Author: bentleonard18

Ben Leonard is the head writer and Director of Business Development for Bay Area Sports Talk Association. He is also an author for Rule of Tree (SBNation), Sports Radio Service and OutsidePitchMLB, an official affiliate of the MLB. He has a passion for baseball and college football.

Giants Game Notes: Sergio Romo Activated From Disabled List

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By Ben Leonard

mercurynews.com photo: San Francisco Giants reliever Sergio Romo is happy to be back in the Giants bullpen

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The San Francisco Giants’ training room has become an alarmingly busy place, even sometimes overshadowing the play on the field. With six regulars out, the injury list started approaching novel lengths.

But finally, reinforcements are starting to return for the Giants. Amongst a flurry of injury news, setup man and former closer Sergio Romo (0-0, 2.70) was activated off the disabled list Monday.

The lanky right-handed pitcher hadn’t pitched since April 10th due to a flexor strain, but was finally deemed ready to return to the big league club Monday. At the moment, there is no corresponding move, something Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy check on before Monday’s game.

Romo’s presence will be much welcomed — the Giants’ bullpen (26th in the majors in WAR) has imploded as of late, bringing back the torture that Giants’ fans became accustom to during their 2010 World Series run.

“He’s one of our late inning guys,” Bochy said Monday. “Those guys you miss. They help stabilize the bullpen and keep things in order. He’s a strike thrower that’s done a really great job for us, not just in the regular season but in the postseason.”

Ideally, Romo will not return directly to his setup role. Because Cory Gearrin (3-0, 2.97)  has filled in that role admirably this season, Bochy indicated that he’d like to “get him out there once” in a less high leverage situation to get a “better feel on how…Romo’s bouncing back.”

 

No Decision on Span

Out of the lineup since Friday, outfielder Denard Span received an MRI on his ailing neck on Sunday. The results have not been released yet. Bochy indicated that Span was given injections in the trigger points on his neck Monday, but was not able to give any definitive news on Span’s near future.

“We need to make a call shortly here, but we haven’t done it yet,” Bochy said.

Javier Lopez could play….outfield?

Giants’ reliever Javier Lopez has long since talked about his shagging ability, something manager Bruce Bochy confirmed on Monday. “He’s our best shagger,” the Giants’ skipper said Monday.

He has discussed situations in which Romo could face a hitter, followed by Lopez for another batter. After that, Lopez could take the outfield.

Other injury news and notes (Hint: there’s a lot)

Gregor Blanco, who was out of the lineup on Sunday with knee soreness, is “improv[ing]” and should return shortly. Even with Span and star outfielder Hunter Pence unavailable, Bochy felt he had good insurance with Grant Green’s ability to roam the open pastures of AT&T Park if needed……Infielder Ramiro Peña (ankle) is good to go, per Bochy. There’s a “good chance” he’ll be in the starting lineup on Tuesday…Infielder Kelby Tomlinson is continuing to rehab at Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, and will play in the field….Second baseman Joe Panik (concussion) is “making improvement,” but won’t be ready until after the All-Star Break…”It’s just time with him,” Bochy said. “Every day, we’ll continue to ramp up his activities. “We’re not going to rush him. We have to be careful.”….Infielder Ehire Adrianza is close to starting his rehab assigment….

Peavy Set to Take On Rockies

Jake Peavy (4-7, 5.33) will toe the rubber for the Giants on Independence Day, facing Rockies’ left-hander Tyler Anderson (0-2, 3.04). Peavy has been dealing as of late, posting a 2.41 ERA over his past seven starts after a rough start to the season.

The Rockies haven’t been to kind to Peavy over the course of his career, knocking the former Cy Young award winner to the tune of a 4.17 ERA in 23 starts.

