Author: Matthew Harrington

Quakes Close Out Buck Shaw Stadium With 0-0 Draw

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes shut out the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps FC, but failed to score themselves, shutting down Buck Shaw Stadium with a 0-0 tie in the final MLS game played on Santa Clara University’s campus in front of a sellout crowd of 10,525.

“Historically, we made it tough for other teams to play here,” said Quakes defender Jason Hernandez, a member of the Quakes since the first game at Buck Shaw, also a 0-0 draw in May 2008 against FC Dallas. “I’m glad we could at least finish on that note.”

While the Quakes (6-15-12, 30 points) couldn’t end a now-14 game winless streak along their residency of Buck Shaw, interim coach Ian Russell picked up his first point as a bench boss. Russell took over for Mark Watson, who was dismissed earlier in the week after it was revealed that current Houston Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear would take over coaching responsibilities for the Earthquakes next season after a disappointing campaign this year.

“We’re all playing for jobs right now,” said starting goalkeeper Jon Busch. “Dom’s going to come in next week and you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

The men in San Jose jerseys were desperate to earn job security, but Vancouver (11-8-14, 47 points)entered the contest needing points locked with the Portland Timbers in a tie for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with two games left to play. With that in mind, Russell and the Quakes made some tweaks to their usual formation to try to counter Vancouver’s high octane offense.

“We knew we wanted to finish off Buck Shaw the right way,” said Busch. “You could see it with the way Ian set the team up tonight. We were high-pressing them, trying to get turnovers.”

The result was a success, though not quite an overwhelming one, with the Quakes managing their first clean sheet since August 2nd at Levi’s Stadium against the Seattle Sounders but nothing on the scoreboard offensively.

“The whole back four was fabulous,” said Russell of his defenders. “I think it started with the first line with (Wondolowski), then the midfield five putting pressure on all the time. Then the back four really stood up.”

While there weren’t any Goonies-type shenanigans, San Jose isn’t despondent about the farewell for Buck Shaw, their home for the last seven seasons.

“In my five years, there have been so many come backs, late game heroics,” said Busch. “I honestly think it was written in the script to end 0-0 tonight. It wasn’t a lack of effort on the offensive side, we just couldn’t get one.”

“I played the first game here and the last game here,” added Hernandez. “Full circle. I’m very honored to be a part of this club for that long, leave this stadium with so many memories.”

Memories, however, aren’t enough to damper excitement for the Quakes shiny new stadium, with construction set to conclude in December on the 18,000 seat state-of-the-art field.

“We’re kind of glad to be out of this stadium,” said Russell. “We’ve had some good memories here, but when you have the nice big one down the street, I think we’re ready to go.”

With one more game left on the schedule, a match against last-place Chivas USA next Sunday, one last piece of business must be resolved.

Could the Quakes be opening Earthquakes Stadium with a special ceremony recognizing a club record being broken? Jon Busch needs only two more saves to tie the club benchmark of 137 in a single season set by Joe Cannon in 2000.

“For me it’s not about individual records,” said Busch. “If it happens next week, it happens. I don’t play this game for individual records, I play to win games and have chances at individual trophies. The team results are much more important than any individual accomplishments.”

Warriors Stumble in Fourth Quarter, End Unbeaten Preseason Streak

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

A Bay Area team lost in Kansas City Friday night, but don’t expect the shortcoming to make the evening news. In fact most people won’t notice at all, just the true diehards. That’d be diehards of the Golden State Warriors.

With game the San Francisco Giants in town preparing for game one of the World Series, the Bay’s best took to the hardwood, not the diamond, with the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat playing a preseason exhibition at Kansas City’s Spirit Center. The 2014 Eastern Conference champion Heat downed the Warriors 115-108 to hand the Dubs their first loss in the five tune-up games played in preparation for opening night October 29th. Miami had gone four preseason games without a victory entering Friday.

