Month: July 2024

Giants Weekend Notes: The Core Four and the Twins Lineup Shuffle

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–In the voluminous history of Major League Baseball, you don’t wander upon the story of Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt, and Javier Lopez first.

Or second. Or third.

But fourth? Ok, you’re warming up. The Core Four relievers that were readily available to manager Bruce Bochy in the 2014 playoffs and leading to a third World Series title in five years that season have history… together. Real history.

How much history, and how profound is that history?

This from President and CEO of the Giants, Larry Baer, during Saturday’s pre-game ceremony that honored the Core Four:

In the 2010, 2012, and 2014 postseasons, Romo, Casilla, Affeldt, and Lopez combined to allow nine runs in 79 innings pitched for a collective ERA of 1.10.

“We were a band of misfits, and I was just doing my part,” Lopez recalled during the ceremony.

“We’re getting old,” Affeldt said. “But in my mind, we’re always going to be putting on the orange and black.”

For 30 minutes, with Ryan Vogelsong narrating, and Buster Posey providing critical testimony, a ceremony as unlikely as those it honored was all the rage. Why? Because Romo, Affeldt and Lopez are exceptional talkers, all part of NBC Sports Bay Area this season in one capacity or another.

“He came in silky smooth like the night train,” Romo said of Lopez.

Affeldt was asked how he was somehow ready and confident when Bochy summoned him in Game 7 against the Royals… in the second inning with starter Tim Hudson running on empty before his baseball water could even develop a boil.

“‘Tim Hudson is old. He’s going to run out of steam.'” Affeldt said in recalling what Bochy told him prior to that decisive game. Bochy’s words worked; Affeldt recorded seven outs while allowing one hit and one hit batter, and was immediately locked in the second inning. In a decision left to that night’s official scorer, Affeldt was awarded the win in the biggest game of his career. Some dude named Madison Bumgarner would follow Affeldt with a pretty good, five inning stint as well, but Affeldt’s run was the one that caught the attention of the history books.

Posey, armed with numbers he said he culled just minutes before taking the podium, provided the timeline for the Core Four.

Romo arrived first in 2008 and had the longest tenure. His 722 innings pitched for the Giants, included a win in each of the three magical postseasons and microscopic ERA’s in 2012 and 2014. On Saturday, he was in full character, wearing his leather jacket and one of his many t-shirts adorned with his signature phrase, “I just look illegal.”

Casilla, the only one of the four with a profile as a closer, pitched 645 innings for the Giants. He was well-known for his stop-and-go pitch delivery and his meticulous nature on the mound. Posey recalled the occasion on which Casilla shook his catcher seven times before settling for the pitch Posey offered first in the sequence.

Affeldt was the lefty specialist summoned by Boch to get one lefty hitter on numerous occasions. Posey recalled that Affeldt was particularly locked in during an appearance in which his first pitch hit the dirt and then bounced off Posey’s throat.

“He inevitably gets out of the inning, but I had a ruptured Adams Apple,” Posey said, not wanting to be entranced like Affeldt.

Lopez had 451 regular season appearances in his seven seasons with the Giants after he was acquired via trade with the Pirates in 2010. He racked up 533 innings pitched, many of those with Posey catching. Posey said Lopez was always easy and smart with his intellect and wit, a product of his education at the University of Virginia, where he gained a degree in psychology.

“We all competed with each other, we battled with each other, and we also picked each other up. And I think those are the moments that made us great teammates,” Lopez said.

THE TWINS TURN TO VAZQUEZ AND LEE IN AN EMERGENCY INFIELD MAKEOVER

Manager Rocco Baldelli is always pushing. And his team, the Twins, doesn’t mind being pushed.

They finished the first half with a grueling stretch, 16 road contests in a 22-game span. The last two stops–at the White Sox, with four games in three days, then at the Giants for three, after an off-day, but a three-hour plus flight away.

Accordingly, the scheduling gods granted the Twins the longest All-Star break imaginable with five full days off, and a Saturday night resumption to play at home in Minneapolis.

And Baldelli blurted, “We don’t want five days off.”

And Baldelli didn’t want his makeshift infield with catcher Christian Vazquez playing third base for the first time ever, and Brooks Lee in his 10th Major League game at second base, feeling like they were anything less than comfortable.

