Month: June 2024

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Mavericks-Celtics battle in game 1 Finals tonight; Giants Snell out again with groin injury; plus more news

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Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is all smile at the post game conference following the Mavericks win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in game 5 of the Western Conference Finals in Minneapolis on Thu May 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 The Boston Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks in game 1 of the NBA Finals. One of the advantages that the Celtics have opening up these Finals is that they home court advantage and have two top star shooters in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

#2 The Mavericks in their own right have Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both who scored 36 points each against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game 5 on Thursday to advance to the Finals.

#3 How often would you expect that a two time Cy Young winner in San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell who started with his new team to go out twice with a groin injury. Snell when he does make a start had been lit up and has a 0-3 record and a large ERA at 9.51.

#4 The last player to be suspended for life in baseball was former Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose now baseball is cracking down again suspending four players and giving a lifetime ban to San Diego Padres minor league infielder Tucupita Marcana for making 387 bets totaling $150,000.

#5 Jessica, the NHL Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. The Oilers took out the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals 4-2 and the Panthers took out the New York Rangers 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. What’s your take as the Oilers and Panthers face off on Saturday night?

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

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants open 3 game series in Texas Friday night

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Erik Miller (68) deals against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the bottom of the sixth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Wed Jun 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Michael, the San Francisco Giants Wilmer Flores was key in the Giants 8-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Wednesday afternoon. Flores helped out with a third inning grand slam.

#2 The Giants who snapped their six game losing streak got a rally going with six runs for a 9-3 win. The run production came through to conclude the three game series for the Giants.

#3 The Giants also got a home run from Heliot Ramos in the third inning off Diamondbacks pitcher Jordan Montgomery.

#4 Ramos found six ways to get on base with two hits and four walks, Flores got his first home run in 50 games so needless to say Giants manager Bob Melvin had faith in Flores.

#5 The Giants are headed for Texas for a three game series starting Friday night. They’ll start RHP Logan Webb (4-5, ERA 2.95) for the Rangers Michael Lorenzen (3-3, ERA 2.96) 5:05pm PT first pitch.

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

A’s get the pitching; Estes perfect ball into the 7th; Miller shuts door on Mariners in 2-1 win

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Oakland A’s Joey Estes throws here in the top of the first inning against the Seattle Mariners. Estes had a perfect game going into the sixth inning until the M’s JP Crawford hit a double to break it up at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Jun 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

Seattle (35-28). 000 000 001. 1. 4. 2

Athletics (25-28). 001 010 00x. 2. 5. 0

Time: 2:14

Attendance: 9,735

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–This decidedly non-Oaklandishly warm evening promised a slug fest. Instead we got a beautiful pitchers duel, fron which the Athletics, who had lost five of their last six games, emerged victorious by the slimmest of margins, 2-1.

When the A’s first submitted their lineup to MLB they named Luis Medina as their starting pitcher. Between then and game time Joey Estes , a right hander who had a 1-1, 5.50 mark in four games, all as a starter, against the M’s, had taken his place.

Estes is somewhat of a Mariners specialist; those four starts represent 56% of his major league career total. The 22 year old came to work with a season record of 1-1, 6.10. His work this evening was outstanding. He was perfect and went home with the win, which improved his numbers to 2-1, 4.67. He threw 6-1/3 innings and allowed exactly one hit. 58 of his 78 deliveries were strikes, and struck out five Mariners.

On the hump for the Mariners was Logan Gilbert, their first round draft choice (14th overall) in the 2018 draft. You could see why no one on the Seattle staff started more games in 2023 than he did. The 27 year old righty pitched seven innings of five hit baseball, allowing two runs, only one of which was earned, striking out five and not walking anyone. One of the five hits against him, however, was a home run. The tough loss left him 3-4, 3.12. The crew from Puget Sound used one other hurler. Mike Bauman pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth.

Neither team put a man on base until Zack Gelof broke the ice with one down in the bottom of the third. He smacked Gilbert’s first pitch four seamer 399 feet into the seats, over the State Farm advertisement in right field. It gave the A’s second baseman 13 RBI for the year.

The A’s picked up another run in the bottom of the fifth. It was unearned, but that doesn’t mean that Gilbert was faultless. With Daz Cameron on first with a one out single, Gilbert tried to pick him off. His throw went past first baseman Ty France, and Cameron scampered to third. He didn’t stay there long. With Gelof, the next hitter, at bat, catcher Clal Raleigh couldn’t handle a low pitch, and Cameron scored on the resultant passed ball.

Estes was impenetrable for 70 pitches over six frames. JP Crawford’s first pitch leadoff double in the seventh broke the spell. Estes got one more out and gave way to Austin Adams, who walked Julio Rodríguez, got Raleigh to fly out to center, and hit France with a pitch to load the bases. That was it for Adams. In came TJ McFarland who got pinch hitter Mitch Garver to ground out to short on a 3-2 pitch.

