pressure on the ball the moment it touches a Roots player.

Oakland goaltender Paul Blanchette had the spotlight on him, because he comes into this game top of the league in saves and second in shutouts heading into the weekend.

In the 40th minute, the scoring chances opened up for Oakland off a set piece that developed into a pass from outside the box to Daniel Barbir for a header that hit the back of the net and put the Roots over 1-0.

As the final minutes of the first half wind down the tempers started flaring and a yellow was given to leading scorer Johnny Rodriguez and the final whistle blew with Oakland up 1-0. The second half of this started off slow with both teams taking their time and picking their spots.

Charleston had attacks that scared the Oakland defense, but no one was able to find the net in that first 20 minutes, because Oakland jumped on every chance they had. Players keep getting knocked down by Charleston defenders. It almost feels like a hockey game with how many times Roots players are getting checked.

The duration of the second half was not only a stalemate amongst both offenses, but a test of endurance where a rush would go the distance, but once challenged would be shut down  and possession would change hands.

With nine minutes of stoppage time Johnny Rodriguez goes down with what looked like an ankle injury, but this injury took a lot of time away from Charleston to try to equalize the score. As the final minutes ran off, you can see frustration on the face of Charleston players and that’s due to never capitalizing on the scoring opportunities they had, but Oakland kept them at bay the whole match and then the final whistle blew and Oakland walked away with the win.

Paul Blanchette awarded another shutout and the Roots can exhale knowing that their third place was secure headed into the weekend. The next game for the Roots will be at home against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks and this game will be the only home game of the month for Oakland.

San Francisco Giants day off report: Giants prepare for Bay Bridge Series vs. A’s

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By: Mary Anne

The San Francisco Giants took a much-needed day off after winning three of four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park and seven out of nine at home. Here’s what you need to know.

A Crosstown Rivalry
The Giants (61-49, 2nd NL West) are preparing for the upcoming Bay Bridge Series with the Oakland Athletics (30-80, 5th AL West) at the Oakland Coliseum this weekend. The first game will be on Saturday at 4:07 pm Pacific, while the second will be on Sunday at 1:07 pm Pacific. The starting pitchers for both games are TBD.

Notes
Giants right-handed pitcher Camilo Doval (3-3, 2.47 ERA) made his MLB-leading 33rd save in Thursday’s game against the Diamondbacks.

Giants fans can retweet this tweet to win an Alaska Airlines trip for two as part of the Giants’ Happy Flight Sweepstakes. More information can be found here.

History Matters
The Giants and St. Louis Cardinals will play a regular-season game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

Rickwood Field, the former home of the Negro League’s Birmingham Black Barons, where former Giants star Willie Mays once played, will host these two historic teams on June 20, 2024, at 4:00 pm Pacific on FOX. Rickwood Field’s the oldest professional ballpark in the United States.

The Giants-Cardinals was scheduled around Juneteenth and will include a tribute to Mays, a Birmingham, Ala. native and the oldest living Hall of Famer at 92, and the Negro Leagues. Mays, better known as the Say Hey Kid, played for the Black Barons in 1948 before his professional career with the New York/San Francisco Giants from 1951-52 and 1954-72 and the New York Mets from 1972-73.

Dodgers rout A’s again 8-2 sweep three game series at Chavez Ravine

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The Oakland A’s Tyler Soderstrom (37) goes yard on Los Angeles Dodgers pitching in the top of the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Soderstrom’s home run was one of two A’s runs for Thu Aug 4, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the third time in three nights. The A’s had won two out of three from the Colorado Rockies last weekend and hoped to show the Dodgers that they could compete with the big guys.

The Dodgers, the best team in the NL West, are gunning for their tenth NL West crown in the last eleven seasons. The Dodgers have talent up and down the lineup. Their two big bats, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, performed well against the A’s.

Freeman was unstoppable. Freeman, who hails from Southern California, had two doubles and a home run against the woeful A’s Thursday night. In the series, Freeman had ten hits in fourteen tries. Somehow, the A’s pitching did retire him twice in Thursday’s game. Freeman led the Dodgers to an easy 8-2 win to give the Dodgers a three-game sweep.

