Author: moepea

I like lilacs, mist and cold air.

Dynamic Davion: Mitchell leads Kings’ comeback in 115-108 win over the Hornets

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By Morris Phillips

Apparently Coach Mike Brown knows what he has in Davion Mitchell.

The NCAA champion from Baylor hadn’t scored in double figures in any game this season, and hadn’t seen more than 16 minutes of floor time in any of last four games.

That all changed Monday night in Charlotte.

Mitchell started fast and came up big down the stretch in the Kings’ 115-108 come-from-behind win over the Hornets.

“He brings an understanding of what his role is and embraces his role,” Brown said of Mitchell. “He’s a guy that I know anytime we call his number he is going to be ready to play.”

In reality, Mitchell may embrace his role, but it’s not quite clear what exactly that role is seven games into the new season. The 6’0″ guard wasn’t particularly effective in the season-opening loss to the Blazers and he was summarily dismissed. Not his fault, but when a team’s top two scorers are starting in front of you, and playing for a new coach, your floor time can get bypassed.

But Mitchell’s hard to miss: he finished his rookie season by scoring in double figures 14 times in the season’s final 16 games, and he made at least nine field goals in six of those 16 games. He’s a presence.

On Monday, Mitchell was front and center.

The Kings started their road trip with an ineffective first quarter as they fell behind 34-24 with the five starters combining to miss 11 of their first 14 shots.

The second quarter wasn’t much better as the Kings fell behind by 15, and De’Aaron Fox was lost for the evening after he bumped knees with another player and was removed for precautionary reasons. The Hornets shot 60 percent from the field in the opening half and appeared to be locked in as a follow up to their impressive, overtime win over the Warriors on Saturday.

The Kings seized momentum and the lead in the third as Kevin Huerter scored 12 of his team-high 26 points. Matthew Dellavedova hit a three that gave the Kings their first lead, 79-77 with 3:43 remaining, and that set the stage for the visitors’ big push in the fourth.

Mitchell hit his first three shots of the game in the first quarter to keep the Kings attached. In the fourth, Mitchell had a pair of big baskets late to help the Kings maintain a small lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He finished with 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting, and in Fox’s absence, he and Huerter combined to make 10 threes.

“We are a team that don’t quit,” Mitchell said. “We try to play 48 minutes.”

P.J. Washington led the Hornets with 28 points as one of six double-figure scorers for the hosts. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16 points, and Dennis Smith Jr. added 15.

The Hornets were without LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Cody Martin, all due to injuries. The Hornets committed 31 fouls which lead to an impressive 24 of 28 night at the foul line for the Kings.

“We turn the ball over 21 times and foul like that, we’re not gong to win,” coach Steve Clifford said. “Every drive, we fouled.”

The Kings have a pair of wins after starting the season 0-4. They visit Miami on Wednesday in an immediate rematch of their home win over the Heat on Saturday.

Overcoming The Heat: Kings survive anxious moments to capture first win, 119-113 over Miami

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Jimmy Butler’s dunk and ensuing free throw with 6:15 remaining had Kings’ fans feeling creepy, and not in a festive, Halloween type of a way.

More like a take off your costume and head home feeling, Golden 1 Center grew tense and weary with the Kings clinging to a 101-100 advantage after leading by 22 points at the half.

Nightmare on L Street? Could have been had not Kevin Huerter and rookie Keegan Murray stepped up with some big baskets to cool the Heat.

The pair combined for 11 of Sacramento’s final 18 points and the Kings reversed their fortunes in a 119-113 win on Saturday afternoon.

“They came in with desperation,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra of the Kings. “They wanted to get that first win.”

Coach Mike Brown exhaled the deepest. His high-energy coaching, seven years experience as an NBA head coach, and four NBA titles as an assistant weren’t going to wear well in an 0-5 start to his tenure in Sacramento. Instead, he was afforded a business-as-usual approach afterwards.