Lineups: 

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Earthquakes Fall to Fire In Chicago

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By Ben Leonard

photo by sjearthquakes.com: The Quakes take a tough loss in Chicago to the Fire 1-0

With five defenders injured, the San Jose Earthquakes (5-5-7) fell to the Chicago Fire (3-5-7) 1-0 on a goal by Joao Meira in the 38th minute. Even with the win on Friday, Chicago remained in the Eastern Conference’s cellar.

“We didn’t play good, simple as that,” Earthquakes coach Dominic Kinnear said Friday. “We just kept giving the ball away; it wasn’t like we were under a tremendous amount of pressure. We just didn’t play good.”

San Jose was outplayed and out-shot 16-6 (7-2 on goal) by Chicago, a team that had been last in the East in goals scored this season (15). Down several key regulars, the defense struggled to compete with the Fire, but kept the team in the game.

This wasn’t by any means unpredictable: the results simply haven’t been coming on the road for San Jose.With the loss, San Jose is left still in search of its first road win, going 0-5-4 in enemy territory this season. However, Kinnear isn’t too worried about being away from the friendly confines of Avaya Stadium going forward.

“I think the overall performances of the team is more important than the stadium we play in,” Kinnear said. “Saying that, I know we are good enough to win a game on the road, we need to stop giving up the first goal and coming from behind. Sometimes we need a little bit of magic and things to go our way and we’re not getting those right now.”

The defense hasn’t necessarily been the main issue for the Earthquakes — opponents have scored multiple times in just five of the Earthquakes last seventeen contests.

San Jose will look to rebound at home in their next contest, taking on FC Dallas (9-5-4) on Friday.

 

Warriors Take 2-0 Series Lead With Dominant Win

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By Ben Leonard

USA Today photo: Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James speaks with the media after second loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday

As Draymond Green goes, the Warriors go. After a controversial play involving Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams in the previous series, Green seemed rattled and uncomfortable.

But on Sunday, Green seemed to find his comfort zone, and the Warriors rolled along with him to a dominant 110-77 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, giving them a commanding 2-0 series lead. Although it seemed in serious doubt just over a week ago, Golden State is now on the cusp of winning its second straight NBA title.

Green scored 28 points to pace Golden State (his most since Game Three vs. Portland), leading the way by nailing a team-high five of eight three-pointers in the contest. He also made eleven of his twenty field goal attempts, also leading the team in that category.

The Warriors started out hot early, and never looked back. That hadn’t been the case in earlier playoff games, in which Golden State seemed to coast early on, had to come back, and eventually outlasted the opponent. They took a commanding eight point halftime lead that could have been much more, had Steve Kerr not pulled Stephen Curry with a few minutes left in the second. Without Curry, a fifteen point lead quickly melted to just that eight point margin.

But with Curry back in in the second half to complement Green’s scoring outburst, the Warriors blazed past the Cavaliers, holding them to just 33 points in the second half.

Curry had 18 for Golden State, and fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson had 17, as the Cavaliers did well to keep the dynamic duo relatively in check. They picked up some of the slack for Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, who combined to score just 7 points in 50 minutes.

 

Earthquakes Rally to Down Real Sociedad

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By Ben Leonard

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photo by USA Today: The San Jose Earthquakes Chris Wondolowski scores the first ever Earthquakes goal brace against an La Liga opponent at Avaya Stadium on Wednesday night
SAN JOSE, Calif — It’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish that does, they say. The San Jose Earthquakes were living proof of that unproven adage Wednesday night, scoring two unanswered goals to upset La Liga’s Real Sociedad 2-1 in a friendly.

Star forward Chris Wondolowski scored both goals for San Jose, including the go-ahead goal on a beautiful bender to beat goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli in the 79th minute.

But before Wondolowski sent Avaya Stadium into a frenzy, things were a little different. The Earthquakes more closely resembled a chicken running around with its head off than a shattering force of nature for the first twenty minutes, as midfielder Shea Salinas described.

Having not done any scouting or watching any film, the Earthquakes were listless, succumbing to Sociedad’s press, hardly every possessing the ball. “I thought for the first twenty minutes that they might have had twelve guys on the field,” Salinas elaborated.