The manager raved about both saying Vazquez was “not lacking in self-belief to play this game,” and that Brooks was “mesmerzing.” Baldelli didn’t stop there, pointing out that both guys played all nine innings defensively, and Vazquez fielded a bunt.

GM Thad Levine and crew are unlikely to leave the Twins without some options for Sunday’s first half finale, so Vazquez doesn’t have to create magic in back-to-back games. Baldelli hinted at a move, and that turned out to be 26-year old Diego Castillo, who went nine innings in the 3-2 Twins series-defining loss. Castillo played in 96 games for the Pirates in 2022, but only one game for the Diamondbacks in 2023.

Carlos Santana really made Minnesota’s lineup work on Saturday. The 33-year old veteran slugger hit his 314th home run, and completed a nice, tidy set of home runs in all 30 current ballparks. But he wasn’t excited; he’s been doing this stuff for way too long.

“Up and down,” he said. “It’s a long season.”

Carlos Correia–Giants’ fans hyper-focused on high-profile free agent acquisitions remember him–couldn’t go due to a heel contusion. Correia could have signed with the Giants, seemed like he was going to sign, but instead stayed with the Twins, who crafted a massive deal.

Correia wasn’t quite worth the money last season. He hit 18 home runs in 135 games, but struck out 131 times and hit just .230. This season he has been worth the money with a .308 batting average, 13 home runs and just 53 strikeouts in 75 of the Twins 95 games.

NOTES

On April 15, the Giants were 7-10. On May 1, they were 14-17. On May 21, they 23-26, and on June 15, they were 34-37.

And now, with the first half concluded, the Giants are 47-50, and they need a break, and so does everyone else watching this. This team is 40-40 in its last 80 games, and 22-21 in day games after they won on Sunday afternoon.

It’s a lot, and it’s not a lot at all. But the Giants have to figure out what it’s going to be in a really short period of time after the All-Star break. They open with a trip to Colorado for three, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for four, followed by four home games against the Rockies.

Earthquakes fall just short of comeback against Kansas City 2-1

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Earthquakes.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

After picking up only their fourth win of the season the Earthquakes looked to keep the good times rolling against Kansas City on Saturday evening.

The Earthquakes came out in a 3-4-3 with William Yarbrough in between the pipes. On the other side of the field Kansas City started in a 4-2-3-1 with Tim Melia getting the start in goal.

Kansas City was quick to get the upper hand in the match as they had a couple solid looks before the 20-minute mark.

At the 37-minute mark the Earthquakes were given the first yellow of the match as Benjamin Kikanovic was given one for a bad foul.

Only a minute later Sporting KC was handed a yellow with Tim Leibold being given the card for a bad foul as well.

Right before the first half came to a close, Kanas City got the first shot on goal in the match as Alan Pulido was denied by Yarbrough.

The second half of the match gave fans some action early on as at the 48th minute Erik Thommy put Kansas City on the board. It was a breakdown defensively from the Earthquakes but also just a nice move from Thommy who faked the shot made a nice cut and deposited the ball in the net.

With the momentum clearly in their favor Sporting KC struck again at the 57-minute mark as Alan Pulido scored off a beautiful feed from Nemanja Radoja.

The Earthquakes would make some late subs bringing on Jack Skahan and Paul Judd in exchange for Jeremy Ebobisse and Cristian Espinoza.

One of those subs ended up paying off as Skahan got the ball on the rush and passed it into the net off of one of the Kansas City defenders cutting the deficit in half. Khiry Shelton was the defender who the ball went in off of.

Not long after the goal the Earthquakes were given their second yellow of the game as Skahan was given one for a bad foul.

Still down by a goal San Jose was desperately looking to tie the game and they had a great look as Preston Judd got the ball right in the center of the box. Judd unfortunately though spiked the ball wide of the goal and the Earthquakes ended up failing to tie the game.

With the loss San Jose falls to 4-17-2 and Sporting KC moves up to 6-13-5.

The Earthquakes won’t have much time to rest as they take on Houston on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at home.

Panthers explode for 27 points in second half beating Gladiators 50-28

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Photo taken by Titus Wilkinson. Jazer Peterson returns his catch for a touchdown for 22 yards.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The Panthers finished off their home games for the regular season on Saturday evening when they took on the Duke City Gladiators.

After suffering a loss against the Wranglers in their last game the Panthers were looking to bounce back against one of the weaker teams in the league.

