AP photo: San Padres Wil Myers is stoked after getting what would be the game winning single in the seventh to score Corey Gearing off the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park on Sunday
“Frustration” has been the name of the game for the San Francisco Giants in the second half of the season, and it continued on Sunday with a 4-3 loss to the Padres, setting the Giants back in the Wild Card chase.
The Giants are now a full game back of the Mets for first Wild Card spot in the National League, though they remain a half game up on the Mets in the second Wild Card position.
A two-run single by Buster Posey put the Giants ahead 3-1 in the third inning, but the bullpen once again could not hold the lead as starter Ty Blach went just three innings, allowing two runs.
Yangervis Solarte tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI single off George Kontos, and then the Padres took the lead in the seventh on a base hit to right by Wil Myers off Cory Gearing.
The Giants, in contrast, were quiet the rest of the way against the Padres’ bullpen en route to another deflating loss. They split the four-game series with the lowly Padres and have an off day before taking on Colorado at home on Tuesday.
PASADENA — For 57 and a half minutes, No. 7 Stanford was in trouble. The offense was sputtering, the quarterback couldn’t complete a pass, turnovers were ending possessions early and the Cardinal were in danger of being upset by unranked UCLA on the road on Saturday.
But in two minutes and 35 seconds, trailing 13-9, they roared back to life. With no timeouts and a quarterback who had thrown just one complete pass in the second half, it was Ryan Burns helped orchestrate a 10-play, 70-yard drive, culminating in a fade pass to JJ Arcega-Whiteside in the left corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown, spurring a 22-13 win over the Bruins.
The down was second and goal from the 8-yard line, after Burns had completed four passes and Christian McCaffrey converted on a key third-and-3 in the red zone. And it was Burns who trusted Arcega-Whiteside, making his college debut, to make the game’s biggest play.
“One-on-one, that guy can jump pretty high,” Burns said. “I just put it up for him, and he made a great play. Couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Arcega-Whiteside said he had been dreaming of that moment since he was little, but added he was prepared for the fade thrown his way.
“After practice, we always [say], ‘Hey, let’s throw some fade balls, let’s go deep, let’s have fun,’” he said. “Once coach called that play, I was like, ‘Alright, it’s time to have some fun.’”
UCLA had 24 seconds to work with following the touchdown, but quarterback Josh Rosen was sacked and fumbled on the game’s final play, leading to a Stanford touchdown by Stanf Solomon Thomas as time expired to finish off the game.
It was a dazzling final three minutes to atone for a frustrating night of offense for the Cardinal. But the defense was good enough to keep the Bruins from expanding upon a 10-3 halftime lead. Stanford settled for two field goals to cut the deficit to 10-9 with under five minutes to play, though UCLA answered with a field goal of its own to push the lead back up to 4.
Head coach David Shaw, even in victory, was dissatisfied with his team’s performance.
“The youth of our football team showed in the first three quarters,” he said. “You’ve got to come into somebody else’s house and play well. We didn’t play well.”
Stanford scored first with a field goal on its first drive, but on its next drive, Burns was intercepted by UCLA’s Kenny Young, who returned it 40 yards into Cardinal territory.
That set up a touchdown as Rosen found Nate Iese over the middle on a third-and-five play from the 10-yard line. Iese just crossed the plane with the ball just before his knee hit the ground.
The remainder of the half was a field position battle, though Stanford coughed up the ball once more to UCLA. Midway through the second quarter, Burns completed a pass to Francis Owusu, who fumbled the ball after he appeared to be targeted with a helmet-to-helmet hit by UCLA’s Tahaan Goodman. But there was no penalty, and the Bruins took over.
Their ensuing drive ended in a 27-yard field goal and UCLA went into halftime ahead 10-3.
McCaffrey had an uncharacteristically modest game by his standards, finishing with 139 yards on 26 carries and no touchdowns. Still, Stanford outgained UCLA 207-77 on the ground to atone for the Bruins out-throwing them 248-143 in the air.