Sociedad quickly made them pay, scoring a left-footed goal in the tenth minute, forcing them to stare down a 1-0 deficit. It seemed hopeless — Sociedad was just too well-conditioned and quick for the MLS’ Earthquakes to keep up with. The Earthquakes would get tired out and blown out, they said.

“Sometimes, the speed of the game and the speed of the opponent can catch you by surprise,” San Jose head coach Dominic Kinnear said Wednesday.”And I think it did — it forced us into making mistakes [early on]. But as the game went on, we got used to it. The goal didn’t shake us, and I think that was a good thing.”

After those first painful twenty minutes, something clicked. The Earthquakes figured out how to defend these new players and started communicating better, and everything fell into place. Even in a “low key” friendly as Kinnear called it, the Earthquakes kept battling. With Kinnear only coaching to call players out for lack of effort, it was on the Earthquakes to find it within themselves. And boy did they ever.

After several missed chances, San Jose finally broke through on Wondolowski’s first goal of the night. In the forty-second minute, Salinas drove to the corner of the net and dished it out to Wondolowski at the edge of the goal area, who drove it into the back of the net for his eighth goal of the season.

Later, in the second half, Wondoloski added the decisive goal on a scorching bender that just nestled in the bottom right corner of the net. Wondolowski now needs just sixteen goals to pass Jaime Moreno for third on the all-time MLS goals list.

“Once we got caught up to the speed of the game, because they were playing pretty good and made it difficult for us, we got better,” Kinnear said. “We were making some silly mistakes, but our possession was better, our ball movement was better, and then we started to create some chances and open the game up a little bit. All in all, I was really happy with the result — it gives you a good feeling when you walk off the field.”

The only negative came when midfielder Matheus Silva took a big blow to the head, and had to leave the game in the first half. He felt dizzy after the collision with a Sociedad player, and his fate was left in the doctor’s hands. The team physician barred him from playing in the second half for precautionary reasons, and his status for Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Galaxy is uncertain.

Changed Manaea Shuts Down Rangers, Earns First Win

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By Ben Leonard

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legendsondeck.com file photo: Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea got his first MLB victory game against the Texas Rangers Monday night at the Oakland Coliseum
OAKLAND, Calif. — Sitting in the clubhouse after a disheartening outing against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, Sean Manaea knew he couldn’t rest on his laurels, or lack thereof.

After getting just eight outs, he had to hit the showers, staring down an 8-0 deficit and potentially watching his spot in the A’s rotation slip away. With Jesse Hahn or Henderson Alvarez coming back from the disabled list soon, things had to change. A 2013 first round pick and the key piece in the Ben Zobrist deal, Manaea probably had never been rocked at any level like he did in his first three career starts, giving up 16 runs in 12.2 innings. 

Baseball is a brutal game — one week, you’re the hottest thing since sliced bread, and the next, you’re thrown out in the dumpster. To stay in, you have to adapt — or suffer the consequence. Boy, did he change. 

Armed with a new hair cut, a new changeup and a newly beaming smile, Manaea threw 6.2 brilliant innings of four-hit, one run ball to guide the A’s to a 3-1 win over the Rangers, the first of his career. 

First, he took a trip to a hair stylist in Tampa and sheared the “annoying” flowing afro he once rocked — he was happy to get rid of it. “The first three starts didn’t go as well as I wanted to,” Manaea said Monday. “And as a team we were just struggling, so it was time for a change.”

Manaea’s clean fade took Melvin aback when he first saw it. “It took me back for a second, and I think everybody went from whatever you call that to the clean cut young man,” Melvin said. “It took you a minute to focus and realize what happened. that’s a lot of hair that he cut off — he probably lost a few pounds.”