The first quarter got off to a quick start for the Gladiators who scored less than a minute in as Hasan Rogers rushed for 24 yards putting them up 7-0.

Later in the quarter the Panthers found themselves in a fourth down situation right at the Gladiators goal line. The Panthers decided to go for it and were rewarded as Daquan Neal connected with JT Stokes making it a 7-7 game.

The score stayed that way until a couple minutes into the second quarter when the Gladiators attempted a lengthy field goal. However Tevaughn Grant had other plans as he blocked the kick into the end zone resulting in a safety securing the Panthers another two points.

Duke City responded quickly as just 20 seconds later Rogers ran in his second touchdown of the game putting the Gladiators up 14-9.

After some stagnant offense Neal made a terrific play as he improvised a quick pitch on over to Shane Simpson who returned it for a touchdown.

Rogers managed to formulate some more offense for the Gladiators as he connected with Tammorio Terry for 15 yards keeping them in the fight.

Right before the first half ended though the Panthers snuck in another touchdown as once again Simpson found himself dancing in the end zone making the score 23-21.

With a somewhat sloppy first half behind them the Panthers came out and played one of their better halves of the season.

It started off with not surprisingly Simpson once again clawing his way into the end zone for seven yards which was then followed up by a touchdown catch from Jazer Peterson.

Now down two possessions Duke City they would respond now with a different quarter back under center as Javin Kilgo had come into the game for Rogers.

Kilgo also managed to find Terry for a 24 yard touchdown while also converting on the two-point attempt making it a 36-28 game.

That excitement did not last long for the Gladiators as on the kickoff return Peterson brought the ball home giving the Panthers their two possession lead back.

In the final quarter there was no scoring until 5:37 when Simpson completed the hat trick with a two yard rushing touchdown.

That score ended up being the final one of the game with score ending at 50-28.

With the win the Panthers move up to 13-3-0 and the Gladiators fall to 2-14-0.

Neal had another solid outing in this one going 12-14 with three touchdown passes and 136 passing yards.

Simpson was the real standout though with three rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown and a combined total of 62 yards on the day.

The Panthers will close out the season on July 20th at 6:05 p.m. when they do battle with the San Diego Strike Force on the road.

Twins Santana homers; Larnach scores insurance run in 4-2 win over Giants at Oracle

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Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Santana (30) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 13, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

By William Espy

SAN FRANCISCO–The San Francisco Giants continued their three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday evening in front of a crowd of 32,518 fans. The Giants defeated the Twins in the first game of the series on Friday, with a final score of 7-1. Saturday the Giants just couldn’t get enough hitting and lost in a two run game to the Twins 4-2 at Oracle Park.

Entering the night, the Giants found themselves three games out of a wild-card spot, while the Twins were looking to hold onto theirs as the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals looked to chase them down. Byron Buxton, who is in the middle of an eight-game hitting streak, was notably out of the lineup for the Twins.

Carlos Correa was scratched last minute as well, meaning the visitors were without two of their key players to start the night. Ryan Jeffers entered the lineup, and the rest of the infield was shifted around for Minnesota to accommodate the change.

Prior to the game, the Giants had a Wall of Fame ceremony for the “Core Four”: Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez, Santiago Casilla, and Sergio Romo. The four relief pitchers were an important part of the Giants’ bullpen when the team won the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

It’s rare to see a group of players given an honor like the Wall of Fame at the same time, but under these circumstances, it seemed clear that the organization had an opportunity to do something special this time and they were ultimately rewarded with a plaque on King Street. In a symbolic passing of the torch, the inductees threw out the ceremonial first pitch to current members of the Giants’ bullpen.

With quite a few franchise legends at the ballpark for this game, there was certainly pressure on the Giants to perform at a high level and given the state of the Twins’ lineup, they had no excuses not to. They have historically been successful against the Twins at Oracle Park, as they had won seven of their last nine home games against them.

It was a battle of young pitchers, as both starters had a combined total of 21 career MLB starts. The Giants’ #4 prospect, Hayden Birdsong made his fourth career MLB start for the home team. Meanwhile, the Twins went with Simeon Woods Richardson who was making his 17th career start, and first appearance against the Giants.

Game recap: Things got off to a rough start for Birdsong, as he hit the Twins’ leadoff hitter Willi Castro to start the night. After two fly-outs to Michael Conforto and a weak ground ball which was handled by Patrick Bailey, Birdsong was able to get through the first inning with no further consequences.