David Lee’s shooting touch was on display, with the Warriors forward going 11 of 11 from the field for 24 points. Klay Thompson scored a game-high 29 points, making 10 of 21 shots over 32 minutes of play. The only ice cold Warrior was Stephen Curry who only connected on a pair of shots for seven points total. In total, the Warriors went 38-for-78 for a .487 shooting percentage.

Chris Bosh led the Heat in scoring with 21 points, while Luol Deng and Shawne Williams chipped in 19 apiece. The “home” team went 39 of 70 on field goals made versus attempted.

Golden State held a 95-83 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but were outscored 32-13 down the stretch.

The next stop for the Warriors preseason tour is a showdown with the Houston Rockets Sunday. This game will be played in Hidalgo, Texas at the State Farm Arena.

Warriors Continue Undefeated Preseason, Romp Lakers

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The preseason continues to be an unmitigated success for the Golden State Warriors following a 116-75 romp of the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday evening from Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.

Stephen Curry had a game-high 25 points for the Warriors, while fellow starters Klay Thompson (16)and David Lee (14) cracked double-digit scoring for the Dubs as well. The bench combined for 50 total points, led by Marreese Speights’ 11.

The Warriors held Kobe Bryant to just 3-of-13 shooting for a total of six points. Guard Wayne Ellington and center Robert Sacre topped the Lakers with 12 points apiece, with both players coming off the bench for their team-leading totals. Los Angeles starter Jordan Hill matched Warriors center Andrew Bogut with seven rebounds each.

Golden State lit up the hosts early, scoring just one point shy of 40 in the first quarter. The Warriors outscored the Lakers 24-23 in the second quarter to take a 63-36 lead at the midway point. Another 35-plus point quarter but the Dubs up 100-60 with three segments in the books. Neither team lit up the score sheet in the final fourth, with Golden State outpacing the Lakers 16-15 down the stretch to finish up the blowout.

Andre Iguodala, who had his nose broken in a game against these same Lakers on Thursday, played in a protective facemask. He once again starred in a preseason play that may call attention after Ronnie Price came out of his shoe trying to defend the Warriors point guard. Price tossed his shoe non-maliciously at Iguodala in an attempt to knock the ball loose.

The Warriors now roll on to Des Moines, Iowa where they will take on the Denver Nuggets. The October 16th contest will be played at the Wells Fargo Arena.

Winless Skid at 13 After Earthquakes Fall to Real Salt Lake 2-0

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Time is winding down for the San Jose Earthquakes to avoid starting next truly anew, free from any reminders of the struggles of the current campaign. Following a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium, the Quakes are mired in a 13-game winless streak with three games left in the season. San Jose’s last victory came August 2nd in a 1-0 result against the Seattle Sounders, with the match serving as the inaugural event held at Levi’s Stadium.

Real took the lead on a 24th-minute strike from Ned Grabavoy, then Sebastian Velasquez beat San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch four minutes later for the final goal of the game. Salt Lake outshot the short-handed Quakes, more than doubling the Quakes attempts on net (9) with 20.

San Jose partook in its second-straight match short-handed with 17 players. Some notable faces like Atiba Harris (Saint Kitts and Nevis) and Cordell Cato (Trinidad and Tobago) answered the call for international play duties. Also absent from the backline was defender Victor Bernardez, joining his countrymen to represent Honduras in exhibition play.

The Earthquakes’ leading scorer, Chris Wondolowski, also was missing upfront after playing for the United States Men’s National Team in Friday’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador. The game, played at East Hartford, Connecticut’s Rentschler field, marked the final international appearance for former Earthquake Landon Donovan.

Up next for the Earthquakes is an international friendly, with the Quakes welcoming Victor Bernardez’s old Honduran side CDS Vida to Santa Clara. Following the friendly Tuesday, San Jose wraps up the home portion of the schedule with a Saturday evening showdown against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Saturday match-up, a contest pitting the Quakes against a desperate Vancouver squad looking to lock in the last spot in the Western Conference, marks the final game the Quakes will play at Buck Shaw Stadium. They’ll move to a new stadium expected to open at the start of next season. The Quakes still have one more road game, the best shot at snapping the winless skid. San Jose closes out the season at the Stub Hub Center against last place Chivas USA October 26th.

