Author: rxslugger

Retired pharmacist who now has a career as a sports writer and broadcaster

A’s edge the Rays 4-3 to even the series

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

A’s pitcher Mike Fiers gave the A’s six strong innings of work Tuesday night to help the Green and Gold beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 at Tropicana Field. The Rays used an “opener” Ryne Stanek to pitch the first inning. It was the 19th time Stanek had started a game. The Rays brought in lefty Jalen Beeks to pitch in the second.

Fiers got off to a rocky start as the second hitter in the Rays’ lineup, Tommy Pham, blasted his ninth of the year to give the Rays an early 1-0 lead. Fiers settled down and kept the Rays off the board until the fourth inning. With two out, Fiers walked Rays’ shortstop Willy Adames. Centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier singled to send Adames to third. Adames scored when Tampa pulled off a successful double steal. A’s catcher Josh Phegley tried to throw out Kiermaier stealing at second. His throw was a bit high. A’s second baseman Jurickson Profar had to go up and get the throw to prevent it from going into centerfield. Adames was able to score on the play. The Rays lead 2-0.

The A’s put a run on the board in the top of the fifth. Profar singled to get the rally going. Profar went to second on a passed ball and scores on Chad Pinder’s single.

In the sixth, the A’s scored three times to take the lead 4-2. With one out, Matt Chapman reached on an error. Matt Olson followed with his 10th home of the year. The next hitter, Khris Davis blasted his 14th.

The A’s used Liam Hendriks in the seventh and Lou Trivino in the eighth. Neither pitcher allowed the Rays a hit.

Blake Treinen was called in to pitch the ninth. Treinen committed a cardinal sin as he walked the leadoff hitter, Brandon Lowe. Treinen struck out Yandy Diaz for the first out. Ji-Man Choi hit into a fielder’s choice for the second out. Lowe was safe at second. Willy Adames singled to drive in Lowe. Treinin then retired Kiermaier on a ground ball to Matt Olson for the final out. The A’s won 4-3.

Game Notes: The A’s evened their record at 34-34. The Rays fell to 41-25.

Fiers improved to 6-3 for the year. Treinen earned the save.  Fiers’ line was 6 innings, 3 hits, and 2 runs. The losing pitcher for Tampa Bay was Emilio Pagan. Pagan entered the game in the sixth inning

The A’s line was four runs, seven hits, and no errors. The Rays’ line was three runs, four hits, and one error.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Rays Wednesday morning at 9:10 am. Lefty Brett Anderson (6-4, 3.98 ERA) will pitch for Oakland. Tampa has not announced its starter.

Time of game was two hours and 47 minutes. 11,132 people watched the A’s win.

Warriors win a thriller 106-105, stay alive to fight another day

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Photo credit: @BleacherReport

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, with their backs to the wall, found a way to defeat the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena 106-105 on Monday night. They were buoyed by the return of Kevin Durant to the lineup. Durant’s presence gave Steph Curry and Klay Thompson the ability to get open and knock down three-point shots. Misfortune struck in the second quarter when Durant re-injured his right leg. The Warriors had to figure out another option. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr inserted DeMarcus Cousins into the game. Cousins played well and helped the Warriors to the thrilling victory.

Kevin Durant started the game and knocked won 11 points in the first quarter. His presence in the lineup allowed Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to get good looks and they responded by connecting on several three-point shots. The Warriors finished the first quarter leading 34-28.

The Warriors and Raptors each scored 28 points in the second quarter. The Warriors finished the first 24 minutes of the game still ahead by six 62-56. Unfortunately, Kevin Durant reinjured his right calf injury and had to leave the game. Durant will have an MRI performed on his leg Tuesday. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided to insert DeMarcus Cousins into the lineup. Cousins, who played poorly in Games 3 and 4, played his heart out and really helped to make up for the loss of Durant. Cousins knocked down nine points in the second quarter. Curry led the Warriors with 23 and Klay had 12.

The Warriors played inspired basketball in the third quarter. The Warriors 77-63 when Toronto went on a 10-0 run to make it a four-point game 77-73. Klay hit a three and Cousins had two big buckets, and the Warriors finished the quarter leading  84-78.