Brett Wisely got the first hit of the night in the bottom of the first, and a two-out single by Bailey put runners on the corners. Oracle Park erupted moments later as fans thought Matt Chapman gave the Giants the lead with a three-run home run, but the ball was just outside of the foul pole and it remained a 0-0 ballgame for the time being. After multiple long foul balls, eventually, Chapman flew out to Castro to end the inning.

Both pitchers were struggling early despite not giving up a run in the first inning. Birdsong’s control was leaving much to be desired, which led to him walking Carlos Santana in the second inning. Meanwhile, Woods Richardson had thrown 22 pitches after just a single inning.

A fantastic diving catch by Mike Yastrzemski in the top of the third inning robbed the Twins of their first hit of the night. After three innings, neither team had registered a run but both had stranded a few batters. Birdsong’s control continued to be an issue as the game progressed though, as in the fourth inning he hit his second batter of the night, this time it was Jeffers.

This ultimately led to the Twins getting on the scoreboard, as a one-out double by Matt Wallner drove Jeffers in. There was also an error on the play by Yastrzemski which allowed Wallner to advance to third, keeping the pressure on Birdsong.

He walked Santana for the second time but seemed to be on the right track after striking out Max Kepler. Unfortunately for the Giants though, that wasn’t the case as a passed ball would allow Wallner to score and make it 2-0 in favor of the visitors. A ground ball to Chapman by Manuel Margot would allow the Giants to get out of trouble.

Heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, Woods Richardson’s pitch count was under control and the Giants were struggling to make solid contact against him. The first two batters in the inning struck out before Conforto drew a walk. Then, the Giants got their spark as a ground-rule double from Wilmer Flores put them both in scoring position for Yastrzemski.

He hit a slow dribbler to the shortstop, who was unable to make a play. As a result, Conforto scored and the Giants reduced the lead to a single run with runners on the corners. They’d be left stranded though, as Thairo Estrada would fly out to left field and end the inning.

The Twins tried to get a rally going in the fifth inning, but they ended up leaving two runners stranded. By the midway point of the inning, there was movement in the Giants bullpen, and rightfully so, as it seemed like Birdsong was running on empty.

Moments later, the Twins followed suit and started warming up some relief pitchers of their own. Soler put pressure on Woods Richardson immediately with a lead-off double. That pressure resulted in a wild pitch during the very next at-bat which allowed Soler to easily advance to third base and now the tying run was just 90 feet away.

Wisely struck out after a lengthy at-bat, but Heliot Ramos brought Soler home with a slow groundball single up the middle. With one out and a runner on, Rocco Baldelli made a call to the bullpen. Cole Sands entered the game in the bottom of the fifth, ending Woods Richardson’s night fairly early. Sands would quickly get out of the inning as Bailey grounded into a double play.

Both starters would receive no decision on the night, as Taylor Rogers would come out to start the sixth inning for the Giants. Rogers struck out the first batter he faced, but the veteran Santana restored Minnesota’s lead with a solo shot to make it 3-2.

The play was put under review and after a lengthy second look, the call was confirmed to the dismay of the fans in attendance. Kepler nearly added a tally of his own with a hard-hit ball that ended up bouncing into McCovey Cove, but this one was called a foul ball which was confirmed after review. Kepler did end up getting on base with a single though.

Rogers wouldn’t last a full inning, as he was pulled for Randy Rodriguez after 31 pitches and only one out. Rodriguez gave up a single to the first batter he faced, Margot, but Vazquez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

After a scoreless top of the seventh inning, the Twins made a pitching change once again to start the bottom of the inning as Jorge Alcala entered the game. The Giants started the eighth inning well with Erik Miller taking over on the mound and getting the first two batters out.

Santana continued to be a spark plug for the Twins though, as he got a single to swing momentum in Minnesota’s favor. Kepler followed suit, getting a single into right field which advanced the runner to third. Margot who was 1-for-3 on the night at this point stepped up with a chance to either extend his team’s lead or he could get his opposition out of trouble. He struck out looking, and the Giants kept the deficit at a single run.

Griffin Jax entered the game for the Twins to start the bottom of the eighth. He struck out Wisely to start the inning and Ramos flew out to right field, giving the Giants two outs very quickly. The next batter, Bailey hit a ball hard into into the gap.