“Doesn’t matter when it comes,” Brown said of his initial win. “Hopefully we can have some carryover going on this road trip.”

The Kings held a lead in the final two minutes on opening night against Portland and couldn’t hold it. A two-point loss to the Clippers and a five-point loss to the Warriors weren’t any easier to digest. Their most recent loss to Memphis brought grumblings that a team thought to be the NBA’s most improved might not be improved at all.

With a win, they have their confidence reinforced.

“It’s big to get the first one,” Huerter said. “Any time you start a year, you get your first win, it’s kind of a big relief. We’ve worked hard, as hard as any other team in training camp. It’s been a long road up to this point. The first four games of the season, we felt like we had opportunities to win. We just couldn’t close the deal.”

The Kings shot 59 percent from the floor in the first quarter and upped that to 63 percent at the half as the Heat’s defense was uncharacteristically absent. That created a 71-49 at halftime that got dismantled in the third.

Domantas Sabonis put up all 18 of his points before halftime, and two quick fouls to start the third quarter. The Kings center fouled out with the game in the balance and less than six minutes remaining in the fourth. But Richaun Holmes came on for Sabonis, and the Kings steadied. That’s when the Heat appeared to run out of gas, a residual effect of their first half struggles.

“We didn’t match that intensity in the first half,” Kyle Lowry said. “They dominated the paint in the first half. We didn’t get back well enough early in the game. They were pushing every time we scored. You could hear their coach saying, Go! Go! Go!”

Huerter led the Kings with 27 points, Murray added 22, and De’Aaron Fox came up gritty with 17 points, 13 rebounds.

The Kings are in Charlotte on Monday to face the Hornets, kicking off a four-game road trip.

Nix For Six: Oregon QB starts slow, then shreds Cal in 42-24 win

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–It’s the story thus far of Cal’s season, and their four-game losing streak: spotty play, and the inability to sustain momentum.

“There’s some things that happened at the end of the first half and start of the second that if we would have performed a bit better, then we could have made that game very competitive,” coach Justin Wilcox said.

Cal’s 42-24 loss to Oregon saw Cal stop the high-scoring Ducks early, handing them their first, scoreless opening quarter in six games, but not backing that effort with a significant lead they could protect. Instead Cal’s brief 10-7 advantage evaporated and quarterback Bo Nix emerged.

Nix led the Ducks on a pair of touchdown drives before halftime, another in the third, and another to start the fourth quarter. Within that stretch, the Bears went without points on five, straight possessions and found themselves trailing 35-10 with 12:19 remaining.

Deflating? You bet, especially for Cal fans inside Memorial Stadium that gained a charge from Cal’s encouraging, first 25 minutes of play. But this was hardly surprising. The Ducks, winners of seven straight, are jelling under new coach Dan Lanning, and they own this series. Oregon has won 12 of 14 since 2009.

Lanning’s remarks after the game reflected the dominance. The former Georgia defensive coordinator didn’t expend a bunch of words crediting Cal. Instead, his focus was clearly on what his club needs to clean up with their unspoken goal of remaining in the National title hunt.

“At times we really had it and at times we didn’t,” Lanning said. “(We) struggled a little bit times at times in the red area, gave up some big pass plays that we don’t want to see on defense. I think all around there’s moments of improvement for our team. I think our guys are hungry to improve.”

Nix stood as the biggest difference between the clubs with his 27 of 35, 412-yard afternoon. The Auburn transfer had three touchdown passes and ran for three more scores. That combination of passing yardage and touchdowns put Nix in rare company with the deceased Dwayne Haskins and current 49er Brock Purdy as the only FBS quarterbacks to throw for at least 400 yards and three touchdowns along with three rushing touchdowns in the last ten seasons.

“I didn’t play my best today, but fortunately the guys around me played really good to still put up some points,” said Nix, with his mind on a pair of interceptions he threw that ultimately didn’t damage his team at all.