The running back said that it was important the team still found a way to win despite the struggles.
“We’re never out of a fight and that’s how we went into that game, knowing that it was going to be a dogfight,” McCaffrey said.
Burns admitted that Stanford should never have been down late in the fourth quarter in the first place. The quarterback completed 13-of-25 passes for 137 yards.
“I was not making the best throws, definitely not making the best decisions,” he said. “This is the kind of team we are, though. We’re never going to give up, we’re never going to back down.”
Shaw agreed, speaking about the character of his players to overcome adversity.
“That’s what happens when you recruit well and you recruit great kids, tough kids, smart kids, guys that don’t bat an eyelash when things get difficult,” he said.
Players like Arcega-Whiteside, who had the moment of his life in his college debut. He said his vertical leap is usually around 31 and a half inches, but on that play, he could have reached the sky.
“When you get that adrenaline going, you jump as high as you need to,” he said.
AP photo: Oakland A’s starter Raul Alcantara fires a pitch at the Texas Rangers on Saturday night at the Ball Park in Arlington on the way to his first win of 2016
Raul Alcantara recorded his first major league win as the A’s crushed the Rangers 11-2 on the road on Saturday night.
Alcantara, in his third career start, pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out three. He had plenty of run support, as the A’s clubbed three homers — two of them 3-run shots — to put the game away early.
The first batter of the game, Joey Wendle, homered to set the tone. The A’s jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the second inning, and then Marcus Semien clubbed a 3-run big fly to left field in the fifth to give Oakland a 7-0 advantage.
Danny Valencia provided the A’s with their third homer of the night. The A’s lit up Rangers’ starter Yu Darvish, who gave a seven runs to tie a career-high. He was out dueled by the rookie Alcantara, who manager Bob Melvin said had to be confident.
“I know he feels good about the outing, and it gives you a lot of confidence going forward, knowing you can pitch against a lineup like this and have some success,” Melvin told MLB.com.
With both teams taking a game in this three-game set, the rubber match to decide the series will be Sunday at 12:05 PST. Ross Detwiler will take the mound for the A’s and he will oppose the Rangers’ Colby Lewis.
AP photo: San Diego Padres starter Paul Clemens works the delivery against the San Francisco Giants hitters in the third inning at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Monday night
They faced the hapless Padres, but the Giants were dealt a setback in the NL West division race on Monday as they were shutout 4-0 at AT&T Park.
Jeff Samardzija took the loss as the Giants provided him with no run support and only five hits. The flu-ridden Paul Clemons tossed five shutout innings to get the win for the Padres.
Samadzija, who falls to 11-10 on the year, allowed single runs in the fourth and fifth innings before giving him a 2-run homer to former Giants’ catcher Hector Sanchez. Sanchez’s blast landed just fair in right field to extend the Padres’ lead to 4-0.
Meanwhile, the Giants couldn’t get anything going against the Padres’ bullpen. They had just three base runners in the final four innings in a disappointing offensive showing.
“We hit the balls hard: we just missed a couple,” manager Bruce Bochy said, via MLB.com. “Really some hard hit balls, couldn’t get anything to fall in, and when we had guys on base we couldn’t get a hit. We just couldn’t get that big hit to get us rolling.”
The Giants left eight runners on base and came up empty in six opportunities with runners in scoring position.
They fall to four games back in the division to the Dodgers, but are still a game and a half ahead of the Mets in the wild card race.
Albert Suarez toes the rubber on Tuesday in the second of this three-game series against the Padres.
photo by sjearthquakes.com: The Columbus Crew stopped the San Jose Earthquakes at every turn for a shutout at Mapfre Stadium
In a battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, the San Jose Earthquakes couldn’t move up in the standings after a 2-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on the road on Saturday.