It was nearly a home run but was just short. It ended up being the next best thing though, as his triple put the tying run 90 feet away once again. They’d be unable to capitalize though, as Chapman flew out to right field.

Sean Hjelle entered the game in the top of the ninth to try to keep the Giants deficit at one before their final chance to tie things up. Vazquez got his first hit of the night to start the inning, and Castro followed it up with a single of his own.

Larnach stepped up to the plate with no outs and runners on first and second and got his first hit of the night as well. As fans started prematurely heading for the exit, things had the ability to get disastrous for the home team.

The Twins scored a run on Jeffers’ groundball, but the Giants got a double play as well, which was likely the best-case scenario for them. Brooks Lee walked then leisurely jogged to second base with no opposition. Ultimately, the Giants escaped with minimal damage though as Wallner would strike out to leave two runners stranded in scoring position.

As the Giants looked to pull off a comeback at the 11th hour, the Twins had Jhoan Duran take over on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Conforto struck out to begin the inning, then LaMonte Wade Jr stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter for Wilmer Flores. He grounded out to second base, and Yastrzemski stepped up to the plate as the Giants’ final hope. He’d ground out as well, and the Giants would fall 4-2. Cole Sands would be credited with the win, while Taylor Rogers got the loss.

Twins and Giants duel once again Sunday at Oracle Park in the rubber game match starting pitcher for Minnesota RHP Chris Paddock (5-3, ERA 5.18) for San Francisco Blake Snell (0-3, ERA 7.85) first pitch 1:05pm

Oakland A’s podcast with Titus Wilkinson: Phillies even series with A’s; Phils Harper provides power at Citizens Bank

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Philadelphia Phillies hitter Bryce Harper connects for a bottom of the seventh home run. Oakland A’s catcher Shea Langeliers (left) watches at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia on Sat Jul 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

#1 Philadelphia Phillies starter Tyler Phillips pitched into the seventh inning against the Oakland A’s allowing six hits and four runs, striking out five batters. The A’s couldn’t figure out the Phillies pitching and dropped Saturday’s contest 11-5.

#2 On the other hand the Phillies hitters solved the A’s pitching slugging for 11 runs including a four run eighth inning that put the game out of reach. The Phils got home run help from Bryce Harper and Trea Turner.

#3 The Phillies in all hit four home runs and Spence absorbed most of the damage in the early innings of his start giving up five hits and six earned runs in three and two thirds innings of work.

#4 The A’s Brent Rooker provided most of the offense with a home run, double and a single. It wasn’t enough but Rooker never gave up at the plate.

#5 The A’s will try and salvage this series in game 3 against the Phillies. Starting pitcher for the Phillies hasn’t been announced the A’s will be leaning on starter and RHP Joey Estes (3-4, ERA 5.53). First pitch 10:35AM PT. Can the A’s do what they did in game one and get some offense and some pitching to have a shot at winning this series?

Titus Wilkinson is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Drop Game Two In Series With Philly 11-5

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Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper (right) waves to the crowd after belting a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia as Oakland A’s catcher Shea Langeliers (left) looks on on Sat Jul 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

It was a given that the Philadelphia Phillies (62-33) would come into game two determined to even the series and that is exactly what they did. They beat the Oakland A’s (36-61) 11-5 but Oakland did put up a fight.

The A’s hung in this game until the Phillies broke it open in the eighth inning. The A’s had ten hits in this game with a couple of homers from Zach Gelof and Brent Rooker. It was the four home runs that the Phillies sent out of the park that made all the difference in the game.

Game recap: Oakland took the early lead in the second inning of the game 1-0. Seth Brown doubled Brent Rooker home and Oakland felt good about their start in this game. The A’s lead was short-lived in the same inning. The Phillies Nick Castellanos hit a long ball, a two run home run off a Mitch Spence pitch giving Philadelphia a 2-1 lead.

Zach Gelof tied up the game for Oakland with a 384 ft home run in the third inning 2-2. Again, the Phillies had the answer taking back the lead 3-2. Kyle Schwarber doubled to center and Garrett Stubbs scored.

The Phillies scored again in the fourth inning. They had scored runs in the second, third and fourth frames taking a 6-2 lead distancing themselves from Oakland. Johan Rojas hit a solo home run and another long ball from Trea Turner followed, a two run home run, and Philadelphia was coasting.