The top of the eighth was a hairy inning for the A’s. Seattle’s first two batters, Mitch Haniger and Dominic Canzone, singled off TJ McFarland, who’d taken over mound duties for the green and gold. McFarland then fanned Moore and gave way to Mason Miller, who got Crawford out on a fly to left center and Rojas on a grounder to Gelof.

The once invincible Miller came out in the ninth to attempt a five out save. He went to a full count on the first batter, Rodríguez and then threw him a 102 mph four seam fastball. The Mariners’ center fielder sent the ball to center field, over the fence for a 402 foot home run, his fifth round tripper of the season.

The A’s lead had dwindled to 2-1. But Miller recovered and, after walking Raleigh, struck out France and got Victor Robles, who had replaced Garver, to ground into a game ending 6-4-3 twin killing. It was Miller’s 12th save in 13 opportunities.

Thursday the sixth, JP Sears (4-4, 4.01) will go for the A’s. (Unless, Mark Kotsay makes another inspired last minute decision). He’ll face Bryan Woo (2-0, 13). The first pitch is scheduled for 12:37.

Aces Deny Wings Surge Winning in Fourth Quarter 95-81; Vegas’s Wilson makes WNBA history first to score 35 pts, 10 rebounds, with 5 steals in single game

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Las Vegas Aces A’ja Wilson looks like she’s taking the ball over the goal line but fell with the ball. Wilson set a WNBA record scoring 25 pts, 10 rebounds, and 5 rebounds a first by a player in WNBA history against the Dallas Wings at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Wed Jun 5, 2024 (AP photo)

By Barbara Mason

las Vegas Aces (4-2) A’ja Wilson put up huge numbers Wednesday night against the Dallas Wings (4-3). She has been a force for years and continues to improve year after year. She finished with 36 points and 12 rebounds. The Wings challenged at times getting as close as three points in the third quarter but Las Vegas responded every time. The newly signed Tiffany Hayes had a terrific game off the bench with 11 points.

Game recap: Las Vegas got a quick start leading after the first ten minutes of play 29-16. The Wings were a bit slow to start but more then made up for it in the second quarter. As the first half wound down, the Wings had outscored the Aces 23-10 in a great run.

They had trailed by as much as 20 points in the quarter and had mounted an amazing comeback. At the half the Aces lead had been cut to five points 47-42. Dallas had won the second quarter 26-18.

A’ja Wilson had a terrific first half finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Kelsey Plum had also scored in double digits with 13 points. Las Vegas would have to dig deep to get past a tenacious Wings who had really turned this game around in their favor.

The Wings had three players in double digits after the first two quarters. The incomparable Arike Ogunbowale finished the half with 16 points, Maddy Siegrist had scored 10 points and Teaira McCowan also had 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Las Vegas had their work cut out for them going into the second half. They had let Dallas back in this game and they needed to shut them down and take away any momentum the Wings had built up in the second quarter. The second quarter was also extremely physical and more of the same would no doubt persist into the third quarter.

The Wings kept pace with the Aces throughout the third quarter but were unable to take the lead. They trailed early by only three points but the Aces pushed back taking as much as a ten point lead.

With two minutes left in the third the Aces were hanging onto a 63-59 lead. After three quarters Las Vegas had pushed their lead to 75-61. A’ja Wilson had scored 30 points going into the final quarter. The Aces were shooting 51.9 % while the Wings had shot 32.1 % through three quarters.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, the Aces had built a an 80-63 lead. Missed shots as well as turnovers were really hurting the Wings cause. Dallas challenged Las Vegas at times but the Aces responded every time. Las Vegas simply outplayed the Wings winning this game 95-81 for a 5-2 record. The second half of this game was all Aces.

A’ja Wilson finished this game with 36 points and 14 rebounds. Kelsey Plum had 20 points and Jackie Young shot for 19 points. Alysha Clark also had a solid game with nine points. Tiffany Hayes played a terrific game off the bench with 11 points and six rebounds.

The former Connecticut Sun and Atlanta Dream star came out of retirement signing with the Aces last Friday. This fiery competitor will add another dimension to the powerhouse Aces.

Game notes: Wednesday night the Aces took on the Wings at College Park Center in a Commissioner’s Cup matchup. This is the first time the two teams have met since Las Vegas beat the Wings in three-straight games in the 2023 semi-finals. The Aces have not played since last Friday losing to the Dream in a close game 78-74.

The Wings lost to the Lynx last Sunday 87-76 for their second loss in a row. Both teams will be looking to get back on the winning track. Wednesday night the two top scorers in the WNBA A’Ja Wilson for Las Vegas and Arike Ogunbowale for Dallas met.

Wilson finsished with 36 points and Ogunbowale with 31. Dallas is down two starters and Ogunbowale carried the load for her team. Despite still being without Chelsea Gray, the Aces still have the highest scoring and most efficient offenses in the league thanks to A’ja Wilson who gets better and better every season.