The A’s starter J.P.Sears pitched well for his five innings of work. Sears allowed six hits and two runs. He threw 95 pitches in his five innings pitched. The Dodgers starter Julio Urias was better. The Dodger lefty also pitched five innings Thursday night. His line was five innings, three hits, and no runs allowed. Urias won his eighth game this season. 

The Dodgers plated this first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Back-to-back doubles by Kike Hernandez and Miguel Rojas gave the Angelinos an early 1-0 lead. The Dodgers made it 2-0 when they put another run on the board in the third.

With one out, Sears walked Max Muncy. Sears struck out Chris Taylor for the second out. The versatile Kike Hernandez, playing center field Thursday night, worked Sears for a walk. Miguel Rojas then doubled to drive in Muncy. It was Rojas’ second double of the night and second RBI.

The A’s scored a run in the top of the sixth. Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof hit a solo homer just inside the foul pole in left field. For Gelof, it was his fifth dinger of the season. The A’s trailed 2-1 midway through the sixth.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in righty Lucas Erceg to pitch the sixth inning. To say Erceg had a rough outing would be an understatement. The first two hitters he faced, Austin Barnes, and Mookie Betts, singled.

The next hitter was the toughest out in the Dodger lineup, Freeman. To everyone’s surprise in the ballpark, Erceg struck out Freeman for the first out. The next hitter, DH Will Smith, singled to shallow centerfield to drive in Barnes, Betts went to third, and Smith went to second on the throw home.

Second baseman Amed Rosario doubled to right field to drive in Betts and Smith. Ramon Laureano’s throw to third base got by A’s third baseman Jordan Diaz. Rosario advanced to third on the error. David Peralta, pinch-hitting for Muncy, singled to drive in Rosario with the fourth run of the inning to give the Dodgers a 6-1 advantage. 

The A’s rookie Tyler Soderstom, playing first base, blasted his first Major League home run in the eighth to make it a 6-2 game. However, the Dodgers scored twice in their half of the eighth. Freeman led off the eighth with his 22nd homer of the year. Freeman had two doubles earlier in the game, leading all of baseball with 40 doubles. The A’s pitcher, Zach Neal, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Las Vegas, walked Jason Heyward. Taylor doubled to drive in Heyward with the Dodgers’ eighth run. LA wins 8-2.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 30-80. The Dodgers improved to 62-45. The Dodgers lead the Giants by 2 and 1/2 games in the race for the NL West crown.

The hitting star of the game was Freeman. Freeman had three hits Thursday night and ten hits in the series. He raised his batting average to about .339 for the year. He has 22 homers and 40 doubles. He has to be considered a leading candidate for the National League’s Most Valuable Player.

The only bright spots were Gelof and Tyler Soderstom. Each rookie hit a solo home run.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, five hits, and two errors. LA’s line was eight runs, 14 hits, and no errors.

The Dodgers outscored the A’s 25-6 in the series.

The A’s sent pitcher Hogan Harris down to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators. The A’s designated Tyler Wade for assignment.

The A’s are off on Friday. Oakland will host the San Francisco Giants for two games this weekend. A’s fans are planning a reverse boycott for Saturday’s game. The A’s have not announced their pitchers for the weekend series.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: To Call the A’s a “small market team” is a travesty

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From left, lobbyists Alfredo Alonso and John Griffin, Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher, President Dave Kaval and lobbyist Jessica Ferrato inside the Legislature in Carson City on May 31, 2023. (Nevada Independent file photo)

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–For years now I have heard executives and even baseball so called “experts” call the Oakland Athletics a “small market team”. According to the Official US Census in 2020, the Bay Area has a population of over 7 million people in nine counties and 101 cities.

If that is a small market, then I must have been born yesterday on planet Mongo. Major League Baseball generate great part of their overall revenues via Television, that’s where the money is, forget radio. For the past several years, Nielsen has ranked the Bay Area market, the sixth largest TV market in the country. Actually throughout the 1980s and 1990s it had been the fifth largest.

Not everybody that attends A’s games live in Oakland, just like Giants fans are not only those that live in San Francisco. There is a reason we are the “Bay Area”. Leaving Oakland for Las Vegas is indeed leaving a 7 million people market to a market with a population of 640,000.