The Crew scored a goal in each half in their shutout of the Quakes, who were outshot 14-7. Ethan Finley converted in the 32nd minute off a cross from Justin Meram. Finley slid the ball past David Bingham to give Columbus a 1-0 lead.
Bingham had to leave the game late in the first half, after an apparent back injury sustained while diving for a ball. That allowed Andrew Tarbell to make his MLS debut in net, and he impressed immediately with a big save off Adam Jahn.
But Tarbell had little help in front of him. The Earthquakes managed few offensive chances, with Chris Wondolowski not making much of an impact.
Meanwhile, the Crew put the game away in the in the 84th minute on a penalty kick goal by Meram. Merman drew the penalty attacking the net and was taken down by Marvell Wynne. Up 2-0, Columbus was well on its way to winning three points.
The Earthquakes’ next match will be Sept. 10 against the Sounders. They are currently tied with the Timbers for the sixth and final playoff spot
AP photo: Cal Bears quarterback Webb Davis (7) looks for daylight in a pass attempt against the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Friday in Sydney Australia on Friday
The Cal Golden Bears got their 2016 season off on the right track with a 51-31 win over Hawaii in Sydney, Australia on Friday.
Senior quarterback David Webb was impressive in his first game, completing 38 of 54 passes for 441 yards. Chris Hansen was his top target, with the wide receiver catching 14 passes for 160 yards.
Hawaii opened the game with an onside kick, but Cal recovered and capitalized almost immediately, as Khalfani Muhammad scampered in for the first touchdown of the college football season on a 34-yard run.
The first quarter ended with Cal up by just three, but the Bears gained some separation before halftime. Webb and Hansen connected on a 34-yard touchdown pass at the 3:43 mark of the second quarter, and with time winding down in the half, Webb scored on a quarterback keeper from four yards out.
The Bears went into halftime with a 34-14 advantage, and the second half was more of the same as Sonny Dykes and Co. grabbed a crucial win to kick off a difficult schedule.
The last American football game to be played in Sydney Australia at Olympic Stadium was an NFL pre season game in 1999 in front of 73,000.
Cal will now head back to the States and will play San Diego State on Sept. 10 on the road.
LOS ANGELES–The tables have surely turned in the NL West since the second half began.
Entering the All-Star break, the Giants had the best record in the major leagues at 57-33 and a 6.5 game lead in the division over the Dodgers, while Los Angeles was scuffling, battling an injury to Clayton Kershaw and the Yasiel Puig saga.
Since then, the tide has switched. The Giants have the worst record in baseball since the All-Star break, giving up the division lead while the Dodgers pounced. Now, it’s LA holding a one-game lead heading into a three-game set between the rivals at Chavez Ravine that starts on Tuesday.
The Giants just wrapped up a 10-game homestand with a 3-7 record. They dropped two of three games to the Orioles, were swept by the Pirates and split a four-game set with the Mets. Now, they head into a pivotal series against a division rival that could either end with them back atop the NL West or falling behind by even more games.
They will have the benefit of sending their best pitchers to the mound. Ace Madison Bumgarner will toe the rubber on Tuesday against Kenta Maeda. Bumgarner is 8-5 with a 2.40 ERA in his career at Dodger Stadium and will look to get the Giants off on the right foot.
Johnny Cueto follows on Wednesday. The All-Star Game starter has struggled in the second half, but hopes to get things going against the Dodgers’ Rich Hill, who will make his Dodgers’ debut after being traded from the A’s at the deadline. Hill has been dealing with a blister on his finger that has prevented him from pitching.
And Matt Moore, one of the Giants’ trade-deadline acquisitions, will get in on the NorCal-SoCal rivalry on Thursday. Moore has had issues with his command since coming over to San Francisco; perhaps a little extra added pressure will serve as a jump-start.
This is just the start of what will be a sprint for first in the division; the Giants and Dodgers will play each other nine times in the remaining month or so of the season, including a regular season finale three-game set at AT&T Park.