Las Vegas will be back home at Michelob ULTRA Arena for a matchup with the Seattle Storm Friday night. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Melvin motivates and six-run third inning leads Giants to much needed 9-3 win to snap six-game losing streak

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San Francisco Giants Wilmer Flores salutes after getting a single in the top of the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Wed Jun 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Chase Field

Phoenix, Arizona

San Francisco Giants 9 (30-33)

Arizona Diamondbacks 3 (29-33)

Win: Sean Hjelle (3-1)

Loss: Jordan Montgomery (3-4)

Time: 3:30

Attendance: 24,178

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants finally snapped their six-game losing streak, and the offense finally came back to life, as a six-run third inning, capped off by a grand slam by Wilmer Flores carried the Giants to a 9-3 win over the Diamondbacks to salvage a game in Phoenix on Wednesday.

The Giants weathered some massive blows, and they won 10 of 12 to get to a season-high two games over .500 at 29-27. However, they have since taken a couple more blows, and have fallen back on hard times with a brutal six-game losing streak.

The Giants were three outs away from salvaging a game in their three-game series against the white-hot New York Yankees on Sunday, but the Yankees scored four runs off Camilo Doval in the top of the ninth inning to sweep them.

The Giants then lost the first two games of their three game series in the Sonoran Desert against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They lost on a walk-off home run by Pavin Smith on Monday, and then they lost again last night and just seemed lifeless and out of it.

Manager Bob Melvin aired out his frustrations with the team in the clubhouse following last night’s game, and today, the Giants desperately needed a win. There was no other way to say it.

The Giants would turn to Jordan Hicks, who President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi has successfully converted from a reliever to a starter. Hicks came into Wednesday’s game 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 12 starts, and the Giants would need another solid start from him Wednesday afternoon.

The veteran left-hander, Jordan Montgomery would make the start for Arizona, and the Giants had him on the ropes in the top of the first inning. Heliot Ramos walked with one out, and Thairo Estrada lined a base-hit to left field to put runners at first and second.

However, it would be another wasted opportunity for the Giants. Matt Chapman grounded out softly to first base, and Jorge Soler struck out swinging, as the Giants once again came up empty handed.

Hicks also ran into trouble in the bottom of the first. Corbin Carroll singled to right to get things started, and he advanced to second when Hicks used three disengagements with Blaze Alexander at the plate. Hicks then struck Alexander out swinging, and he also struck Joc Pederson out looking.

Hicks was looking to get out of it without any damage, but Lourdes Gurriel lined a single to left to knock in Carroll and put Arizona on the board first.

Both teams went down scoreless in the second, and the Giants looked to finally break through in the top of the third. Austin Slater, who was activated off the 10-Day Injured List prior to the game, led off the inning and did what he does best, and that’s line a base-hit the other way to right. Heliot Ramos then stayed hot and hit a towering two-run home run to left-center, his fifth home run of the season, to give the Giants their first lead of the series.

The Giants were just getting started off Montgomery. Estrada lined a base-hit to left, and Chapman walked. Soler singled on a soft ground ball to center, as Estrada was held at third, and that meant the bases would be loaded for Wilmer Flores. Flores hit a grand slam to left, and suddenly the Giants’ offense had woken up to score six runs in the top of the third, as they led it 6-1.

The Giants were looking to keep going. Mike Yastrzemski grounded a single up the middle, and Montgomery’s day was done after just two-plus innings.

Logan Allen was the new pitcher for Arizona, and he immediately walked Tyler Fitzgerald to put runners at first and second with still nobody out. Curt Casali, who got the start behind the plate Wednesday, flew out to left for the first out.

The Giants had now batted around, as Slater came back to plate after leading off the inning with a base-hit. With Slater up, Yastrzemski and Fitzgerald executed a double steal of second and third, but Slater struck out swinging for the second out. Ramos walked to load the bases, but Estrada grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hicks had to sit for awhile, and he ran into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the third. Alexander started off the inning with an infield hit, and Gurriel walked with one out. Hicks was then able to settle down, and he struck Pavin Smith and Eugenio Suarez out, both looking, to end the inning.

Allen pitched a scoreless top of the fourth, and Hicks ran into more trouble in the bottom of the fourth. Jake McCarthy walked to start the inning, and Kevin Newman singled him over to second.

Catcher Tucker Barnhart tried to lay down a bunt, but he popped it back to Hicks. Hicks then struck Carroll out swinging for the second out, but Alexander reached on an infield hit up the middle to load the bases.

Hicks thought he had struck out Joc Pederson to end the inning on a 3-2 slider that nicked the outside corner, but Home Plate Umpire Chris Guccione called it ball four, and McCarthy scored to make it 6-2. Hicks had been getting pinched by Guccione throughout the day, and that helped drive his pitch count up to 92 pitches.

As a result, Hicks was done after three and two thirds innings. Hicks had a bloated pitch count, but he still received praise from his manager, Bob Melvin, when he got back to the dugout. Sean Hjelle came in for Hicks and got Gurriel to ground out to end the inning.