The Las Vegas media market is #40 in the US; the Oakland-Bay Area is #6. These are the facts. Yes, Las Vegas (according to the Las Vegas Statistics Bureau) is one of the most popular places to travel not only in the US, but in the world. And according to their statistics, the city has approximately 32 million visitors every year.

The Oakland Raiders have been successful as well as the last and current Stanley Cup Champions Las Vegas Golden Knights. In the NFL you play a 17 game season with about half played at home, in the NHL is an 82 game season with 41 games at home.

In MLB is a 162 game season with 81 home games. To sell most games during an 81 game season at home inside a 30,000 seat stadium, you have to sell out most of the time, to make it around 2 million in attendance.

The ‘powers to be’ in Las Vegas are counting with tourism to buy tickets for baseball, but that is a stretch. Good luck with that. However, I can see Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and other fans of big teams that travel well to see their teams for a three day weekend in Las Vegas, where most people go to watch shows and participate in gambling.

It is also a favorite spot for honeymooners. You can still get married at the Elvis Chapel and if it doesn’t that work, drive north to Reno and get a divorce. Finally, and of course, I wanted the Oakland A’s to stay in Oakland where they had won four World Series and were their roots really are.

But if they leave, as it looks today, even with all the thousands of people and reverse boycotts at different parks, including the two games coming this weekend at Oakland against the Giants, that is all nice and entertaining, but in the end I do not think Mr. Fisher is shaking and sweating when and if he seen those demonstrations, because he still owns the team and at the end, with all respect to the people demonstrating, in this country, under our free enterprise system, you cannot force a private citizen to sell if he/she doesn’t want to sell. It is as simple as that.

I have heard all scenarios by now on this debacle, and all I can go by is what is happening, we all live day to day. Some people are speaking like 2028 is just “around the corner”. 2028 is the projected year for when the Oakland A’s become the Las Vegas A’s.

Construction companies, baseball owners, lawmakers in City Halls in different cities and others maybe in the Stock Market as investors usually can plan for five years ahead, but most people I know they cannot tell you where they are going to be five years from today. Can you?

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

Las Vegas Aces report: Riquna Williams restricted to Las Vegas over domestic violence charges

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Las Vegas Aces WNBA basketball player Riquna Williams waits to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. Williams faces felony domestic strangulation, battery and other charges in an alleged attack on her wife. (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Riquna Williams who has been barred from playing with the Las Vegas Aces has been ordered by a Las Vegas judge and justice of the peace Amy Mitchell Williams (no relation) to stay within Clark County and has to wear a GPS device.

Judge Williams and prosecutor John Torre and Williams attorney Brandon Albright in court Wednesday. Williams intends to plead not guilty to the charges of domestic violence according to Albright. Judge Williams told Williams that she cannot leave Clark County and is banned from using alcohol and has to report to detention officials via telephonic check ins. Williams is also not allowed to contact her wife of four years under no circumstances.

Albright spoke with reporters outside the courthouse saying that Williams is, “doing what she can to show the court she’s doing everything right.” Williams was part of the Aces WNBA championship season last year and averaged 6.7 points. Williams who is suffering a back injury could not have played this season besides being already barred from the team.

Amongst the charges against Williams five felony counts of domestic battery by strangulation, domestic violence, coercion by force and assault with a weapon. Williams also faces four domestic violence battery misdemeanor charges. Judge Williams noted that Williams’ wife had moved out of state.

Jerry Feitelberg is a beat writer for the Golden State Warriors at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Bally’s waiting for green light before doing Vegas stadium construction

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Entrance to the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas where old tower of the hotel will be torn down to make room for the A’s new ballpark on nine acres of the property (Nevada Independent photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, talk about the MLB fans now getting behind the movement to try and get John Fisher to sell the Oakland A’s by the “Sell the team” chants. It happened on this last road trip for the A’s in Colorado and in Los Angeles.

#2 Jerry, talk about some of the owners who are not to favorable to relocation and in the A’s case this has to be the biggest protest against a team relocating since the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants coming out west.

#3 Some owners and sources mentioned New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is not too excited about moving a storied team like the A’s to Vegas and playing in a much smaller park in the smallest TV market.