Timbers Rally to Eliminate Quakes From Contention

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The nightmare is over for the San Jose Earthquakes. Following a 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers (10-9-12, 42 points) Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium, the Quakes now officially have been eliminated from MLS Cup contention. No longer will a San Jose player have to talk about the faint possibility of making up points in the standings to make a postseason run in a campaign that from its onset seemed fated for a struggle.

There has been plenty of bad luck going around Santa Clara County. A smattering of injuries to backbone players, players like Steven Lenhart, Clarence Goodson and a litany of others, compounded with a lack of consistency among the healthy and an on-and-off scoring touch see the Quakes (6-13-11, 29 points) one spot ahead of Chivas USA, a team set to take a few seasons off following financial struggles, for dead last place in the Western Conference.

“A lot of good work and effort in front of our fans was all for naught tonight,” said Earthquakes defender Jason Hernandez. “They say you make your own luck. We try our hardest every night but we just can’t seem to get our heads above water. It’s very frustrating.”

Saturday’s game served as the perfect metaphor for the season. After a 56th minute Chris Wondolowski strike, his 14th of the season, handed San Jose the lead the Earthquakes looked on their way to their first win in 11 games. Perhaps in another season, that’d be the case. But in the year of misfortune, things wouldn’t be that easy for the men in blue.

“It was another frustrating night,” said head coach Mark Watson. “I thought we played well at times. We knew we were playing a good team who wanted to possess the ball. I thought we defended well and had a bunch of chances.”

Reminiscent of the last meeting between these two teams, the Timbers tied the game late, this time on a deflection by Rodney Wallace in the 71st minute. Just three minutes later, the bounces went against San Jose again, this time by way of the double-deflection goal for Wallace. Just like that, three points became one became none for San Jose.

“Portland is a good team, but to give up two deflection goals is the story of our season,” said Hernandez. “I’d love to have some deflection goals go in for us. I feel like we’ve been on the wrong end of things for most of the year.”

“The two goals they scored, the deflections, is the way our season is going,” added Watson. “I’m really disappointed for our guys. They came out motivated to win in front of their home fans, and once again, we leave disappointed.”

The Quakes hold a second chance to play spoiler to Portland’s playoff hopes Wednesday. They travel to the Pacific Northwest with a chance to Keep Portland, two points ahead of Vancouver for the final Western Conference playoff spot, from widening the gap.

For the Quakes, Wednesday could mark one of the final four games of Coach Mark Watson’s tenure as bench boss. Rumors have swirled that Watson, who took over as interim coach following the departure of Frank Yallop during the 2013 season, may be terminated at the end of the season. While it would be easy for Watson and co. to pack it up over the next few weeks, don’t expect to see the Quakes go soft.

“It’s about pride right now,” said Watson. “It’s about character, pride. Every time you step on the practice field or on the field for a game, you do your best, work as hard as you can. Fight for this club. I have no doubt our guys will do that right until the end of the season.”

Watson isn’t the only one facing uncertainty at season’s end. Many players are motivated to continue toiling away to earn a spot on a squad, be it with the Earthquakes or in the MLS and beyond.

“There’s plenty of motivation,” said Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch. “You play for points, you play for pride in the jersey, you play for pride in your own blood, and you’re playing for contracts. The list goes on and on. If you don’t have motivation to play then you just need to get out of here.”

Giants Thump Padres 9-3 In Season Finale, Offense Tunes Up For Wild Card Showdown

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – With a playoff berth in hand, the San Francisco Giants wrapped game 162 up with an offensive display sure to comfort fans heading into a do-or-die contest. The Giants wrapped 13 hits in a 9-3 victory over the San Diego Padres Sunday Afternoon at AT&T Park.