Allen pitched a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, and Smith made it a 6-3 game with a home run to right to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Hjelle then retired the side to send the game to the sixth.

The Giants looked to add on against Allen in the top of the sixth. Ramos led off the inning with a base-hit to left for his second hit of the day. Estrada reached on an error, and Chapman walked to load the bases.

Yastrzemski thought he had walked to knock in a run with two outs, but Guccione called it a strike. After Yastrzemski flew out to left to end the inning, he had a few choice words for Guccione, and Melvin tore into Guccione, but the cool and collective veteran umpire kept both Yastrzemski and Melvin in the game.

“You know what, that’s a hard time to call for an umpire,” said Melvin. “I went and told [Guccione] that afterwards. It really is. It’s excruciating to have to call a game like that [with] so many really really close pitches at the bottom of the zone. I’m very understanding of that, but you know, you’re trying to stand up for your team. I appreciate him keeping me in the game. I’m shocked I was still in the game after that play, so I thanked him for that.”

Bryce Jarvis came in for Allen, and just as soon as the Giants’ offense had finally awakened, they just as quickly reverted back to their old ways. Jarvis retired the side in order, and the Giants wasted a bases-loaded, no-out golden opportunity.

Left-handed flame thrower Erik Miller pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth, and the Giants wasted another opportunity against Jarvis in the top of the seventh. Ryan Walker came in and pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh for the Giants. Jorge Soler hit an absolute bomb to left off Brandon Hughes with one out in the top of the eighth to make it 7-3.

Submariner Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth, and the Giants added on two more runs in the top of the ninth to open it up to 9-3. Thairo Estrada knocked in Michael Conforto with a double high off the wall in left-center with nobody out, and Wilmer Flores, who was up with the bases loaded for the third time today, knocked in Heliot Ramos with a sacrifice fly to right.

The Diamondbacks got two runners on against Randy Rodriguez in the bottom of the ninth, but Rodriguez closed it out to end it.

Sean Hjelle, who came in for Hicks in the bottom of the fourth, got the win, and Jordan Montgomery took the loss.

Bob Melvin’s message after Tuesday night’s game certainly worked, as the Giants looked like a completely different team. The Giants have finally snapped their six-game losing streak, and they improve to 30-33 on the year.

“It had nothing to do with me,” Melvin humbly said. “We just had good at-bats today.”

Now, the Giants will head to Arlington, Texas for a day off Thursday and the second leg of this all-2023 World Series road trip to take on former Giants Manager Bruce Bochy and the Defending World Champion Texas Rangers for a three-game series starting on Friday.

For Friday night Giants’ ace Logan Webb (4-5, ERA 2.95) will be on the mound. The Rangers will start Michael Lorenzen (3-3, ERA 2.96) First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. in Arlington, and 5:05 p.m. back home in San Francisco.

Giants News and Notes:

Heliot Ramos had himself quite a day, as he went 2-for-2 with two runs and four walks. He also became the fifth San Francisco Giants’ number-two hitter to reach base six times in one game.

“I’m just staying with my pitch [and] trying to attack the right pitch and make the right decision,” said Ramos. “It was really tough [to take those four walks], because I like swinging the bat.”

“He’s just so balanced,” said Manager Bob Melvin. “Every take, every swing, he’s completely locked in. I mean who walks four times, especially when you’re hitting like he is? You want to swing…..It’s really cool to watch, because he’s such a good kid. It’s been kind of a hard road for him to get here, and he’s taking full advantage of it.”

Austin Slater was of course activated off the 10-Day IL prior to today’s game. Luis Matos, who has considerably cooled off since winning the National League Player of the Week Award with his historic 16-RBI performance from May 13-19, was sent back down to Triple-A Sacramento.

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Messenburg: A’s fall short in ninth edged by M’s 4-3 at Coliseum

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Oakland A’s Abraham Toro whacks an RBI single against the Seattle Mariners in the bottom of the third inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Jun 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Augie:

#1 Augie, the Seattle Mariners pitcher George Kirby had nine strikeouts in five innings picking up his first win in a month. It was a long wait but Kirby pitched well enough to hold back the Oakland A’s 4-3 for the win.

#2 The Mariners got enough offense to pull it off with three hits from Josh Rojas and Ty France picked up two hits and an RBI for two runs.

#3 The Oakland A’s Abraham Toro hit an RBI single and JJ Bleday had a good night at the plate with two hit singles in their best efforts to strike back at the Mariners.

#4 A’s manager Mark Kotsay said that the Mariners are one of the better pitching staffs in the American League. All things considered Kotsay felt they fought back but just couldn’t get the tying run around in the ninth.