Mitch Spence pitched through 3.2 innings before being pulled and relieved by Tyler Ferguson. He allowed five hits, six earned runs, five walks with six strikeouts. Ferguson went 1.1 innings with some great work allowing no hits, no runs with three strikeouts. Scott Alexander relieved him in the sixth inning with much the same success with no hits and no runs.

The A’s would inch a bit closer when Brent Rooker hit a 416 foot bullet to center in the seventh inning and Oakland trailed by the score of 6-3. Oakland continued to rally putting two runners on base, Shea Langeliers on third, Daz Cameron on first with one out and Brett Harris at the plate. Harris delivered, Langeliers scored and the A’s added another run 6-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Phillies added to their lead with a solo shot from Bryce Harper in the bottom of the seventh inning. Going into the eighth inning, the A’s had a lot of work to do.

Oakland put two runners on base in the eighth inning with two outs and Seth Brown at the plate. Earlier in the game Brown missed hitting a home run by the narrowest of margins and unfortunately he struck out and it was on to the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Phillies loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Unfortunately A’s pitcher Michel Otanez took a horrible hit to the forearm when a Trea Turner shot smoked him. He was forced to leave the game and T.J. McFarland took over on the mound.

The dangerous Bryce Harper came to the plate hitting a double and both Garrett Stubbs and Kyle Schwarber scored. The Phillies had broken this game wide open. Two more runs came in and when the dust had settled, the Phillies had a 11-4 lead going into the top of the ninth inning.

The A’s had a bit of a late rally in the ninth inning. Brett Harris had a single in the inning and Miguel Andujar also singled. Zach Gelof walked followed by a JJ Bleday walk loading the bases. Brent Rooker came to the plate and a home run would have been sweet indeed but did not come to be as he struck out. The A’s finished the game with ten hits losing the game 11-5.

Game notes: The A’s against the league leading Phillies dropped game one of this three game at Citizens Bank Ballpark on Friday night. The Phillies took the early lead in game one, the A’s came around in the third inning with three runs and never looked back. The A’s had to play well offensively and defensively in game one and they did not disappoint.

They won Friday’s game 6-2 with some great at-bats which included a Lawrence Butler two run home run in the eighth. There was some great work on the mound by starter Hogan Harris and the relief core which also contributed to this win.

It was a given that Philadelphia would come out very grumpy in game two Saturday after losing Friday’s game to open the series.

Oakland’s Mitch Spence was the starter Saturday going 3.2 innings allowing five hits and six runs. The Phillies starter Tyler Phillips went six innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs. The A’s were looking to take game two and the lead in the series from the best team in baseball. That would have been an ideal scenario for Oakland going into the All-Star break now the series is tied 1-1 going into Sunday.

Game three will be played Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 10:35 AM to finish off the series before the All-Star break. Joey Estes will take the mound for Oakland with a 3-4 win-loss record and a 5.53 ERA.

Estes had a rough outing last Tuesday against the Red Sox only going 1.2 innings allowing seven hits and eight earned runs. Estes will be looking for an improved effort on the mound. Right now the Phillies are undecided as to who will start in the rubber game of this series.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Birdsong starts for Giants tonight against Twins at Oracle

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San Francisco Giants Sat Jul 13, 2024 starting pitcher Hayden Birdsong will duel against Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson at Oracle Park in San Francisco (Getty file photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris, the San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Kyle Harrison pitched into the sixth inning on Friday night against one of the toughest line ups in baseball the Minnesota Twins pitching shutout ball talk about a quality start.

#2 Brett Wisely was key with three hits and two RBIs in the Giants 7-1 win. Run production and good pitching won this series opener for San Francisco.

#3 With the Giants having lost four of their last five games Friday’s win was crucial and Harrison delivered with a quality start.

#4 Harrison also got defensive support from Wisely and Heliot Ramos behind him on the diamond to stop some balls from getting through.

#5 Tonight (Saturday) a game that your covering the Twins will start RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-1, ERA 3.48) and for the Giants RHP Hayden Birdsong (1-0, ERA 4.40) first pitch slated at 4:05pm PT

Morris Phillips is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Last Hurrah September 26 at the Coliseum will be a Sellout

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This is what the Oakland Coliseum would look like with a sellout crowd expected for the very last Oakland Game on Thu Sep 26, 2024 before the teams moves to Sacramento for the 2025 season (MLB photo file)

The Last Hurrah. September 26 at the Coliseum will be a Sellout

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Undoubtedly, the last game of the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on September 26, against the previous World Champion Texas Rangers, the first pitch scheduled at 12:37, will be a sell-out crowd of over 42,000.