Buster Posey and pinch-hitter Adam Duvall each homered for San Francisco (87-74), while seven different Giants knocked in a run. The Padres (77-85) received RBIs from Cory Spangenberg, Seth Smith and Yasmani Grandal.

“Ultimately, I think the guys who have been through this know this,” said Posey “It’s going to come down to pitching well and playing good defense. I think we have the offense that can get hot and carry that hotness, sustain that hotness for a few weeks.”

Before the Giants even took the field for the regular season finale against the San Diego Padres, they knew their playoff fate. With a Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 loss in Cincinnati earlier in the day, the Giants will head to the Steel City for Wednesday’s one-game Wild Card playoff. The Pirates opened the day one game back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the National League Central crown.

“That’s a good club,” said Giants Manager Bruce Bochy of Wednesday’s foe. “They really have been firing this month, almost winning their division. It’s going to be a tough game.”

For San Francisco, Rookie pitcher Chris Heston made his first Major League start after two relief appearances this season. In his 2014 Triple-A Fresno campaign Heston went 12-9 with a 3.38 earned run average, the second lowest mark in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He was twice named a MiLB Organizational All-Star for the Giants and this year lead all PCL starters in innings pitched (173) and starts (28).

The 2009 San Francisco 12th round draft pick opened the game precariously, allowing four-straight hits to the Padres before finally recording his first out on a Seth Smith sacrifice fly. The 26-year-old retired the next two batters, including inducing an inning-ending grounder up the middle that he deflected to a diving shortstop Brandon Crawford. Crawford flipped the ball out of his glove to second basemen Joe Panik to end the inning with the Giants only trailing 2-0.

“He threw the ball very well,” said Posey of his batterymate. “I think there were some nerves to start with but he settled in for innings two, three and four.”

“There were some nerves to be out there for start one,” admitted Heston. “But once I threw strike one, it settled down. A lot happened pretty quickly. Crawford made a crazy good play to get me out of it. It was pretty fun.”

The deficit would be short-lived following a Buster Posey’s 22nd home run of the year off Padres starter Robbie Erlin. Posey tied the game after taking a belt-high fastball to left-center, scoring Gregor Blanco for the backstop’s 88th and 89th RBIs of the season. Posey underwent an MRI Friday to check on damage to his balky bat.

“(Buster) told me in the morning he wanted to play,” said Bochy. “I was a little concerned that he was healthy, but he showed me with his swing. We were planning to give him a couple at-bats, but Buster felt fine in them all. It seemed encouraging that he’s over his issue.”

The Giants cracked open the game in the bottom of the second inning, scoring four runs to chase the eventual losing pitcher Erlin (4-5, 4.99 ERA) from the game. San Francisco loaded the bases with no outs for Heston. He struck out looking for the first out, but leadoff man Blanco lofted a sacrifice fly to center and Panik singled down the line at first for a 4-2 lead. Padres manager Bud Black went to his bullpen, calling on Tim Stauffer to replace Erlin after his 1 1/3 innings of work and four runs allowed. Stauffer struck out Posey to end the second.

The Friars fired back with a run of their own off Heston in the top of the third after a Yasmani Grandal RBI single. It’d be the last run the Padres would score off Heston in his four innings of work. He’d be lifted for pinch-hitter Adam Duvall in the bottom of the fourth. Duvall took a 91 mile per hour Stauffer offering deep for his third home run of the season.

Heston failed to qualify for his first career win despite exiting the game with a 5-3 lead, missing the five-inning cutoff. He walked a pair of struck out a pair in his outing, but the honors instead went to Tim Lincecum (12-9, 4.74). “The Freak” pitched a pair of scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth, surrendering a lone hit, to vulture the win.

“I thought Heston did a good job,” said Bochy. “He’s pitched a lot. It’s not an easy job taking him out in the fourth with the lead but with him not getting a lot of work we didn’t want to overtax him. Timmy came in and got another win so he’s excited about that. It was a well-played game.”