The Bears haven’t beaten a team ranked in the top ten nationally since 2017, and the numbers revealed the distance they’ll need to cover to again pull of that feat. No. 8 Oreon put up 586 yards in total offense and 42 points, which is two touchdowns more than Cal had allowed in the six, previous games this season.

Freshman Kai Millner replaced Jack Plummer in the fourth quarter, and the redshirt freshman led Cal to a pair of respectability-grabbing touchdowns in the game’s final five minutes. Plummer didn’t play poorly with 214 yards passing and the touchdown pass to J. Michael Sturdivant that gave Cal its lead. But with the game’s outcome decided, Wilcox opted to get Millner valuable experience.

Sturdivant and Jeremiah Hunter were Cal’s bright spots with a combined 11 catches, and their ability to outduel Oregon’s secondary for a pair of lengthy pass completions. Given their success, Hunter’s words after the game confirming that the Cal locker room remains unified holds significance. Hunter also echoed Wilcox regarding Cal’s inconsistent play.

“We have to have a game where–like coach said–both sides of the ball come together and play their best,” Hunter said. “We haven’t done that yet.”

The Bears visit USC on Saturday night with the No. 10 Trojans giving them a second, consecutive, top ten opponent.

Point Parade: Kings allow Warriors’ 50-point quarter in 130-125 loss

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By Morris Phillips

That familiar, streetball taunt, “You can’t guard me!” took on a broader context Sunday night at the Chase Center.

As in, nobody in a white Kings’ uniform can guard anyone in a blue Warriors uniform for the next 12 minutes… or so it seemed.

The Warriors’ 50-point, second quarter laid the Kings to waste in Sacramento’s 130-125 loss that dropped them to 0-3 to start the season. Even the Kings’ late push that saw them down 126-122 with 1:04 remaining was more about the hosts than the Kings, as the Warriors missed 12 consecutive shots in the fourth. That drought prompted Coach Steve Kerr to get his starters back in the game.

The Kings trailed 89-71 at halftime, and that set a record for the most points a Sacramento Kings team has allowed in a half.

“We can’t give up 50 points in the second quarter, or no quarters,” Malik Monk said. “It’s hard to win an NBA game like that.”

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 33 points. Nineteen of those came in the last, seven minutes before halftime as the superstar hit his all-too-familar boiling point. Andrew Wiggins kicked in 24 for Golden State

The Kings first three opponents have dropped 34 made threes while shooting better than 38 percent from distance. An even more troubling trend is found in the Kings’ frequent fouling. The Warriors attempted 36 free throws (making 26) bringing the total for the Kings’ opponents to 91 attempts in just three games.

De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 26 points, but he missed five of six from three. Fox’s backcourt mate, Kevin Huerter had accuracy issues as well missing 11 of his 14 shots and finished with nine points.

Domantas Sabonis unfortunately was on the floor for the densest portions of Golden State’s onslaught. The Kings power forward collected 19 points, 14 rebounds but was an unsightly -25 on the plus/minus meter in just 22 minutes on the floor.

The Kings’ seven reserves that played were fantastic, combing for 26 made baskets on 54 shot attempts. That production allowed the Kings to turn a 26-point, third quarter deficit into a more palatable 5-point loss.

Keegan Murray and Richaun Holmes each scored 16 points, and Monk added 15.

“Mike’s doing a great job with those guys,” coach Steve Kerr said. “They’re fighting, they’re competing. They’ve had three close losses now to start the year.

“We let our guard down and they took advantage of it.”

The Kings host the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday at Golden 1 Center.

KINGS GET RINGS: Coach Mike Brown and his assistant coach Leandro Barbosa received championship rings in a ceremony before the game in recognition of their contributions to the Warriors’ coaching staff in 2021-22.

Brown spent six seasons with the Warriors, almost all of that time as Kerr’s lead assistant.

“Fantastic friends there,” Brown said when asked about the occasion on Saturday. “Still got my place a block and a half from the arena and all that stuff, but I’m locked in on this game tomorrow.”