This will close a chapter that began on April 17, 1968, when they played their first ball game at the then-brand-new Coliseum against the Baltimore Orioles. They could sell many more tickets if they chose to open the Football seats.

The Coliseum has a seating capacity of up to 63,132 depending on its configuration; an upper deck dubbed “Mount Davis” by fans was added as part of 1996. According to David Rinetti, Vice President of Stadium Operations, Mount Davis will not be open for that last game, Rinetti has been with the A’s since they first opened the Coliseum.

The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum will close for business as far as the A’s after this game—fifty-six years of Major League Baseball, all with four World Series titles.

Only the Los Angeles Dodgers have won more World Series among the five Major League teams in California, Next stop for the A’s, the 2025 schedule to be announced by Major League Baseball at Sutter Sutter Health Park, Sacramento. Like we say during broadcasts “stay tuned”.

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

Giants Harrison pitches 5 strong innings, Wisely 3 hits key in Giants 7-1 win over Twins

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison (right) hands over the ball to manager Bob Melvin in the sixth inning sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Minnesota (53-41). 000 001 000. 1. 10. 0

San Francisco (46-49). 120 011 20x. 7. 9. 0

Time: 2:24

Attendance: 34,106

Friday, July 12, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Friday night the Giants bounced back from the defeat they had suffered at the hands of Toronto Wednesday afternoon, a defeat that could have demoralized them. The team they beat Friday night was far superior to the one that beat them Thursday, but the Giants scored a resounding 7-1 triumph over the Minneapolis Twins.

The enigmatic Kyle Harrison, who started for the home town nine, had lost his previous start six days ago in Cleveland, going 3-1/3 innings and surrendering five runs, four earned, in a 5-4 defeat. That was his first start since sitting out 20 games with a sprained right ankle.

His most effective pitch is the four seam fastball, a delivery that the Twins thrive upon. His record entering the fray was 4-4, 4.24 (hence the adjective “enigmatic”). He held the visitors scoreless for the 5-1/3 innings he was on the mound, but one posthumous run, earned, was charged against him when Rylan Walker, who relieved Harrison after he had allowed a leadoff single to Carlos Correa and a double to Carlos Santana, retired Will Castro on a grounder to first that drove in the former from third, ending the shutout but leaving the orange and black ahead, 3-1.

Harrison allowed five hits and a base on balls during his tenure, striking out three to earn the win that made him 5-4, 4.08 for the season. He threw 83 pitches, 50 qualifying as strikes. Melvin and Co. used three relievers, Ryan Walker (1-2/3 IP, two hits); Tyler Rogers (an inning, a hit, a strikeout); and Camilo Duval (one inning, two hits, and a strikeout).

Harrison’s opposite number was Joe Ryan, born San Francisco and residing in San Anselmo. The Giants made him their 39th round draft choice in 2014, out of Sir Francis Drake High, but he chose to attend Cal State Stanislaus, from which Tampa Bay selected him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft.

The Twin Cities acquired his services in ’21, when he was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Nelson Cruz to St. Pete. He went 11-10, 4.51 for the Twinkies last year and had a record of 6-5, 3.29 when he threw his first pitch of the evening.

He, too, lasted 5-1/3 frames, but there the similarity ends. Ryan allowed five runs all of them earned, on six hits. He walked three and struck out six and had a pitch count of 98 (62 strikes). He took the loss and now has a record of 6-6, 3.53.

The team from Minneapolis-St. Paul, like SF, sent three other pitchers to the mound. Caleb Thhielbar worked two thirds of an inning; Josh Staumont and Kody Funderburk toiled an inning apiece. Staumont was charged with two runs. on two hits and a walk; Funderburk, with a walk. Staumont logged a K.

San Francisco took an early lead with a run in the first inning on a lead off triple to right by Jorge Soler followed by LaMonte Wade, Jr.’s, sacrifice fly to left. They tacked on an additional two tallies in the second on Mike Yastrzemski’s double to left that plated Thairo Estrada, who had reached base after forcing Conforto out at second, and Brett Wisely’s RBI pop fly single to center.