San Francisco put the game out of reach with a three-run eighth inning following an run-scoring hits by birthday boy Gary Brown, Joaquin Arias and pinch-hitter Matt Duffy. Arias’ hit, a double off reliever Nick Vincent, plated two runs. Erik Cordier and Brett Bochy pitched a scoreless inning apiece to close out the win for the Black and Orange on Fan Appreciation Day.

“It’s very special for him to be out there,” said the elder Bochy on utilizing his son for the final three outs. “It’s a moment I won’t forget. I told the kids ‘hey, you’ve got the end here’ because we weren’t going to use (Santiago) Casilla, (Hunter) Strickland or (Sergio) Romo.”

“It was a very proud moment for me,” he added. “This is one line-up card I’ll save.”

What the fans would truly appreciate is a third Giants World Series title in six years. With that in mind Bochy has already announced his scheduled starter for Wednesday’s playoff contest. 2014 all-star Madison Bumgarner takes his 18-10 record and 2.98 ERA to the bump against the Bucs in an attempt to advance the Giants to the Division Series and a date with the NL wins leaders, the Washington Nationals.

“Madison was our Opening Day starter,” said Bochy. “He made the All-star team. This is the way you hope it will pan out.”

Pittsburgh won the season series 4-2. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has hinted that Edison Volquez (3.04 ERA) will get the nod after his 13-win season.

“It’s going to be one of the better atmospheres that we get to play in,” said Posey “We all look forward to the challenge”

“We’re playing in their park where they’ve really done a good job,” added Bochy. “We’re facing a tough pitcher. I expect to see a great ballgame. We’ll do all we can to get back here.”

Rangers Deny A’s Celebration, Make Game 162 A Must-Win

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The celebration of clinching a playoff spot will have to wait another day for the Oakland Athletics following a 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. The defeat, mixed with a walk-off Seattle Mariners win later in the evening, means the A’s (87-74) will now need to win or have the Mariners lose in the season finale Sunday to clinch a spot in the one-game Wild Card playoff and a date with the runner-up of the American League Central. The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals already clinched a playoff berths while boasting identical records, but must use the final day of the regular season to decide who will win the AL Central and who will host the Wild Card game Tuesday.

Oakland starter Jeff Samardzija (7-13, 2.99 ERA) suffered the loss after allowing five runs over seven innings despite striking out nine Rangers. The A’s Josh Donaldson hit his 29th home run of the season, while Jake Smolinski and Robinson Chirinos went deep for last-place Texas (67-94). Spencer Patton (1-0, 0.96) picked up his first career win, while Neftali Feliz nailed down his 13th save of the season at home.

Donaldson, whose status was in doubt after aggravating a knee injury Friday night, opened the game with a solo shot off Rangers starter spot starter Scott Baker in the first inning, but Texas struck back with run scoring singles by Rougned Odor and Adrian Beltre in the bottom half of the frame for a 2-1 lead for their surprise starter.

Smolinski took Samardzija deep in the fourth for a 3-1 edge, but Oakland pulled within one after Nate Freiman’s double play off reliever Alex Claudio scored Josh Reddick.

Chirinos extended the lead in the seventh inning after his two-run homer off Samardzija. The A’s then came back in the next half inning with a pair of RBI singles by Reddick and Jed Lowrie off Roman Mendez. On Reddick’s single, Jonny Gomes managed to just beat out the tag on a play at the plate. Rangers interim manager Tim Bogar challenged the play, but the call of safe originally made on the field was upheld.

The Rangers are expected to send Saturday’s planned starter, Ace Derek Holland, to the mound Sunday looking to take the A’s postseason fate out of their own hands. The left-hander missed his regularly scheduled start after migraines derailed his ability to make the start. Manager Bob Melvin will tab the A’s Opening Day starter Sonny Gray with game 162 duties.

Gray’s 12 K’s Not Enough For A’s Against LeBlanc, Halos

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

OAKLAND, Calif. – Despite a dominant rebound performance from starter Sonny Gray at the O.Co Coliseum Tuesday night, the Oakland Athletics once again found their efforts to string together three consecutive wins come up short.