First pitch at Dodger Stadium for all three games this week will be 7:10 pm PST.
The A’s couldn’t sweep the Orioles on Thursday, losing 9-6 (Kelley L Cox / USA Today Sports)
By: Eric He
AP photo: The Baltimore Orioles Mark Trumbo swings for the fences for a fifth inning grand slam against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday afternoon
OAKLAND — The A’s couldn’t finish off a sweep of the Orioles at home on Thursday afternoon, falling 9-6 at the Coliseum.
Down 7-0 at one point, the A’s snuck closer in the later innings with four runs in the eighth. Entering the inning trailing by six, Max Muncy hit a solo home run to right. A double by Yonder Alonso into the game scored two runs, and Billy Butler added an RBI single to draw the A’s within three.
They had the tying run on base in the ninth, as the bases were loaded with two out for Danny Valencia, but he grounded out to second to end the game.
After squeaking out one-run wins in each of the first three games of the series, the A’s showed fight in battling back from a large deficit, according to manager Bob Melvin.
“We showed good fight as much as anything,” he said. “The whole series, we won some close games. To be able to come back and knowing that their best relievers are going to come in the game late, we really never quit.”
He continued: “That’s good to see. It’s easy to let down when you’re down by seven runs at one point, but that wasn’t the case. We continued to fight.”
Neither team made much noise until the fourth inning, when the Orioles finally got to A’s spot starter Andrew Triggs. Manny Machado and Chris Davis singled to put runners at the corners with one out. A single by Mark Trumbo and a double to the gap by Pedro Alvarez scored three runs and ended Triggs’ day after 66 pitches.
Triggs said he was “happy” with his outing, but ran into some “speed bumps” in the fourth. He admitted his worst pitch was the 1-0 to Trumbo that resulted in the first run of the game.
“I was lucky in that situation to just get out of it with the single, and you get the double by Alvarez that breaks it open,” he said. “Overall, I was happy with the pitches I was making, for the most part.”
Daniel Coloumbe did not fare much better in relief in the fifth inning. He loaded the bases with two outs, and then allowed a grand slam to Trumbo who hit it out to straightaway center.
The A’s got on the board in the fifth inning on a two-run homer by Ryon Healy, but that was negated in the seventh by two runs by the Orioles – a home run by Adam Jones and another RBI by Alvarez.
Oakland, now 51-63 overall, is 3-4 on its 10-game homestand, which wraps up with a three-game series against the Mariners starting Friday at the Coliseum.
Eddie DeBartolo Jr., the former 49ers owner, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Canton (Kirby Lee / USA Today)
By: Eric He
Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who owned the San Francisco 49ers from 1977 to 2000, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Canton, Ohio.
With DeBartolo at the helm, the 49ers won five Super Bowls and established themselves as a perennial superpower during the ’80s and ’90s with Joe Montana and later Steve Young under center.
“For me, one of the biggest honors is joining my guys,” DeBartolo said in his speech. “Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley, Freddy Dean, Steve Young and of course, the great Bill Walsh. It’s no secret what a big part they played in me being here today.”
The 69-year-old has a bit of a mixed legacy. In 1999, he was suspended by the NFL after he failed to report a bribe. He was involved in a corruption case that involved Edwin Edwards, the former governor of Louisiana.
But on Saturday, all of that was in the past for “Eddie D’s” special day. Though, he mades sure to credit everyone else who made an impact.
“I stand here today for the equipment managers and the groundskeepers, and the laundry crew who worked hard everyday,” he said. “I stand here for the executive assistants, the PR team and the interns who worked through the weekends. I stand here for the scouts and the bus drivers, and the cooks and the schedulers and (hot) dog venders, and the community reps who might never ever see their name in lights, but who are every bit as important to building a winning football franchise, as the players we root for on Sunday.”