#4 Jerry, a Bally’s executive said there is not a lot of room for error in the design and roofing of the Tropicana ballpark. The A’s have consulted with competing architects who are vying to design a final rendering for the new Vegas ballpark.

#5 Bally’s and the Tropicana said Thursday that everything is on hold until the MLB owners take the relocation vote in November. Although the feeling from Bally’s seems 85% certain that the owners will vote in favor of the new park but their not taking any chances just yet.

Join Jerry for the Oakland A’s podcast heard Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants win close one against Diamondbacks 1-0

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Photo courtesy of San Francisco Giants. Lamonte Wade Jr. and Joc Pederson celebrate Wade’s solo home run.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants closed out their home series against the Diamonbacks with a win by a final of 1-0.

Thursday was a bullpen game for the Giants as Scott Alexander got the start with a 6-1 record and 3.13 ERA. While for the Diamondbacks Brandon Pfaadt started with a 0-4 record and an 8.20 ERA.

The defense got off to a quick start for the orange-and-black as Emmanueal Rivera hit into a double play and Tommy Pham flew out to right field ending the top of the first.

Heading into the second Tristan Beck came onto the mound to pitch for the Giants who going in had a 2-0 record with a 2.94 ERA.

Once again in the top of the third, the Giants gave up a lead hit that they then turned into a double play with this time the culprit being Corbin Carroll.

The first run in this game didn’t come until the fourth inning when Lamonte Wade Jr. launched one over the right field wall giving San Francisco a 1-0 lead. The exit velocity on the home run was 103.2 mph and it flew 396 ft.

Taking over for Beck in the sixth would be Sean Manea who coming in had a 3-3 record with a 5.43 era. Beck unsurprisingly had another solid outing giving up only three hits while striking out three batters.

Manaea’s day however did not last long as he only faced three hitters with the third hitter he faced drawing a walk. Coming in to replace Manaea was Luke Jackson who came in with a 1-0 record and 1.54 ERA.

After Jackson came in Carroll attempted to steal second and on the throw Patrick Bailey and Isan Diaz were not able to connect as the ball rolled to the outfield letting Carroll advance to third. For the orange-and-white that play didn’t end up mattering that much as Rivera flew out to end the inning.

Jackson put on quite the showing in the seventh as he struck out three batters straight preserving the Giants’ one-run lead. In the eighth, Taylor Rogers took over Jackson and got into some trouble as Arizona got two on with only one out.

Rogers was able to deal with the pressure and got Carroll out and then faced Rivera. Rivera then lined one right at Rogers hitting him up high and hard. He fought through the pain though and threw the ball to first to end the inning.

The eighth saw Arizona make their first pitching change of the game as Kevin Ginkel replaced Pfaadt. It was a strong outing for Pfaadt who only gave up two hits struck out seven and walked one hitter.

Ginkel was able to close things down in the eighth meaning Camilo Doval had only a one run as support.

The ninth got off to a good start for Doval who struck out Tommy Pham but then back-to-back singles cranked up the tension in the building. Perdomo then hit into a fielder’s choice in which Casey Schmitt setted for the out at second leaving runners on the corners. Despite the pressure tranquilo Camilo was able to get Jace Peterson to fly out ending the game 1-0.

“We don’t let the at-bats carry over to our defense and I feel like that’s why we play clean defense for the most part,” Lamonte Wade Jr. said after the game.

The Giants have an off day Friday and then play the A’s on Saturday at 4:07 p.m., where they kick off a two-game series in Oakland. No starters have been announced as of yet.

Dodgers cruise to easy 10-1 rout of A’s; Oakland needs win Thursday to prevent sweep

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Los Angeles Dodgers Freddie Freeman (5) congratulates Mookie Betts (51) after Betts hits his 29th home run in the bottom of the second inning against the Oakland A’s at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wed Aug 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Los Angeles Dodgers mauled the Oakland A’s Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium in the Southland. The Dodgers scored early and often in the first two innings to cruise to an easy win over the hapless A’s.

The A’s sent lefty Hogan Harris to the hill to face the potent Dodger offense. The A’s hoped Harris could find a way to dazzle the Dodger hitters. Guess what, fans? Harris ended up throwing batting practice. The Dodgers scored three in the first and four in the second to virtually end the contest.