After dropping game two of a three game series against the 2014 American League West Champion Los Angeles Angels 2-0, the Green and Gold (86-71) still seek their first uninterrupted trio of wins since August 7-9. Wade LeBlanc pitched 5 2/3 of shutout innings for the Halos, while former Athletic Houston Street nailed down his 40th save of the season after retiring the side in order.

The Athletics loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth inning with reliever Joe Smith on the mound and two men retired, but Stephen Vogt’s fly-out derailed the Oakland rally.

“I left a small village of runners in scoring position tonight,” said Vogt. “It’s really frustrating to not get them in.”

It marked only the second time all night the home team advanced a runner past second base. In total, the A’s left eight runners on base.

“That’s baseball in a nutshell,” said Vogt. “It’s frustrating, absolutely. But just because we didn’t have offense today doesn’t mean our offense isn’t good. I think we’re still playing good baseball right now, we just didn’t get any hits when we needed them tonight.”

An Oakland loss, paired with a Kansas City Royals win in Cleveland, knots the two squads up with identical records in the chase for the top Wild Card spot and home-field advantage in the one-game playoff. Despite the result Tuesday, the A’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth drops to three games by way of a Seattle Mariners lost. Just five regular season games remain.

Gray (13-10, 3.21 ERA) recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts, including three by potential AL Most Valuable Player Mike Trout, yielding only two runs in the losing effort.

“He came in the dugout with this look in his eye,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “He was going to get after it. Unfortunately we didn’t give him the support. Three hits and he struck out nine of the first 12 guys. Everything was working today.”

Gray’s ability to rack up strikeouts in a hurry wasn’t lost on his teammates.

“I looked up in the fifth and he had ten punch-outs,” said Vogt. “That was a remarkable thing. He threw the ball well. We had some opportunities to score runs and we just weren’t able to come through.”

The youthful right-hander picked up eight of his first nine outs on K’s and nine of his first 12 by way of the whiff. It was the one non-strikeout that made him the hard luck loser against Los Angeles (97-61).

With runners on first and third and one out in the second inning, Gray caught Hank Conger swinging at strike three. The runner at first, Efren Navarro, took off with the pitch, drawing a throw from catcher Geovany Soto.

“There was a miscommunication on that,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “Aybar was coming down the line. We needed to stop the run there.”

With Erick Aybar crashing down the line from third base after the throw to second, Navarro froze between second and third base. Already dead to rights on the Soto throw, Navarro stalled long enough in a pickle for Aybar to cross the plate.

“He’s fast,” said Gray of the Angels shortstop. “He puts pressure on the defense, as you could see there. He’s a good player, he has good baseball instincts.”

The Angels added another run in the sixth inning after Gordon Beckham ripped a solo home to left field for the only earned run of the day. The long ball stood as the Angels first hit since the second inning as well as the third and final hit the visitors would collect on the evening.

Gray’s LA counterpart, starter Wade LeBlanc, managed to tame the A’s bats despite a repertoire of pitches that don’t break the 90 mph barrier. The Southpaw fired 5 2/3 innings, allowing only five hits to the Oakland hitters. The A’s didn’t manage a base runner to reach second base off LeBlanc until Josh Reddick’s doubled with one out in the fifth inning.

“He did a good job mixing his pitches,” said Vogt. “He didn’t really miss over the plate tonight. Typically, a guy like that, a junk baller, he knows how to pitch. That’s one thing about Wade LeBlanc, he knows how to pitch. He’s a really good pitcher. How you take advantage of those guys is when he makes mistakes over the plate, and he didn’t do that tonight.”

Of the five A’s hits off LeBlanc, four came counter to the lefty-vs-lefty pitcher’s advantage with Reddick (two hits), Sam Fuld and Eric Sogard all reaching base.

LeBlanc (1-1, 4.23) started the season in the minor leagues with the Angels, ultimately making his first Major League appearance at Oakland May 30th. LeBlanc pitched 6 1/3 innings of relief against the Athletics after starter Garret Richards exited with a season-ending knee injury, his longest outing to date this season.