Good, Bad And All That’s Between: Bears’ effectiveness wanes then surges in 28-21 loss to Washington

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–At some point, the Cal Bears went from hanging around to hanging touchdowns.

And at some point, the Washington Huskies went from being lulled to sleep to no lull at all.

Cal’s 28-21 loss to the visiting Huskies was a strange affair. But college football games often are strange. Only winning makes them more familiar.

Cal’s biggest misgiving on a Saturday night in which their offensive showed up late, and their defense departed early? It’s okay to be fashionably late if you can fashion together a win.

“We played some good football in stretches in the game, but we lost so that sucks obviously,” said linebacker Jackson Sirmon, who led Cal with 11 tackles.

“I thought our players gave us everything they had,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “In the first half we didn’t get quite enough going on offense. In the second half, we needed one more stop… somewhere. And we didn’t get it done. They’re a good team. That’s the bottom line.”

The Huskies piled up the yardage as their offense has done all season with an average of 528 yards per game coming in. But in a 245-yard first half, Washington came away with just two field goals and a 6-0 lead. Quarterback Michael Penix saw a couple of his early passes dropped. A curious decision by Huskies’ coach Kalen DeBoer to attempt a field goal when his offense faced a 4th-and-3 at Cal’s 18-yard line preceded Peyton Henry’s second field goal.

A conservative Huskies offense? Yes, in part. Previously DeBoer had attempted fourth down conversions 19 times in seven games, making them one of the most, aggressive attacks in the nation. But with Cal sputtering on offense–just 83 yards in the first half–Washington took what it was easily afforded.

The Bears announced after the game that standout, offensive tackle Michael Cindric will miss the remainder of the season saying only that he’ll require surgery in advance of next season. His absence prompted a second, reshuffling of Cal’s offensive line in less than a month. That essentially cost Cal’s offense early as they rushed for just five yards and saw Jack Plummer take a pair of damaging sacks that killed Cal drives.

Plummer gamely came out firing in the second half, marching Cal to a 7-6 lead after he connected with J. Michael Sturdivant on a 8-yard touchdown pass. Immediately, Plummer had Jadyn Ott and Mason Starling (starting in place of the injured Jeremiah Hunter) engaged as well.

Five minutes into the second half, the Bears had the lead and momentum. The Huskies were left to answer for their porous, secondary that was thrown on repeatedly in losses to UCLA and Arizona State. And they responded behind Penix, the national leader in passing yardage.

Washington’s 11-play drive capped by Cameron Davis’ 6-yard run to the end zone, and the ensuing two-point conversion with Penix throwing to Ja’Lynn Polk restored a 14-7 lead for the visitors.

Penix would add a pair of touchdown passes early in the fourth. His 36-yard completion to Richard Newton put the Huskies in control, leading 28-14 with 10:19 remaining.

Down two touchdowns, Cal didn’t go away. They put together a 12-play drive that was crystallized by Mavin Anderson’s leaping, touchdown catch on 4th-and-7. Anderson also contributed a 34-yard catch on the drive that brought Cal within 28-21 with 6:11 remaining.

Plummer finished 21 of 34, 245 yards passing and three touchdowns. But his last gasp attempt at a game-tying score died with an incomplete pass at the Washington 42-yard line with 28 seconds left.

“There’s a lot of belief, and we keep fighting,” DeBoer said of his Huskies (6-2). “And most importantly, we just need to keep getting better. And when you really try to narrow it down, don’t get overwhelmed by the big picture. Just get better”

The Bears (3-4) face another high-scoring opponent in Oregon on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

Last Two Minute Retort: Blazers surge late, beat Kings 115-108 on opening night

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–The Kings came out flying, recovered at half, and appeared ready to close late when De’Aaron Fox forced Damian Lillard into a bad pass with the Kings leading 106-105 with 1:55 remaining.

Then disaster struck.