But Manaea’s changes weren’t just superficial — he completely changed his focus and repertoire. He brought back an old changeup, with a grip he hadn’t used since college. The Royals told Manaea to drop the comfortable grip that his roommate had showed him at Indiana State, and it never felt natural. He made the switch in the bullpen before his second start in Baltimore, and used it against Boston for the first time — the first time since college a changeup felt good coming out of his hand.

The reason it didn’t work against Boston: he “pretty much threw everything right down the middle.” Not quite a recipe for success, unless you’re in Little League. Monday against Texas, Manaea threw a 55-pitch bullpen instead of his customary 35. “I just really tried to harp on locating my fastball,” Manaea said. “[I would throw] 2 inside, 2 outside, 2 inside 2 outside. That was the biggest thing for me, locating my fastball instead of throwing it right down the middle.”

Rangers’ hitters felt the effects — they mustered just four hits and one walk against the left-hander, managing only a sacrifice fly in the seventh. “It’s a dream come true,” Manaea said, hardly able to control his huge smile. “I’m really glad that I got to do it at home, but it’s just an awesome feeling.”

He started pounding his fastball early and often, giving him a huge confidence boost to get him going. “I was able to throw my changeup off the bat, and I was able to inside on guys and get broken bats and quick outs,” Manaea said. “It just made my changeup that much better. They’re looking for the inside fastball, and then I throw the changeup.”

A’s manager Bob Melvin lauded Manaea’s ability to bounce back after such a difficult outing in Bean Town. For Melvin, his outing was a huge boost “not only for us, but for himself. He came off a pretty tough outing for someone who’s never experienced something like that in Boston. You see what they’re made of the next time around. This is a good lineup, and they’re playing pretty well. To do what he did and hold them to one run is a pretty tall order. It was impressive…As far as his stuff went and his command throwing the ball, it was by far his best.”

Manaea wouldn’t have been able to earn his first career “W” without the help of his offense. Rangers’ starter Derek Holland did his best to limit the A’s to three hits in six frame, but let the A’s scratch and claw their way to two decisive runs in the fourth.

Billy Burns was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Josh Reddick reached on a bloop single, and Danny Valencia walked to load the bases. A Khris Davis sacrifice fly and a Billy Butler single later, the A’s and Manaea would have all they needed to win — a 2-0 lead.  Marcus Semien added an insurance run in the seventh with a booming solo shot to center field against reliever Luke Jackson, giving Oakland a 3-1 lead.

What’s a 24-year-old rookie like Manaea going to do to celebrate before going to bed? Get Ben and Jerry’s in his hotel and watch Game of Thrones, of course.

 

 

 

Game Notes: Manaea Looks to Make Strides Versus Rangers

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By Ben Leonard

file photo: A’s starter Sean Manaea

OAKLAND– Sean Manaea isn’t used to getting knocked around. The A’s second-best prospect dominated hitters the while playing at Indiana State and through the minor leagues, but has gotten a rude awakening in the majors.

He’ll need to step it up on Monday if he wants to stay on the roster when Henderson Alvarez and Jesse Hahn return from the disabled list, having given up 20 runs in just 17.2 innings with Oakland.

The A’s expected more out of the 2013 first-rounder, who mowed down minor league competition to the tune of a 2.82 ERA in 214 innings, striking out an eye-popping 257 strikeouts. He made just three starts for Triple-A Nashville before being called up to Oakland on April 29th, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. The A’s acquired Manaea as the centerpiece of the deal that sent utility player Ben Zobrist to the Kansas City Royals.

Manaea hasn’t been the only A’s starter that has struggled to be effective and go deep into games this season. Oakland is the only MLB team this season who hasn’t had a starter go more than seven innings in a start, and four of the A’s last seven starters have gone fewer than four innings.

He’ll look to get the A’s off to a good start on a long stretch of home games — Oakland will play 13 of their next 16 contests from the friendly confines of the Oakland Coliseum. Prior to taking 2 out of 3 from the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, Oakland had dropped five straight games, and is just 3-10 in May.