Following his lone stint of game action, LeBlanc was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees on June 3rd. 12 days later, after only one inning of two run work against the A’s later, the Yankees granted the 30 year old free agency. The Lake Charles, La. native returned to the Angels roster on June 17th. Since then, he has made eight appearances, including two starts before his season-best Tuesday evening outing.

Manager Mike Scioscia tabs a third-straight left-hander to pitch Wednesday afternoon’s series finale. Hector Santiago takes the mound in the rubber match. Melvin counters with a lefty of his own, sending trade deadline acquisition Jon Lester to the hill. The winner of Wednesday’s contest takes the season series with each side claiming nine wins apiece in head-to-head play.

A’s Samardzija “Coming for Blood” With Another Stretch Run Gem

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

OAKLAND, Calif. – For the first time since August 25th, the Oakland Athletics’ Jeff Samardzija saw something by his name Monday night he hadn’t seen in a while; a W.

“This last month has been fun for me,” said Samardzija, thrilled on being in a playoff race despite a recent lack of personal results. “It’s something I’ve been asking for for a long time. I haven’t been in this situation before. I want to take advantage of it. Opportunities aren’t guaranteed; they don’t come around too often, so you don’t want to waste them.”

The July 4th trade acquisition wasted little Monday night, firing seven five-hit innings, allowing only one run to the visiting Los Angeles Angels (96-61) to lead Oakland to an 8-4 win over the 2014 American League West winners. The A’s (86-70) staked Samardzija to an early cushion, scoring six runs on only two hits in the bottom of the first to maintain a one-game lead over the Kansas City Royals for home field advantage as the top AL Wild Card team. The A’s magic number is now down to four.

“I feel like I have thrown 210 innings, that’s for sure,” joked Samardzija. “That doesn’t’ matter at this point. It doesn’t matter how you feel. You owe more to your teammates and to yourself to go out and do your job and do it to the best of your abilities. I feel great.”

Geovany Soto and Stephen Vogt each collected two-run hits in the contest for the A’s. Soto now has five RBIs over his last two games.

Over his previous four starts, Samardzija (5-5, 2.92 ERA) received a scant five runs of support from his offense. The righty went 0-2 over that stretch despite allowing only five runs in 30 innings. He entered play Monday night without allowing a run over his last 16 innings, but saw the scoreless stretch snapped after a Mike Trout sacrifice fly plated an unearned run in the first inning. He has not allowed an earned run over 23 innings.

“He’s aggressive, he’s coming at you,” said Soto of his batterymate. “He’s a shark, he’s coming for blood. Good or bad, he’s coming after you.”

The solitary run came after the LA leadoff man Kole Calhoun reached base on a double, then took third while Jonny Gomes struggled to corral the wall ball. Samardzija would bounce back from his left fielder’s error to retire the next three hitters, but not before conceding the final 90 feet to Calhoun on Trout’s RBI pop out.

After a fielder’s choice found Sam Fuld on first base with one out in the first, Halos starter C.J. Wilson lost any semblance of control over the strike zone. The southpaw issued walks to Josh Donaldson and Jonny Gomes to load the bases, then handed out run-scoring free passes to Derek Norris and Nate Freiman to put the A’s ahead 2-1 with two outs.

After Freiman, Geovany Soto coaxed a full count out of Wilson before knocking in two runs on a single, effectively knocking the southpaw out of the game.

“He’s had some big hits,” said Melvin of his backstop. “You can walk and walk, a run here, a run there. Next thing you know, we pop up. He’s the guy who really came up with the big hit of the inning.”

Wilson toiled through just 2/3 of an inning and 35 pitches, 19 of which were balls, while allowing four walks and six runs (four earned). Wilson (13-10, 4.61), the losing pitcher Monday night, had won his previous four decisions in the limits of Alameda County. He is now 5-2 as a member of the Angels on Oakland A’s home turf over seven starts.