DeBartolo is also a member of the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, in which he was inducted in 2008. Forever remembered as a unique, legendary owner, DeBartolo made an indelible imprint in 49ers’ history and his impact on not just the 49ers, but football as whole, will live on for generations to come.
Chris Wondolowski misfired on a few scoring chances in the Earthquakes’ scoreless draw against NYCFC on Friday (Kelley L Cox / USA Today Sports)
By: Eric He
SAN JOSE – Give Chris Wondolowski a prime scoring chance around the net and he’ll usually convert. On Friday night, he had not one, not two, not three, but four great opportunities in the second half to put one past the goalkeeper. None of them went in.
The result? A disappointing scoreless draw for the San Jose Earthquakes against the New York City FC in front of a sold-out Avaya Stadium.
“Not happy with this point, no,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “We should have come out with the win. I think we know that … We had some good looks. To come out with no goals is a bit surprising tonight.”
San Jose applied pressure throughout the second half and consistently knocked on the doorstep. Wondolowski had several chances from in close, none better than in the 69th minute when a deflected shot by Shea Salinas found Wondolowski all alone in front. But his volley bounced off the post to keep the match scoreless.
The captain said that was the opportunity he’d like to have back the most.
“I thought I had a little more time, but I’ve got to finish it,” he said.
Wondolowski also had opportunities in the 52nd and 57th minutes – the first of which was a header from point blank that went wide.
“I wasn’t losing any confidence,” Wondolowski said. “Just bad choices, bad execution, poor finishing.”
Chad Barrett subbed in and had a great scoring chance in the 76th minute off a terrific lead pass, but he was denied by NYCFC goalkeeper Josh Saunders. Another excellent ball in the 84th minute gave Wondolowski a chance on an odd-man rush, but he once again took to long to shoot and his attempt was blocked.
“Soccer’s always that game,” he said. “It ebbs and flows. I think we created some chances, especially myself. We need to finish them, and that changes the whole course of the game.”
The Earthquakes, who outshot NYCFC 19-10, also had the better of opportunities in the first half, but both teams entered the locker room scoreless. The 10th minute featured a cross by Quincy Amarikwa to Anibal Godoy, but his shot went high. Amarikwa had a chance three minutes later in front, but Saunders gobbled up the ball.
Another chance early in the first half saw Alberto Quintero weave his way through the defense, but he couldn’t get the shot off. Godoy had another opportunity in the 24th minute from point blank, but Saunders made the stop.
“The attitude of the guys, they’re disappointed in the locker room right now,” Kinnear said. “Ties are good, but we’ve got to do better than good right now, we’ve got to get some wins. To win games we need to start scoring some goals.”
David Bingham fended off shots as well on his net, with is biggest save in the half coming in the 31st minute, stopping Frank Lampard. As a whole, the Earthquakes managed to keep NYCFC’s star-power at bay, with the high press proving effective.
In fact, it was the first time NYCFC, the highest scoring team in MLS, had been shutout in 11 matches.
“I felt we were solid defensively tonight,” said defenseman Jordan Stewart. “It didn’t look like we were going to concede a goal tonight the way we were playing.”
This is the Earthquakes’ third consecutive draw. They have 12 games remaining and sit two points out of a playoff spot. That isn’t ideal, Wondolowski admitted, but it’s enough to give him hope.
“I think we have a very special locker room,” he said. “I love what we have here. I still think we can do some great things. Nothing’s changed, nothing’s wavered, and the belief is stronger than ever.”
Welcome aboard
Before the game, the Earthquakes made a trade, acquiring El Salvador National Team captain Darwin Ceren from Orlando City SC for Matias Perez Garcia and an international roster slot.
Ceren subbed in for Fatai Alashe in the 82nd minute, making his Earthquakes’ debut.
“I’m motivated to fit in and continue to play well with these guys,” he said. “Now I have to continue to play hard and earn the right to continue to play significant minutes.”
Sports Radio Service 