He’ll face Rangers’ left-hander Derek Holland (3-2, 6.09), who despite his struggles this season, is 5-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 18 career games against Oakland. Holland will be just the seventh left-handed starter Oakland has faced all season, and he won’t be the last — Texas will send three lefties to the hill this series. Fellow southpaw Cole Hamels (4-0, 2.95) will take the ball Tuesday, along with Martin Perez (1-3, 3.23) on Wednesday in the series finale.

The A’s offense broke out against the Rays, hitting eight home runs in the three-game set, their most in a series since 2012. Danny Valencia supplied the power on Sunday, going yard three times, giving him the second three-dinger game in franchise history.

Lineups: 

 

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Rangers’ Manager Banister Defends Rougned Odor

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By Ben Leonard

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rantsports.com photo: Texas Rangers Jeff Banister said the now famous punch by the Rangers Rougned Odor was justified on the Toronto Blue Jays Jose Bautista as stated before the Rangers-A’s game on Monday
OAKLAND– The unwritten rules of baseball are tricky. Hit a home run and celebrate, and you get drilled. Take a hard slide to try to exact your pound of flesh in return, and you’ll get drilled again with a sucker punch. 

Jose Bautista learned it the hard way on Sunday after hitting a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning in an elimination game against the Texas Rangers last postseason, arguably the most enthralling in Blue Jays history. His crime? Dropping his bat emphatically and electrifying the Rogers Centre. 

On Sunday, Bautista came up to the dish in likely his final plate appearance against Texas in 2016, and finally got hit with the revenge the Rangers had been seeking, a Matt Bush fastball to the ribs. When Bautista slid hard into second base, Rangers’ second baseman Rougned Odor took exception, dealing Bautista a punch right to the face. The benches cleared, and the rest is history. 

The fiery Odor has a reputation for playing physically. According to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, when Odor came up to the majors, a scout had this to say about him: “The thing I love about him the most is you do not want to [expletive] with him.” Wild guess, but I think Bautista would agree with that.

Don’t count Rangers’ manager Jeff Banister as one of those coming down hard on Odor. The second-year manager thinks the media has been unfair in criticizing the second baseman.

“I’m not going to criticize a player for playing hard in those situations, on our side or on their side,” Banister said Monday before a game against the Oakland Athletics. “Things happen during those situations that are ugly, that look bad — it’s not good for anybody. But I think you’re getting a little one-sided on the view. That was not a pretty situation out on second base that got escalated because there were two guys that had a lot of passion for the game and played hard. Do you want that to happen? Absolutely not — I don’t want that.”

Banister also doesn’t think Odor should have to temper his emotions and passion in order to please others. “Does he need to walk a fine line, and what do we do, take his personality and passion away from him and now he’s not the same player?” Banister said. “I think he needs to continue to play. It’s how he plays the game  — he plays it hard, he runs hard, he swings the bat, he does things to try and help his team win ball games….I haven’t seen anything that is dirty. If playing hard is offensive, then it’s just offensive.”

Many believe that Bush intentionally hit Bautista to spark the brawl, but Banister once again dispelled the notions that his players were culpable. With a one-run lead and Bautista having logged just two hits that series, Banister thought Bush was just trying to help his team win the game.

“We’re in the business of winning baseball games,” Banister maintained. “We had a one-run lead. We’ve blown quite a few leads late from a shaky bullpen — why would we intentionally put ourselves in that situation? That’s the part of this I don’t understand. We would have been just as happy to move on and win a baseball game — which we did.”

Baseball scripture suggests that players new to the team, like Bush, would do anything to gain the approval of their teammates — especially plunk Bautista. Again, Banister defended his pitcher.

“When you’re on a team you’re part of the team, whether you’re a new guy or a veteran,” Banister said. “Earning your stripes is helping a team win games.”