“That’s been something we’ve done very well in the past,” said Melvin. “It was good to see us take some walks, not try to be too aggressive, which maybe we have been a little bit too much recently. We made him work, next thing you know we’re up 6-1.”

Angels reliever Mike Morin appeared to have the third out on a Nick Punto bouncer down the third base, but a poor throw by David Freese found Punto at third base with another two runs across for the home team.

The A’s added another pair of runs in the seventh inning after Stephen Vogt ripped a bases loaded single off Michael Roth. Vogt entered the game as a pinch hitter for Nate Freiman in the third inning and remained in the game at first base.

“When we just put that one up, then put the second on up, I was excited,” said Samardzija. “It felt like, with the way we were going, that was going to be enough. We add four more to that, add some more later in the game. It felt good. When we score early, as I pitcher you get to take a deep breath and pound the zone. You know they need to work at bats and get back in the game. It’s ideal. Any time they want to give me eight, I’ll accept it.”

Los Angeles pulled within four in the eighth inning after Albert Pujols rocketed an Evan Scribner 1-2 delivery into the bleachers in deep left field. Pujols 28th blast of the season, coming with two runners on and two outs, pushed him past the 1,600 mark in career runs batted in. His 1,602 RBIs ranks 33rd all-time.

The A’s seek a third-straight win Tuesday night for the first time since August 7-9, sending Opening Day starter Sonny Gray to the mound. The babyfaced fireballer looks to bounce back from a September 18th 7-2 loss to the Texas Rangers that saw the righty cough up five runs over just five innings. He’ll face LA’s Wade LeBlanc for game two of Oakland’s final three-game homestand of the season.

“We’ve been through a lot this last month,” said Samardzija. “It’s nice to see everyone come together and start clicking. We’ve had great defense, great at bats. Our pitchers have been pitching. That’s what you want. I think we’re doing it at the right time.”

Whitecaps Penalty Kick Tops Quakes

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew Harrington

The search for road win number two, and a much-needed three points in the standings, continues for the San Jose Earthquakes with only eight games remaining. The Quakes continued their tour of the Pacific Northwest Wednesday night with a 2-0 loss at the hands of Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 at BC Place. San Jose, 10 points back of Vancouver for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, went winless on its current three-game road trip. They tied both Real Salt Lake and the Portland Timbers in the previous two contests.

Pedro Morales put Vancouver (8-6-13, 37 points)on the board, converting on a penalty kick in the 39th minute following a Victor Bernardez infraction, for the Whitecaps first goal in over 450 minutes of play. Bernardez was whistled for delivering an elbow to the back of Kendall Waston in the penalty area on a challenge of a free kick attempt. Waston would head in the Whitecaps second marker in the 56th minute for the 2-0 result.

The Quakes (6-6-15, 27 points) failed to generate any offensive momentum for large chunks of the night, attempting only four shots on goal to Vancouver’s 17. A lone San Jose attempt found its mark, with another two registering as off target. The other attempt was blocked. The Whitecaps managed six shots on target, thanks in part to a slight edge in possession, controlling play 55.8 percent of the night.

A victory for Mark Watson’s Quakes would have bumped San Jose above Colorado for the seventh spot in the Western Conference table. The loss, however, bumped Vancouver over Portland and into the postseason picture. The Whitecaps entered play Wednesday night a point back of the Timbers in sixth place.

Sunday afternoon, the Quakes desperation push will collide with a familiar face, as Landon Donovan’s Los Angeles Galaxy come to Buck Shaw Stadium for an afternoon match. There will be an air of nostalgia of the Quakes glory days with Sunday marking Donovan’s last appearance in front of the San Jose fans that once rooted him on.

The 32-year-old announced on August 7th that this would be his last MLS season. In Donovan’s four seasons as a member of the Quakes, the organization won its two MLS Cups (2001 and 2003). The MLS all-time leader in goals and playoff goals earned MLS Cup Most Valuable Player honors in the 2001 iteration.