#5 The Mariners will start RHP Logan Gilbert (3-3, ERA 3.29) and for the A’s RHP Joey Estes (1-1, ERA 6.10). The A’s are getting the pitching but once again they need to get some run production going.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor and MLB analyst at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a reporter at 1080 KWAI Honolulu

NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Len Shapiro: Oilers-Panthers face off in game 1 on Saturday in Florida

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Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13), right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (10), defenseman Brandon Montour (second from right), and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) celebrate winning game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals at Sunrise FL on Tue Jun 4, 2024. The Panthers host the Edmonton Oilers in game 1 of the NHL Finals Sat Jun 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Len, talk about how the NHL scheduling went for these Finals and why the wait all the way until Saturday for the first game.

#2 The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers face off on Saturday for game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers are up for the task as they got huge help from center Connor McDavid who has five goals in post season so far.

#3 Oilers center Leon Draisaitl also is supplying some great offense with ten goals the Oilers wouldn’t be where they are without his help.

#4 Zach Hyman leads the Oilers in goals for the playoffs with 14 goals. Len would you say Hyman was one of the keys for the Oilers to beat the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals?

#5 The Florida Panthers took out the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals 4-2. The Panthers just got by in game 6 with a 2-1 win. The Panthers certainly can rely on their goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky whose been a stopper between the pipes.

#6 Len, talk about the Panther center Carter Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with goals scored in the post season with nine. Verhaeghe has been key for the Panthers in getting them here.

Len Shapiro does the NHL Finals podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Wheelers roll over Ballers 9-3 in inaugural home opener at Raimondi Park

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The Yolo High Wheelers and Oakland Ballers played in the inaugural home opener at Raimondi Park in West Oakland on Tue Jun 4 2024 (photo by Gail Rubman Sports Radio Service)

Yolo High Wheelers (6-4) 010 002 222 9 10 0

Oakland Ballers (7-6) 200 000 001 3 5 1

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

WEST OAKLAND–4,100 fans filled Raimondi Park this evening to see the Oakland Ballers fall, 9-3, the Yolo High Wheelers, the other new entry in the Pioneer Baseball League, in the Ballers’ home, and I mean home opener. The A’s barely outdrew the B’s with 5624 at the Coliseum on the same night.

The game was crisp and close, with the Ballers leading 2-1 in the early innings 2-1, but baserunning mistakes prevented them from adding to their advantage, and the High Wheelers tacked on two runs in each of the four final frames to roll over their hosts in what had become somewhat of a farce.

Dondrei Hubbard’s two run homer to left center with Payton Harden on base put Oakland on top in the first. Yolo countered that in their half of the second when B’s starter Derrick Cherry granted back to back walks to Sam Kuchinski and Braedon Blackford, both of whom were singled home by Kirkland Banks.

Things started to go haywire for the home team in their half of the third. High Wheeler starter Cameron Repetti surrendered a one out walk to Austin Davis. Repetti then threw to first in a pick off attempt. Davis was caught in a run down from which it seemed impossible to escape, especially when first base umpire Ron Adams called him out for running out of the baseline.

Manager Micah Franklin contested the call, which came before the play had been completed. The umpires conferred and ruled that there was no play and that Davis could return to first safely.

The pickoff attempt had been Repetti’s second in the at bat, a fact he must have forgotten, because he made one more attempt to catch Davis napping. That third interruption constituted a balk, which sent the runner to second. The Ballers couldn’t capitalize on the no play, but its weirdness seemed to change the tone of the game.

By the bottom of the sixth, the B’s were trailing, 3-2, thanks to Sam Kochinsky’s two run four bagger to left center, but Oakland was fighting back. There were runners on first and second. The runner on second was Davis. He took his lead. Repetti turned around and fired the ball to second baseman Bobby Lada.

There was no rundown this time. Davis was well and truly picked off. Myles Jefferson’s single and a base on balls to Noah Martínez were to no avail. The damage couldn’t be undone, and Oakland never came close again.

Things got uglier for the Ballers in Yolo’s half of the eighth. Oakland, already down, 5-2, was on their third pitcher, Jake Dahle, who had followed Abraham de León, who had relieved Cherry. Dahle walked Braedon Blackford and, after fanning Tanner Smith, allowed a single to center. Manager Franklin yanked Dahle and replaced him with Connor Richardson. A wild pitch and a single by Angel Mendoza later, and the High Wheelers were up, 7-2,

Eric Walichuk took the mound as Oakland’s fifth and final pitcher of the night to start off the ninth. He struck out Lada, the first batter he faced. He fanned him on a wild pitch, and the Wheelers second sacker made it to first safely. He didn’t need to steal second; he had a five run lead, but he did. Another reason he didn’t need to pilfer the base was that José Gonzalez sent the ball over the left field fence to make the score 9-2

It hardly mattered that the B’s loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth against Noah Estrella, who came in to mop things up in the last scene of the final act of tonight’s farce. Indeed, he issued three walks and an RBI single to pinch hitter Jaylen Smith. Yolo won handily, 9-3.

The winners had four batters with multi-hit games, González, Kuchinski, Kirkland Banks, and Mendoza, each of which got two hits. Five Ballers got hits, one each for Harden, Jefferson, Hubbard, Trevor Halsema, and Smith.