Consecutive turnovers by Fox and Domantas Sabonis, followed by Jerami Grant’s basket and ensuing, made free throw ceded momentum to the Blazers in their 115-108 win at Golden 1 Center.

In losing the Kings failed to retain the enthusiasm of a new season, a new coach and renewed hopes to end their playoff drought dating back to 2006. That left an unsatisfied coach Mike Brown.

“I know this group should play a lot better on both ends of the floor,” Brown said. “I know this group can play a whole heck of a lot better on both ends of the floor.”

Individually, the Kings were superior. Fox led the Kings with 33 points, and Kevin Huerter delivered 23 in his Sacramento debut. The starting guards combined for 11 made 3-pointers.

But the visitors countered with six, double-figure scorers that masked an off-night for Lillard, who missed 13 of his 18 shots. Defensively, the Blazers quickly adopted a different approach after Huerter and Fox came out hot.

“Going small and switching everything hurt their rhythm,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. “But I thought most of the night we did a pretty fair job defensively. They put a lot of pressure on you.”

“To win on the road you’ve got to be willing to deal with some storms, some adversity,” Lillard said.

The Kings trailed 39-26 midway through the second quarter when a closing kick gave them a 55-51 lead at halftime. Terence Davis had eight of his 14 points in the spurt including an off-balance 3-pointer with 55 seconds remaining.

Grant led the Blazers with 23 points, Anfernee Simon’s added 22 and Lillard had 20.

Sabonis carried the Kings in the paint, with 13 points, five assists and four rebounds in 33 minutes on the floor.

The Kings host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday at 7:05pm.

OPENING NIGHT: Bill Russell was honored in the pre-game ceremonies with a video tribute. Russell coached the Kings for the first 58 games in the 1987-88 season. Home run king Barry Bonds, Metta Sandiford-Artest and Brad Miller were among the team’s honored guests.

Rookie Keegan Murray was held out for precautionary reasons following his absence due to COVID protocols.

Emotional Stampede: Winless Colorado stuns Cal in OT, 20-13

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By Morris Phillips

Re-energized and inspired by an injured teammate’s recovery, Colorado was a force to be reckoned with for the Cal Bears.

It didn’t matter that the Buffs were allowing an average of 38 points per game, they held Cal scoreless in an eye-opening, first half.

Then Colorado withstood a back-and-forth fourth quarter, and scored the only touchdown of overtime, a 22-yard pass from J.T. Shrout to Montana Lemonious-Craig to win 20-13.

“This is all about their response, their resolve,” interim coach Mike Sanford said. “The stuff that I said here 10 days ago, everyone thought I was crazy when I talked about what an unbelievable group of resilient fighters that we have in our locker room. I think everybody had a chance to see that on full display today.”

From 0-5 to winning a sixth game in front of a raucous, home crowd that stormed the field after Cal’s Jake Plummer’s last pass attempt in the end zone fell incomplete doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Throughout, the Bears couldn’t sustain anything offensively, and they looked nothing like the team that put up 49 points on Arizona three games ago.

“It’s very hard to win at this level scoring one touchdown,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “You’ve got to put the ball in the end zone, and credit to them. They did it more than we did.”

Plummer’s pass to Mason Starling on first down in overtime appeared to be caught to pull call within an extra point of getting Cal even, but fast-closing safety Trevor Woods ripped the ball loose.

“I saw the ball lobbed in there, and he didn’t really make an effort to go get it,” Woods said. “I punched it as hard as I could.”

Plummer finished 29 for 52 passing for 262 yards and one interception where he overthrew a deep ball down the middle. While Plummer was mildly effective, the Cal run game suffered a miserable afternoon with only 35 yards rushing and one, lengthy run of 22 yards from Jadyn Ott.

“You can’t run a run play or a pass play very effectively if you don’t start up front. Generally speaking you have to block the people up front in the run and pass game and we we didn’t do a good enough job of that today, and their front got after our front.”