 

 

 

 

Game Notes: Mays On Hand For 85th Birthday As Giants Take On Rockies

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By Ben Leonard

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photo by sfgate.com: The Muni Cable Car system dedicated Car #24 to Willie Mays on his 85th birthday on Fri 5-6-16
SAN FRANCISCO — You know it’s an eventful night at the yard when Tim Lincecum had a showcase, and he wasn’t even the first topic of discussion. There’s a special energy in the ballpark tonight — some guy named Willie Mays was in the clubhouse for his eighty-fifth birthday. 

For the occasion, the city of San Francisco honored their legendary centerfielder in typical San Francisco fashion earlier on Friday, adorning cable car #24 with a Mays-themed plaque in a ceremony.

“A lot of people have done a lot of good things for me,” Mays said to the San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea.

His birthday will be celebrated at AT&T Park on Friday for the fans, but wasn’t immediately available for comments with the media Friday.

Having the Hall of Famer and 24-time All-Star in the clubhouse still excites Bruce Bochy, long-time big league manager and Giants’ legend in his own right.

“It really [does],” Bochy said. “It’s an honor. It’s a privilege to have one of the greatest, if not the greatest player of all time hanging with us in the clubhouse in spring training and here during the season. He loves these guys and he watches them and cares about them.”

For Bochy, talent wasn’t the only thing that set Mays, a 12-time Gold Glove winner that hit 660 home runs, apart — it was his love of the game.

“It shows when he talks about baseball,” Bochy said Friday.” You see his love for the game and the passion for the game. You kind of get why he had such an unbelievable career. The talent was there, but still when you play the game for as long as he did, it’s all about how much you love playing the game….If you love what you do, you’ll be really good at it. That’s what you see from him — here he is, on his birthday, celebrating in the clubhouse.”

Even 65 years after he made his major league debut, Mays still hasn’t really sat down and thought about his career.

“I started at 19 with the Giants, and now I’m 85,” he said to Shea. “I never really stopped and thought about all this stuff because I’m trying to keep going, keep my body together.”

The Giants’ organization certainly has reflected about arguably the greatest all-around player of all-time, retiring his number and giving him his own day — May 24th — in the city.

Notes —

Lincecum Showcase a Success

Another former Giants’ great, Tim Lincecum, had a long-awaited showcase in front of MLB scouts at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona. Lincecum had originally scheduled the event for January but had to push it back to be fully ready.

The lanky right-hander threw 41 pitches with dozens of radar guns from pointed at him, and rode in the 88-91 MPH range.

“He looked healthy and athletic, but it’s hard to tell from our view of him,” Bochy said Friday of his former ace.

One reporter asked Bochy if he has faith in a healthy Lincecum to rebound, and Bochy expressed confidence in his old horse. “Yeah, if he’s healthy and he has no issues, that’s fair to say with Timmy,” Bochy said. “But I think he’ll tell you, he hasn’t faced hitters [in a while], so he has some work to do to get ready.”

Kontos On Track For Rehab

Reliever George Kontos, who had been shelved with a right flexor strain, had a “good” bullpen session Friday, Bochy reported. He’ll start a rehab assignment on Sunday with the Sacramento Grizzlies.

Kontos’ return is long awaited — the bullpen has been scuffling to start the season, ranking 24th in the majors in ERA.

Suarez Called Up For ‘Pen Depth

After Vin Mizarro was tagged on Thursday for nine runs (7 ER) and six hits in just .1 innings, the Giants called up pitcher Albert Suarez to serve as the long reliever, designated Mizzaro for assignment in a corresponding move.  Suarez, a 6’3″, 235 pound right-hander hailing from San Felix, Venezuela had posted a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings for Triple-A Sacramento, striking out 15 while walking 7.

“We need some help in the bullpen right now, and he’s been throwing the ball well down there. He’s earned this. He’s stretched out and ready to go.”