Wisely’s made more resounding contact in his next at bat, in the sixth. He smacked a one out triple off the Visa advertisement on the right center field fence. He trotted home with the Giants’. third run when Soler followed up with a single to left.

Wisely continued his offensive rampage with another shot to right center. This one bounced over the same Visa ad for an automatic double that brought Chapman home from third with Giants’ fourth run. The blow came off Caleb Thielbar, who had relieved Ryan with runners on first and second and one down.

When it rains, it pours, and San Francisco poured it on in the home seventh against Josh Staumont, the Twin Cities’ third pitcher. Michael Concerto’s two bagger with Ramos, who had singled, and Chapman, who had walked, on base increased the Giants’ advantage to 7-1.

All star Héliot Ramos, who went two for four, made a beautiful diving catch of Carlos Santana’s dying quail in the top of the fourth. Jorge Soler also went two for four with an RBI . But it was Wisely whose star shone the brightest.

He made a nifty leaping grab at short of Byron Buxton’s soft liner with two on and no outs that for the moment prevented a run from scoring. More noteworthy was his work at the plate. He went three for three with a single, a double, and triple, driving in a pair of runs.

The Giants may yet be contender. They’ll face the Twins again Saturday, in the second of this three game series. Righty Hayden Birdsong (1-0, 4.40) will face the Twins’ Simeon Woods Richardson (3-1, 3.48) at 4:15 in the afternoon.

A’s Thursday game wrap: A’s Drop Series to Red Sox In a Game Three Shutout 7-0

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Boston Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck delivers against the Oakland A’s line up on Thu Jul 11, 2024 at Fenway Park in Boston in game three of the the three game series (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Thursday evening the Oakland A’s (35-60) got blasted by the Boston Red Sox (51-41) 7-0. Boston got three early runs and it snow-balled from there. They had three home runs in the third, fourth and six innings of the game and Oakland struggled offensively from the get-go. Oakland pitcher Luis Medina had an awful outing and the A’s came out of this game with only four hits.

Game recap: This game got off to a rocky start for Oakland giving up three runs in the first inning. Masataka Yoshida singled two runners home, Jarren Duran and David Hamilton for a 2-0 lead. Wilyer Abreu came to the plate and doubled giving the Red Sox a 3-0 lead as Connor Wong came home from third base. It was not the way that Oakland had envisioned the start of this game and it really went sideways as this game progressed.

Boston hit three home runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings taking a 7-0 lead which turned out to the be the final in this game. Connor Wong homered in the third, a solo shot. In the fourth inning another solo off the bat of Wilyer Abreu and to finish it off, Masataka Yoshida hit a a 2-run homer for the final score of 7-0. The A’s only managed four hits in the game and the Red Sox had ten hits making every one of them count.

It was a rough outing for Oakland pitcher Luis Medina who gave up seven hits, seven runs, two walks with seven strikeouts through five innings. Michel Otanez relieved Medina in the sixth inning allowing two hits and another run. This game was a tough one for the A’s anyway you look at it. There would be no home runs for the A’s in this game.

The Red Sox all-star pitcher Tanner Houck contained the Oakland offense. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning striking out six batters in a great outing for Boston. The A’s only had two hits through six innings. Boston is on a roll winning their last eight games out of ten and they have won five of six against Oakland.

The A’s got into deep trouble in the first inning falling behind 3-0 and it just snowballed from there. They could not get much offense going at all. The Red Sox jumped all over them offensively from first pitch and never let up.

Game notes: Thursday evening the A’s lost to the Red Sox in the rubber match of their series in a 7-0 shutout.. Oakland won Wednesday night’s matchup 5-2 and dropped the rubber game. They won a game two in their last series with the Baltimore Orioles but just could not finish that series with a win.

The A’s have been able to win games off some very good teams but have fallen short winning series. They create a lot of momentum in single games but cannot piece that momentum together to finish with any series wins. Thursday night they couldn’t get over the hurdle getting shutout by the Red Sox starter Tanner Houck and the Boston relief staff.. Luis Medina took the mound for the A’s and giving up seven hits and six earned runs.

It does not get any easier for the A’s in their next matchup as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the best team in baseball right now, the Phillies. Hogan Harris will be the probable pitcher for Oakland in Friday’s game. He has a 1-3 win/loss record and a 3.22 ERA. Philly will more than likely send a good one in Ranger Suarez who comes into this game with a10-3 win/loss record and an outstanding 2.58 ERA.