The high point for Cal was a third quarter touchdown pass from Plummer to J. Michael Sturdivant that saw Sturdivant calmly get his feet down in bounds after a leaping catch along the sideline. That put Cal up, 7-3.

The Buffs responded early in the fourth with a one-yard run from Anthony Hankerson that capped a six-play drive, and put Colorado up, 10-7. Cal got a field goal from Dario Longhetto to tie at 10, then with time expiring, Longhetto hit from 34 yards to tie the game, 13-13, at the end of regulation.

Buffs running back Deion Smith was injured early in the fourth quarter, and after several anxious moments, Smith was removed by a stretcher while surrounded by the entire Colorado team. When the celebration moved from the field to the locker room after the game, the team was given that much more to celebrate. Smith was up and walking.

“Deion is up and walking and I think he was emotional because he didn’t have a chance to celebrate on the field with his teammates. But he was a huge part of that victory, both in his play and more importantly, just how much this team loves him and showed their support for him.”

If Colorado’s story wasn’t improbable enough, Shrout replaced starter Owen McCown, who was hit in the mid-section, and couldn’t continue. But Shrout came on and led Colorado to it’s only touchdown in regulation, and a 10-7 lead.

The Bears (3-3) return to Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on October 22 to host Washington.

Hoops Prevail, Drama Subsides: Lakers top Warriors 124-121 in exhibition shootout

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Anthony Davis owned the first half, Jordan Poole claimed the third quarter, and little known Matt Ryan, with a grand total of five minutes of NBA experience, took it from there.

Tally it up, and the Lakers escaped Chase Center with a 124-121 exhibition win that entertained the fans, but left coach Steve Kerr needing to see much more ahead of the season opener on October 18.

“We’re turning the ball over way too much, and defensively we haven’t been great,” Kerr conceded.

Along with the 30 made threes, 17 of those astonishingly from the Lakers, the numerous healthy scratches signaled exhibition as opposed to the heightened, intensity of the regular season. LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverly and Dennis Schroeder did not dress for the Lakers. The Warriors played without Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala.

Green remains away from the team indefinitely due to the scuffle with Jordan Poole on Wednesday. There’s no indication that Green will be suspended by the Warriors and it’s likely he’ll be available for the season opener a week from Tuesday although that’s yet to be determined.

Little was said of Green on Sunday night, but Poole had a lot to say with the growth in his game, and the 18-point, third quarter explosion that gave the Warriors a 91-89 lead heading to the fourth.

Poole thrilled the crowd with his drive that started with an inside-out dribble move, finished with an around the back flourish and a flip shot for a bucket in the lane.

“We were debating on the bench if that was a travel, but they didn’t call it,” Kevon Looney joked.

Poole led the Warriors with 25 points, including three made threes and never appeared bothered by Wednesday’s incident or the speculation that he will sign a lucrative contract extension in the upcoming week.

Surprising, given all the uproar, and opinions regarding the incident? Not to Kerr and Poole’s teammates who know his focus and determination.

“He doesn’t really let stuff phase him,” Looney said. “If things (aren’t) going his way, he just puts his head down and keeps working.”

“There’s a reason Jordan is where he is right now, especially when you consider where he was coming out of Michigan as a late first-round pick struggling his first few months in the league,” Kerr said. “There’s a reason he’s in this position about to sign a big extension hopefully. Guy’s tough.”

Stephen Curry added 24 points, four assists in 24 minutes, two more minutes than Kerr insisted his star would play. Andrew Wiggins had 15 points, and James Wiseman put up 13 off the bench.

Davis returned to action after missing the two, previous Lakers’ exhibitions and looked like 2020/bubble AD with 28 points, 24 of those in the first half. The eight-time All-Star impressed with a dunk of a lob, and two made threes. Last season, Davis played in just 40 games and shot a career-worst 18 percent from distance.