Suarez has had three days of rest and is armed with four pitches, with a fastball ranging from 91-95 MPH. He features a fairly standard offspeed repertoire, including a curveball, changeup, and slider.

Suarez is now the third long reliever to audition for the job this season, after Chris Heston and Mizarro got shellacked out of their spots. He didn’t have a shot to make the roster coming out of Spring Training, so Bochy didn’t see him much, but when he did, he was impressed by his “good stuff.”

Bumgarner vs. Rockies

Madison Bumgarner (3-2, 3.03) will toe the rubber for the Giants on Friday, taking on the Rockies’ Chad Bettis (3-1, 3.89). Bumgarner has won his last two starts, giving up just two runs in 12.2 innings. He has dominated the Rockies at 24 Willie Mays Plaza over the years, posting a 2.14 ERA in ten career starts at the venue.

Despite his success this season, the Giants have gone just 3-3 this year when Bumgarner has started. Rockies’ slugging outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has owned Bumgarner throughout his career, hitting .348 (16-46) with five long balls.

Panik Returns to Lineup

After missing six games with a mild groin strain, Giants’ second baseman Joe Panik is back in the number two hole in the lineup for the Giants:

 

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Warriors Roll Past Blazers to Tip Off Western Conference Semifinals

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By Ben Leonard

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AP photo: Golden State’s Klay Thompson reacts after splashing down a three pointer towards the end of the first quarter on Sunday’s game

No Steph Curry? For now, it looks to be no problem for the Golden State Warriors, who rolled to a dominant 118-106 win Sunday over the Portland Trail Blazers to open the Western Conference semifinals.

Klay Thompson filled Curry’s scoring void for Golden State, dropping 37 points while shooting 7 of 14 from behind the arc, leading the team in both marks. Draymond Green also shouldered a large amount of the load with an outstanding all-around performance, picking up a triple double, scoring 23 points while pulling down 13 boards and dishing out 11 assists.

Ever since Curry departed with a knee injury on the last play of the second half in Game Four of the first round, Golden State hasn’t missed a beat, outscoring their opponents by a 297-225 margin.

Golden State jumped out to a hot start at home, taking a commanding 37-17 lead at the end of the first quarter, silencing doubters with a thunderous roar at Oracle Arena. After that, the Warriors coasted on for the rest of the game. In typical Golden State fashion, they never lost control of the game — the outcome wasn’t in doubt at any time.

Portland blew out the Warriors 137-105 in February at the Rose Garden to hand them just the fifth loss of their season, but the last three contests haven’t gone so well for the Blazers, dropping them by margins of 16, 25, and 16, respectively (all at Oracle Arena).

The two West Coast teams will duke it out again on Tuesday night at Oracle, before heading to Portland for Games Three and Four.

Samardzija Does It All In Giants’ Win

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By Ben Leonard

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AP Photo: San Francisco Giant catcher Buster Posey swings for a single off of Miami Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart in the first inning on Friday night
SAN FRANCISCO — Baseball’s home run king Barry Bonds was at the yard Friday, and it seemed to help the slumping Giants’ hitters — and pitcher — get their mojo back, helping the Giants end a five game losing streak with a 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins. Starter Jeff Samardzija outscored the Marlins by himself, knocking in three runs while going 7.2 innings of dominant one-run ball.

Now the Marlins’ hitting coach, Bonds returned to AT&T Park’s dugout for the first time since he played his final game for the Giants in 2007. As he anticipated before the game, he was given a standing ovation for the ages while exchanging lineup cards, with the crowd chanting “Ba-rry, Ba-rry.” Just like in old times, Bonds tapped his chest, pointed to the sky, and tipped his hat to the crowd of 41,670 by McCovey Cove, repeating that in the middle the third when the crowd asked for a curtain call.