The Dodger pitchers were confident they could stop the pathetic A’s offense, and the Dodger pitchers did that. They held the A’s to one run and six hits as they blasted Oakland 10-1.

The Dodgers put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Mookie Betts, a former AL MVP with Boston, doubled to get things going for LA. Freddie Freeman, a former NL MVP with the Atlanta Braves, singled to give LA an early 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers’ All-Star catcher Will Smith walked to put men on at first and second with no out. Harris retired Amed Rosario for the first out. Harris walked Max Muncy to load the bases. Chris Taylor reached on an infield single, and Freeman scored the second run. Redwood City’s gift to the Dodgers, James Outman, hit into a fielder’s choice. Will Smith crossed the plate with the game’s third run for LA.

The Dodgers hitters continued to punish Harris. Betts led off the second inning with his 29th home run of the year. Back-to-back-doubles by Freeman and Smith gave the Dodgers a 5-0 lead. The Dodgers’ Rosario hit his first home run as a team member to give Los Angeles a comfortable lead 7-0 after two innings.

The A’s scored their only run of the game in the top of the third. Catcher Shea Langeliers blasted his 11th round-tripper of the season to make it 7-1. The Dodgers’ pitchers held the A’s scoreless the rest of the way.

LA scored one in the third when Miguel Rojas homered. It was Rojas’ first home run this year. LA added one more in the sixth when Jason Heyward homered. Heyward replaced Betts in the fourth inning. Dodger manager Dave Roberts saw Betts double and homer in three trips to the plate in the game’s first three innings. Roberts would replace Freeman shortly after that.

The Dodgers finished the scoring in the seventh. With one out, Outman doubled. Kike Hernandez singled to drive in Outman with LA’s 10th run of the game.

Game Notes: Will the loss, the A’s are now 30-79. The Dodgers improved to 61-45

The line score for Oakland was one run, six hits, and no errors. LA’s line was ten runs, 13 hits, and no errors. Tony Gonsolin was the winning pitcher. Harris took the loss. 

Freeman had three hits in the game. He hit his 37th and 38th double of the year. He leads all of baseball in that department. Freeman has hit safely in his last seven at-bats against the A’s. 

A’s pitcher James Kaprileian underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles. Kaprielian will be out for the rest of the season.

The A’s will conclude the series with the Dodgers Thursday night in LA at 7:10pm PT. It will be a battle of lefties. For Oakland Sears is 2-7 and has a 4.09 ERA. Julio Urias (7-6, 4.98) goes for the Dodgers.

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Roof for A’s new Vegas ballpark gives you two choices, inside and out; Verlander back in the heart of Houston; plus NFL news

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Ex Mets Max Scherzer (left) and Justin Verlander. Scherzer was dealt to the Texas Rangers on Sunday and Verlander went to the Rangers on Tuesday (AP News file photo)

On MLB The Show podcast with Jessica Kwong:

#1 Jessica, the new Las Vegas Tropicana ballpark will feature a translucent roof that will give you some sun but your protected from the outside temperatures which can get well over 100. The Las Vegas A’s were at one time considering a retractable roof but this will be a fix roof and windows can be opened to get the fans some air. The covering set up will be similar to Allegiant Stadium where the Raiders play.

#2 Justin Verlander has found his heart back in the heart of Texas once more getting dealt back to Dusty Baker and the Houston Astros. Verlander who pitched for the Mets this season. Verlander was signed with the Mets for two years worth $86.7 million the Mets will be on the hook for $35 million of Verlander’s salary as he heads to Houston.

#3 Jessica, the Baltimore Orioles (64-41) are jelling they’re 1.5 games in first place in the AL East and have won six of their last ten games. They just recently acquired right hand starting pitcher Jack Flaherty from the St Louis Cardinals to shore up the pitching staff. Flaherty was 7-6 with an ERA 4.43 with St Louis.

#4 The New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rogers says he’s willing to take a $35 million pay cut. Rogers said he was willing to take the pay cut so Jets general manager Joe Douglas could pursue some more talent to shore up the team. Rogers gets $112 million and will get $75 million in guaranteed money for the 2024-25 seasons.