Matt Ryan had his, singular NBA moment with 20 points–in 20 minutes–and six 3-pointers, the final one with 2:44 remaining that put the Lakers up 118-114. Ryan also cooly converted a pair of free throws with five seconds left that gave the Lakers their final margin of victory.

The 25-year old Ryan’s previous NBA experience? Five minutes as a Boston Celtic in their season finale in April. He scored three points.

“It’s good because you never know what can happen in a regular season game,” Davis said. “You might need Matt (Ryan) or you might need Scotty (Pippen Jr.), or Max (Christie). You just never know. And for them to get those type of reps in that type of situation, especially on the road, is good.”

The Lakers won for the first time in pre-season after three losses. The Warriors, who host Portland on Tuesday, lost for the first time after winning twice in Japan.

Breaking Even: Giants win 8-1, finish season at .500 for the first time in franchise history

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By Morris Phillips

Manager Gabe Kapler knows this situation all too well. The Giants franchise hasn’t ever experienced a break-even, season finish in their history dating back to 1883.

Finishing at .500 (81-81) one season after winning 107 games isn’t ideal, but it is history. The Giants finish to 2022 marks just the fifth time a 100-win club has finished the following season without a winning record. The Giants may have not wanted that distinction, but they’ll take this one: they’re the first team since the 1925 Cardinals to be as many as eight games below .500 with 16 games remaining to finish .500 or better. Beating the Padres 8-1 on Wednesday gave them a 12-4 finish, and a clear sign that the club is engaged, not splintering, under Kapler’s leadership.

Some good, some bad. But more good than bad, just ask the manager.

Kapler has five seasons leading a big league club under his belt–the last three in San Francisco–and his 2019 Phillies team also finished 81-81. Conversely, that club lost 12 of its final 17 to finish that season at .500, and in his first season in Philly (2018) Kapler’s club led the NL East in early August only to win just 16 of their last 49 and finish with a losing record (80-82).

On the final day of 2019, the Phillies fell behind the Marlins 4-0 only to rally and come up short in a 4-3 loss. Eight times that day, Phillies’ hitters came up empty with runners in scoring position when one, successful at-bat could have pulled them even with the Marlins and given them a chance to win, and post a winning record. The Citizens Bank Park fans weighed in as always, by cheering Bryce Harper, who completed his first season in Philadelphia with 35 homers and 114 RBI, and booing Kapler.

“Expectations were high and we didn’t get the job done, but it wasn’t for lack of effort,” Kapler said after that game.

Eleven days later, Kapler was fired by Philadelphia, which freed him up to interview and be tabbed by the Giants to become their manager in 2020.

This finish will be far easier to digest for the team and the manager. David Villar homered twice in the win over the Padres, the second one with style as Villar’s drive bounced off the racing Jurickson Profar’s glove and into the first row of seats in left field. That gave the Giants a 7-1 lead in the eighth inning as they took full advantage of a Padres’ team that was more focused on their cross-country flight to New York for their first their first post-season encounter with the Mets on Friday night.

Austin Slater also homered in the win, and Lamonte Wade Jr. had three hits and an RBI. The three knocks were just enough to get Wade’s batting average to .207, a far more dignified end to his season than with the .198 average he started the day with.

Mike Yastrzemski had a pair of hits and two RBI. Yaz finished the season as one of only four Giants to get over 100 hits (104).

Joey Bart had a day as polarizing as his season as a whole. While he finished with a single and a run scored, he also struck out three times. Bart will need to cut down on his strikeouts (112 K’s in 97 game appearances) going forward, but his first, full season as the club’s catcher was a success behind the plate. Bart’s defense was impressive and memorable, as was his handling of the pitchers. On Wednesday, Bart helped eight relievers navigate the paired-down Padres lineup, allowing just four hits and a run, with the run allowed by opener John Brebbia in the first inning.

Again the bad: the Giants finished the season with 28 losses to the Padres and Dodgers combined. Against all other opponents they were 71-53. The newly-configured schedule for 2023 will see the Giants play their two tormenters six fewer times each as MLB switches to a more balanced schedule with increased interleague play.