Perhaps it was because Bonds seemed to be the good luck charm for the Giants’ offense — his return corresponded with its resurgence. Coincidence? That’s for you to decide. But there was no denying that three quick runs in the first inning took some pressure off the pressing Giants’ lineup, which went on to put up 14 hits. Marlins’ starter Jarred Cosart struggled to command his fastball in the first inning, and the Giants made him pay, stringing together three hits, including a Brandon Belt RBI single, and two walks to put up that early three spot.

“I don’t think it hurts to get up there and score first, just to let the pitcher relax and do his job and also let the offense relax a little bit and go up there and have good plate appearances,” Belt said. If we go up there and do that, I think we have a good chance to score a lot of runs.”

It helped Samardzija settle in, both at the plate and on the mound, in his debut at AT&T Park. “Those first three runs were great,” Samardzija said. “Being patient at the plate allowed me to be comfortable and nice and relaxed out there.”

Samardzija retired the first eight hitters he faced until Cosart laced a single, and shut down the Marlins, with the exception of outfielder Christian Yelich, who went 3 for 4 with three doubles. He scattered six hits and struck out give while going 2 for 4 with three RBI’s, including a two-RBI double that broke open the game in the sixth.

“He got the delivery straightened, he was in a good rhythm out there,” Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy said Friday. “He was fighitng that a little bit in spring training, but that’s why we have spring training. He’s got great stuff, and in the last inning he was still throwing hard, 94, 95 up there…He’s a strong kid, the type of guy that you can ride out there.” Yeah, and at the plate too.

Down 6-1 lead and runners on second and third, Marlins’ fill-in manager Tim Wallach (Don Mattingly was ejected in the fourth) opted to intentionally walk Brandon Crawford to load the bases. Usually a smart move, with a National League pitcher up next. But Samardzija made Wallach pay, turning on an inside fastball and ripping a line drive into left field, plating two runs, becoming  the Giants first pitcher with three RBI’s since Mike Leake did it in 2015. That came after Samardzija had help start a three-run rally in the fifth with an line drive RBI single to right. Not too shabby.

His teammates knew the former standout wide receiver at Notre Dame had it in him, but the lovably self-deprecating “Shark” didn’t think so.

“You get lucky up there every so often as a pitcher,” Samardzija said. “Close your eyes, swing hard, and you might hit it…I consider myself a great five o’clock hitter, but come seven o’clock, that ball is 94, 95, and is a little tougher.”

Belt thought otherwise. “I’ve seen it in BP,” Belt said. “I’ve seen the power, it’s there. He might rival Bumgarner when it comes to power, it was just a matter of getting in the game and putting the ball in play. He did that tonight and it was pretty cool to see him get those three RBI’s.”

As for the pitching side of things, because you know, that’s what he’s paid to do, Samardzija felt satisfied with his debut in front of the home crowd. He walked off the field with two outs in the eighth to a standing ovation, something he relished.

“It feels good,” Samardzija said. “It’s a very educated fan base with high standards, so you want to live up to those standards. You come play in a park like this with the history they have here, you want to prove your worth and prove you belong with this team, and hopefully they saw some things they liked….It was an electric atmosphere and I look forward to doing it again.”

The Giants signed Samardzija to a five year, $90 million contract this offseason with the expectation that his stuff would play up at AT&T Park. It’s early, but so far, that seems to be true.

“I think it plays well anywhere when you have that kind of velocity and command, and four pitches that you can work with,” Bochy said. “This is a nice park to work in, but he has really good stuff. With his stuff, it doesn’t matter what park he pitches in.”

NOTES:

In a flurry of roster moves Friday, the Giants recalled infielder Connor Gillespie from Triple-A Sacramento…Bochy: “He gives us an experienced left-handed bat off the bench, playing a little third and maybe some first”….Mac Williamson was sent back down in a corresponding move…”He just wasn’t getting playing time,” Bochy said. “It was just too tough of a role to try to pinch hit, mostly off closers. Like we talked about this spring, he needs to play every day and get his four at-bats, so we went ahead and made the change”…..Ehire Adrianza was moved to the 60-day disabled list….