Repetti was the winning pitcher; he’s now 1-0. De León, who faced four batters in 2/3 of an inning, took the loss and now is 0-1.

There are a few things about the Pioneer Baseball League that may be confusing to those of us who haven’t been following the events in the lower minor leagues. First, there is the league’s name.

If you search for “Pioneer League” or “Pioneer League baseball” on your computer, you’ll find a wealth of information on the Pioneer Baseball League, a youth organization in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, as well as about the PBL, a descendant of the original Pioneer League, founded in 1939.

When minor league baseball suspended operation in 2020 as a response to the Covid pandemic, it was a short season rookie league, which means that it followed the rules of MLB and its subsidiary MiLB. With the reorganization of MiLB in 2021, the PBL became a partner league, affiliated with MLB but not with any of its member teams.

The new circuit describes itself as “a true development league, with players having less than 3 years of professional experience … focused on innovation and experimental rules.” These two terms— three years experience as a pro and experimental rules — invite further clarification.

Appearance in 30 games constitutes a year for position players. For pitchers, it’s seven starts or 18 games played. All professional leagues, no matter where located except the MLB Draft League, the United Shore Professional Baseball League, the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, leagues in the Caribbean Federation (including the Dominican Summer League and Venezuelan Summer League), the Australian Baseball League or any other winter league.

The PBL also allows each member team to name one “Franchise Player.” The requirements for this designation are a minimum of two years’ experience in the PBL the most recent of which was with the team that names him as an FP. There is a one year term limit for franchise players.

Like their teammates, franchise players can be player-coaches. If the franchise player leaves the team through injury or transfer to the majors, the PBL team can request that the league president allow a replacement, a decision to be made at the sole discretion of the president.

The league doesn’t have a zombie runner rule for games tied at the end of nine innings. It has something new and completely different unless you’re a hockey or soccer fan, the knockout inning. It’s a home run derby between designated HR hitters from the two teams. Each HRH has two minutes to hit as many homers as possible.

The reconfigured PBL experimental rules allow designated pinch hitters and designated pinch runners, who can enter a game as a PH or PR and either stay in the lineup or return to the bench for the rest of the game, allowing the player he’s substituted for to remain in the game.

PBL batters, unlike those in other leagues, can appeal the home plate umpire’s call on checked swings. Even the appearance of the playing field in the Pioneer Baseball League may seem strange to newcomers.

The area around second base in which no fielder is allowed to stand before the ball is pitched is marked in chalk on the infield dirt. This area is called the “pie slice.” Interesting enough, the pie slice wasn’t marked off on Raimondi Park’s diamond tonight.

Time clock limits in the PBL can be found at https://www.pioneerleague.com/sports/bsb/2023/releases/20230216krjfqr.

Wednesday, the second of this six game series will start at 6:35. A six game series between the same teams … it sounds like the old PCL.

Diamondbacks score 3 in the third and 4 in the seventh in 8-5 win over Giants at Chase; SF suffers sixth straight loss

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison pitches in the bottom of the first inning against the Arizona Diamondback at Chase Field in Phoenix on Tue Jun 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Chase Field

Phoenix, Arizona

San Francisco Giants 5 (29-33)

Arizona Diamondbacks 8 (29-32)

Win: Kevin Ginkel (4-1)

Loss: Kyle Harrison (4-3)

Save Paul Sewald (6)

Time: 2:59

Attendance: 23,548

By Stephen Ruderman

Make it six in a row for the Giants, as Kyle Harrison had better control, but he still gave up four runners over six innings; and while they showed a little fight later on, the offense was still pretty much shut down in an 8-5 loss to the Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Tuesday night.

The Giants came into Tuesday night losers of five-straight, and they turned to their young left-hander, Kyle Harrison, to be the stopper. It would be a matchup of left-handers, as Arizona went with Blake Walston.

Heliot Ramos, who was coming off a 2-for-4 game with a home run Monday night, was in the leadoff spot tonight and started the game off with a walk. Thairo Estrada, who was back in the lineup, struck out swinging, and Patrick Bailey grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Gabriel Moreno singled on a ground ball to left field with one out in the bottom of the first inning, but like the top of the inning, the three-hitter, in this case, Lourdes Gurriel, grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The Giants threatened in the top of the second. Matt Chapman singled to left, and Michael Conforto walked to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Jorge Soler popped out to second, and Wilmer Flores walked to load the bases.

The Giants were in a prime position to get out to an early lead, but Casey Schmitt struck out on a foul tip, and Luis Matos flew out to left-center to end the inning. The Giants had wasted another opportunity, but Kyle Harrison helped atone for it by throwing a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second.