Will that help the Giants? It could, but a headline-generating off-season filled with a couple of splashy, free agent signings will be the key to answering that question. All signs point to the Giants being heavily involved in attempting to sign slugger Aaron Judge, as well as their own free agent, starting pitcher, Carlos Rodon.

The Padres (89-73) qualified for the post-season for only the second time in the last eight seasons, but now find themselves facing a daunting task. They’ll play a best-of-three series in New York against the 100-win Mets. In order to prevail, they’ll have to face the challenge of seeing standout starting pitchers Jacob de Grom, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt on consecutive days. If they don’t prevail, post-season baseball won’t come to Petco Park.

From a business and a momentum-building standpoint, nothing could be more important. In 2022, the Padres drew 2,987,470 fans, the fifth-highest in the majors this year and the second-highest in franchise history behind 3,016,752 in Petco Park’s inaugural season of 2004.

“More than anything we want to win the series so we can see playoff baseball here in San Diego,” slugger Wil Myers said.

Seven In The Eighth: Big inning leads Padres past the Giants, 7-4

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By Morris Phillips

The Giants most excruciating losses in 2022 have come to the Padres. That pattern continued on Monday night.

Jake Cronenworth’s two-run double and Wil Myers’ three-run homer highlighted San Diego’s seven-run, eighth inning that broke up a scoreless ballgame and pushed the Padres past the Giants, 7-4.

The Giants (80-80) fell back to .500 with the loss, and still need one more win to avoid a losing season. The Padres have already punched their post-season ticket but will likely need one more win to clinch the fifth-seed and a trip to either New York or Atlanta to a start a best-of-three, opening round series starting Friday.

The Giants got the best imaginable in their battle with Padres’ starter Joe Musgrove, who threw six, scoreless innings but left with the game scoreless and no opportunity to get an 11th win on the season in his final start. Musgrove allowed two hits and two walks, with the hits coming in the fifth when David Villar and Lamonte Wade Jr. both singled. In four, previous starts against the Giants this season Musgrove allowed four runs in 27 2/3 innings pitched.

“It seemed really easy there for a while. Had really good command of his breaking ball. Good change-up today. Good fastball when he needed it,” manager Bob Melvin said of Musgrove.

The Giants matched Musgrove by getting a scoreless inning from opener John Brebbia followed by five, impressive innings from Sean Hjelle. Shelby Miller pitched a 1-2-3 seventh but fell into trouble in the eighth.

Trent Grisham and Brandon Dixon doubled to start the inning and put the Padres up 1-0. With one out, the Giants opted to put Juan Soto on base with an intentional walk, but Miller went 3-0 on Chris Drury before walking him as well and loading the bases. Jarlin Garcia was summoned by manager Gabe Kapler but he gave up Cronenworth’s double and Myers’ home run.

The Giants rallied in the ninth first with Brandon Crawford’s bases loaded single, then two batters later, Joey Bart’s two-run single. Bart’s hit was just the second time he’s delivered an RBI hit since August 10. Bart’s hit chased Tim Hill, but Josh Hader came on to strike out Austin Slater and induce J.D. Davis to fly out to end the game with the tying run on base.

The Giants will turn to Carlos Rodon on Tuesday in his final start of the season. The Padres have not as of yet named a starting pitcher.

EVAN LONGORIA: The Giants veteran third baseman was placed on the injured list on Monday with a fractured thumb. That ends his season, and begins the speculation as to whether he’ll return to the Giants in 2023.

The Giants hold a team option for Longoria at $13 million. His buyout number is $5 million, and that is the most likely option. But Longoria said his family is open to him continuing his career, and he would consider renegotiating a deal at lower price than $13 million.

“I’m a Giant until I’m not a Giant anymore. I don’t have any desire to go anywhere else. I’m very comfortable here,” Longoria said.