#5 New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said that Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton broke the unwritten code by talking to USA Today about Hackett negatively. Payton said that Hackett’s 15 games with the Broncos last season was one of the worst jobs in the history of the NFL. Payton since has said he was going to call Hackett to apologize but Hackett said Payton never made that call.

Join Jessica for Headline Sports podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants score pair of runs in 6th and 7th to come back in 4-2 win over D-Backs

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Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herrera, right, tags out San Francisco Giants’ Patrick Bailey at home during the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Aug 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

Arizona (57-52). 200 000 000. – 2. 5. 1

San Francisco (60-49). 000 022 00x. – 4 10 1

Time; 2:13

Attendance: 28,956

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Slade Cecconi made his major league debut this evening, starting for the Arizona Diamondbacks in a bid halt their slide from first place in the NL West to the third slot they continue to occupy after their 4-2 defeat by in tonight’s game.

Cecconi, a first round draft pick out of the University of Miami, had gone 4-8, 6.38 with 104 strikeouts in 20 starts for the Reno Aces in 20 in the hitter friendly PCL before his call up yesterday. He made a good first impression.

After walking Michael Conforto, the second batter he faced, the rookie didn’t allow a baserunner until Wilmer Flores banged a double off the four smiling cars in the left field Chevron. advertisement with one out in the fourth. Cecconi worked his way out of that difficulty, but the novelty had worn off.

JD Davis led off the home fifth with a single to left center and scored on Brandon Crawford’s mighty triple to right. Crawford went to third on a single by Isan Díaz. Diaz got wiped out by a double play, but Crawford scored the tying run on Wade’s two bagger to the right field corner.

In all, Cecconi went 4-2/3 innings before being relieved by Tyler Gilbert. The starter allowed two runs, both earned, on four hits and a walk. He delivered 59 pitches, 36 for strikes. His no decision left him with an ERA of 3.86.

The youngster faced an established veteran. Logan Webb, with his slate at 8-9, 3.49 at game time, had won more games for the 2023 Giants than any other hurler on the staff. Tonight, after a weak opening frame , the righty was masterful.

In all, Webb spent seven innings on the hill and allowed two runs, both earned and coming in the first frame. He surrendered four hits and a walk, striking out five. He threw 105 pitches, only 37 of which were balls. He earned the win, improving his record to 9-9, 3.45. Like Cecconi, he got a no decision.

Arizona got off to an early two run lead. Geraldo Perdomo opened the game with a clean single to right and stole second while Ketel Marte was in the process of striking out. Perdomo then moved on to third on a throwing error by last night’s strong and accurately armed hero, Patrick Bailey.

Bailey came home on Corbin Carroll’s ground out to short, which might easily have gone for a hit if it weren’t for a sparkling play by Crawford. An automatic double to left by Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. followed by Jace Peterson’s humpbacked single to center brought Gurriel home with the Rattlesnakes’ second tally.

The Giants tied went ahead with Gilbert still on the mound in the sixth Back to back to back singles by Flores, Pederson, and Bailey clogged the basepaths.

A double to left by Davis plated the first two runners. Scott McGough got the Diamondbacks back to their dugout, retiring Matos after Gilbert had managed to get the second out. San Francisco now was up, 4-2. Gilbert would prove to be the losing pitcher; his record now is 0-2, 4.50.

The seventh inning stretch took an encore when, with Austin Slater, who had pinch hit for Conforto in the fifth at bat, a streaker interrupted the on field action. Needless to say, the intruder was chased, captured, and led off the playing field.

Tyler Rogers, the right hander, pitched a scoreless eighth for SanFrancisco, and lefty Joe Mantiply set the Giants down in order in their half of the inning.

If it’s the top of the ninth at Oracle Park, it must be Camilo Doval on the mound. It was, and he earned his 32nd save by not retiring the side in order.

At 60-49, the Giants now are in second place in the NL West, three games ahead of Arizona and two games behind the Dodgers, who still were playing the A’s when the game here ended.

The four game series winds up, Thursday Aug 3 at 12:45. Arizona has announced Brandon Pfaadt (0-4, 8.20) as their probable pitcher. The Giants haven’t made their announcement yet for a starter.