The top of the third was almost the exact same as the top of the first. Hellot Ramos reached first for free, though this time, it was due to a curve from Walston that awkwardly hit Ramos on the side of his left knee. The fact that the Giants’ trainers were laughing instead of coming out was a sure sign that the 76-MPH curve did not hurt Ramos. Like the top of the first, Estrada was retired for the first out, and Patrick Bailey grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Jake McCarthy grounded one the other way for a base-hit to start the bottom of the third. Blaze Alexander then doubled McCarthy over to third. That brought up Kevin Newman, who lined a base-hit off the glove of third-baseman Matt Chapman that ricocheted into left field. McCarthy and Alexander both scored to give the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead, and Newman moved up to second on the throw from left-fielder Michael Conforto.

Ketel Marte singled Newman over to third, and Moreno knocked him in with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 3-0. Gurriel then grounded into his second double play of the game to end the inning. With that, both teams’ number-three hitters had grounded into double plays.

The Giants looked to get on the board in the top of the fourth, as Chapman doubled to lead off the inning, and he advanced to third on a ground out by Conforto. Soler then knocked in Chapman with a ground out to short. It wasn’t an RBI hit with runners in scoring position, which the Giants have been so-dearly lacking, but it was an RBI, period, with a runner in scoring position. Hey, the Giants were on the board, so they would take it.

Unfortunately for the Giants, their momentum would be short-lived. Christian Walker lined a double to left to start the inning, and he advanced to third when Randal Grichuk reached on an error by shortstop Casey Schmitt. Harrison looked to get out of it unscathed after Walker was thrown out at the plate for the first out, and McCarthy struck out swinging for the second out. However, Alexander knocked in Grichuk with a base-hit to left, and Arizona had their run back, as they led it 4-1.

The Giants were hoping to bounce back in the top of the fifth, and they were in a decent position to do so. Schmitt was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and Ramos walked with one out. Kevin Ginkel came in for Walston and struck Estrada out swinging for the second out. The Giants would then finally get an RBI hit with a runner in scoring position, as Bailey knocked in Schmitt with a soft single to left to make it 4-2.

Harrison settled down with a scoreless bottom of the fifth, and Ginkel retired the first two men he faced in the top of the sixth. Wilmer Flores singled to left, and after Bob Melvin sent up Brett Wisely to pinch-hit for Schmitt, and Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo countered by bringing in left-hander Joe Mantiply. Lovullo’s move paid off, as Wisely grounded out to short to end the inning.

Harrison finished off what was a so-so outing on a good note, as he threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth. Harrison was in much better control, as he didn’t walk anyone in his six innings of work, but he still gave up four runs and eight hits.

“I could be better,” said Harrison. “[I’ve] been working on a lot of stuff with my mechanics. I’m just trying to get back to [being] the version of myself that I’m used to seeing. [It] was a good step forward for me today. [The] velo[city] was there, it felt good. The changeup was there, [and] the slider was there, so [this] was a good [outing] to build on for sure.”

Justin Martinez came in for Arizona in the seventh, and Luis Matos led off the inning with an infield hit. Matos eventually got to third after a ground out and a wild pitch, and Bailey walked with two outs to put runners on the corners. It was up to Matt Chapman, but he stood and stared at a 101-MPH sinker for strike three to end the inning. It was yet another wasted golden opportunity for the offense.

Luke Jackson came in for Harrison in the bottom of the seventh, and things imploded for the Giants. Alexander grounded a single to right and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Newman. Jackson had a chance to get the lead runner at second, but Wisely, who was now in at short, forgot to cover the bag, and Jackson had to settle for the out at first.

Marte walked, and then Moreno floated a base-hit to left to score Alexander and make it 5-2. Gurriel followed that up with a double down the left field line that scored two and opened up Arizona’s lead to 7-2. With two outs, Grichuk knocked in Gurriel with a base-hit to left, and the Diamondbacks had now made it a laugher at 8-2.

Bryce Jarvis came in for Arizona in the top of the eighth, and he set down the first two men he faced. Flores walked with two outs, but he got a couple of sinkers up and in, and he let Ginkel know that he didn’t like it. Perhaps, that might have woken up the Giants.

Wisely also drew a walk, and Mike Yastrzemski pinch-hit for Luis Matos and hooked a three-run home run down the right field line to suddenly but quietly close it back to just a three-run game at 8-5. Yastrzemski, who is one of the veteran leaders for the Giants, quietly rounded the bases, as he hoped to be a spark.

Left-hander Taylor Rogers, who finished the bottom of the seventh, threw a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Lovullo then brought in his closer, Paul Sewald for the ninth.

Estrada was hit by a pitch to start the top of the ninth, but it was an 82-MPH slider that Estrada leaned into with his bulky fastball orange elbow guard. Hey, it was a break for the Giants.

The Giants almost caught another break when Bailey hit a ground ball up the middle that Kevin Newman fielded from short, as when Newman fielded it, instead of taking the sure out at first, he flipped the ball behind his back to the second-baseman, Ketel Marte, to barely get Estrada at second. It was a mentally-boneheaded, but a physically-terrific play by Newman. Sewald then struck Chapman out swinging and struck Conforto out looking to end it.

Kevin Ginkel ended up getting the win, and Kyle Harrison took his third loss of the year, as well as his second-straight. Paul Sewald picked up his sixth save.

The Giants fall back to four games under .500 at 29-33, and they have also now lost six-straight, as things are beginning to spiral. They also looked out of it throughout a lot of the game.

“That was a terrible game by us today,” said a visibly-upset Bob Melvin after the game. “When you’re going through losing streaks, at least you fight. For the most part, we have. That was an awful game. We made it interesting at the end, but [we] didn’t play well…..We had [their] starter on the ropes every inning, [and we] couldn’t cash in. It’s a bad game and a bad stretch by us. We just look like we were running around in quick sand for awhile.”

The Giants will try to snap their losing streak and salvage a game in the finale of this three game series Wednesday afternoon its Jordan vs. Jordan with the Giants RHP Jordan Hicks (4-2, ERA 2.70) going against the Diamondbacks LHP Jordan Montgomery (3-3, ERA 5.48) . First pitch will be at 12:40 p.m.

Giants News and Notes:

Jung-hoo Lee had successful surgery Tuesday to repair his dislocated left shoulder.

Lee dislocated his shoulder after crashing into the unpadded portion of the small right-center field wall at Oracle Park, as he was going for a fly ball in the top of the first inning of the Giants’ game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 12.

Lee’s recovery will take six months, and while he will be out for the remainder of this season, he should be good and ready to go when the Giants report to Spring Training next February.

Robbie Ray gave up a hit and struck out the side in the in the bottom of the first inning for the Giants’ team in the Arizona Complex League in their game against the Mariners’ team in Peoria.

This was Ray’s first appearance against live hitting since undergoing Tommy John surgery on his left elbow on May 3 of last year.

Keaton Winn followed up Ray’s outing, and gave up a run and struck out six over three and two thirds innings. Winn has been on the 15-Day Injured List since leaving his start on May 14 against the Dodgers with a right forearm injury.

MLB News and Notes:

Major League Baseball officially concluded their investigation into the gambling accusations of Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara on Tuesday after Mizuhara pled guilty to bank and tax fraud charges. Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in prison.

Major League Baseball banned infielder Tucupita Marcano for life for betting on his own team’s ganes.

Marcano placed bets for games in October 2022, as well as for games from July to November of last year. He made 387 bets in total, some of which were made involving games of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who Mercano played for last season.

Marcano, who is from Tucupita, Venezuela, played for the San Diego Padres in 2021, and spent 2022 and last season with the Pirates.

Marcano becomes the first player since Pete Rose to be banned from Baseball for placing bets on games.

MLB also suspended four other players for a year for placing bets on major league games.

Those players include pitchers Michael Kelly of the Oakland A’s, Andrew Saalfrank of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Jay Groome of the San Diego Padres, as well as infielder Jose Rodriguez of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Mariners Give A’s double-vision in 4-3 win

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The Seattle Mariners base runner Luke Raley (20) is out while sliding underneath Oakland A’s second baseman Zack Gelof (20) who throws to first base for a top of the fifth inning double play at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Jun 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

The Seattle Mariners presented Manager Scott Servais with a 57th birthday gift Tuesday at the Coliseum, as the Mariners edged Oakland 4-3 before an announced crowd of 5,624.

Seattle held off a ninth-inning rally by the Athletics to improve its record to eight games above .500 (35-27) and raised it’s lead in the American League West to 5 1/2 games.

After a successful 6-1 homestead, the Mariners have won four games in a row and eight of their last nine.

Abraham Toro had a run-scoring single and JJ Bleday collected two base hits for the A’s, who have lost five of their last six games.

In the bottom of the ninth, Seattle reliever Andres Munoz threw a wild pitch that allowed to score. Munoz left the game with a possible injury, and Taylor Saucedo – the Mariners’ sixth pitcher – retired Brent Rooker on a comebacker for the final out and his second save.

The Mariners cracked four doubles off A’s starter Mitch Spence (4-3) in the third inning to build a 3-0 lead.

J.P. Crawford led off the Seattle third with double to right-center, Josh Rojas followed with a two-bagger over the head of A’s right fielder Seth Brown Ty France delivered a two-run double to right-center, and Luke Raley drove in France with the fourth double of the inning.

Rojas led the Seattle attack with three hits, followed by two from Raley. Rojas also drove in a run with an infield single.

Meanwhile, George Kirby (5-5) logged nine strikeouts in five innings for his first win in a month. He allowed two runs on six hits and a walk.

Off the diamond, the Athletics (24-38) transferred right-hander Paul Blackburn to the 60-day injured list (stress reaction – right foot), left-hander Sean Newcomb was reinstated from the 60-day IL, right-hander Vinny Nittoli was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas, and right-hander Aaron Brooks was outright to Las Vegas after being designated for assignment two days ago.

On Wednesday, Logan Gilbert (3-3, 3.29) starts for Seattle and Joey Estes (1-1, 6.10) is on the mound for the A’s.