The Warriors could not let the Raptors come back and grab the lead. If the Warriors failed to hold the lead, their season was over. Toronto, with the crowd urging them on, came back and took the lead 96-95 when Kawhi Leonard connected on a three. Toronto hit a bucket, and the Warriors trailed 98-95. Draymond Green put two on the board and the Warriors now trailed by one. Leonard hit a three and a two-pointer to put the Raptors in the driver’s seat 103-97. The Splash Brothers showed the world what they are still champions. Klay Thompson made a three and Steph Curry made a three to tie the game at 103. The Warriors stopped the Raptors, and Thompson put the icing on the cake when he hit another three to put the Warriors ahead 106-103 with 56 seconds left in the game. The Raptors scored two more points to make it 106-105. The Raptors got the ball back with 13.7 seconds left to play. The Warriors’ defense did not allow them to get a shot off until the last second left. The ball hit the side of the backboard, and the Warriors left the court with a thrilling win.

Game Notes: The Warriors will meet the Raptors at Oracle Arena Thursday night. The Warriors still have their backs against the wall. They need a win to force the series back to Toronto for Game 7. The Warriors probably will not have Durant available. Durant left the arena in Toronto with a boot on his right foot and was using crutches to walk. Kevon Looney also left the game with an injury. Looney was in a lot of pain as his injured right shoulder was bothering him quite a bit. He seemed to grimace in pain almost every time he was on the floor.

Curry led the Warriors with 31 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. He made five three-point shots. Klay Thompson had 26. Klay knocked down 7 threes. Cousins finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Draymond Green almost had a triple-double. He had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Durant had 11. The Warriors shot 46.3% from the floor. They were 20-for-42 from the three-point range.

Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard paced the Raptors with 26 points and 12 boards. Kyle Lowry had 18, Marc Gasol, 17, Serge Ibaka 15, Pascal Siakam 12, and Fred VanVleet 11. The Raptors shot 44.7% from the floor. They were 8-for 32 from downtown. The Raptors were 21-for 27 from the charity stripe. The Warriors were 10-for 14.

Up Next: The Warriors know their work is cut out for them Thursday night. This team has players that never quit. They have the hearts of champions. It will be the last game ever played at Oracle Arena Thursday night. Game time will be at 6 pm.

A’s lose opener to Rays 6-2

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Photo credit: @statesfly

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s started a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field Monday night. The A’s had a little trouble getting out of Arlington, Texas on Sunday night and the team arrived late in Florida with a game they still had to play. The A’s started rookie Tanner Anderson. Anderson played college ball at Harvard and made his first Major League start. Also, Anderson is from the Tampa area, and had many family members in attendance.

The young man did not disappoint his family or his team. Anderson went 5 2/3 innings and allowed three hits and two runs. His team did not provide any run support until late in the game.

Meanwhile, Rays starter, Charlie Morton, shut down the A’s offense for seven innings. Morton, who signed with the Rays as a free agent, pitched exceptionally well. He had his cutter and slider working. He baffled the A’s right-hand hitters with an array of pitches that swept across the plate. In his seven innings of work, he gave up two hits and no runs. He won his eighth game of the year.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out and one man on, Rays rookie second baseman, Brandon Lowe (pronounced Lau) slammed his 14th home run of the year into the left-field seats. Lowe, without doubt, will be a candidate for Rookie of the Year.

The Rays added two in the seventh and two in the eighth. Kevin Kiermaier hits his eighth of the year to make it 4-0, and Ji-Man Choi hit his seventh with a man on to make it 6-0.

The A’s avoided the shutout when they scored two in the ninth. Mark Canha walked to get the rally going. Canha scored on Stephen Piscotty’s double and Piscotty scored on Robbie Grossman’s single. The A’s could do no more, and they fell to the Rays 6-2.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s record dropped to 33-34. Anderson took the loss, and he is 0-1. The Rays’ Charlie Morton improved to 8-0, and his ERA dropped to 2.10.

The Rays’ line was six runs, eight hits, and no errors. The A’s line was two runs, four hits, and no errors.

The A’s announced their shortstop Marcus Semien was named AL Player of the Week.

Up Next: Game two of the series will be played Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. Game time will be at 4:10 pm.

Warriors fall to the Raptors 105-92, now on the brink of elimination

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors were hoping to even the series against the Toronto Raptors Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors had two things going for them. Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney, who were both injured in Game 2 of the series, were cleared to play. The second factor was the crowd at Oracle. The fans were behind the team for the entire game, and the noise level was unbelievable.

The Raptors’ game plan was to double team Curry every time he touched the ball and not let him make three-point shots. The Warriors needed Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, and Andre Iguodala to help out putting points on the board. The Warriors knew that if they were going to win, they would have to shut down the Toronto offense.

The Warriors won the first half 46-42. It was a defensive struggle for the entire 24 minutes of action. Both teams didn’t shoot well at the start of the game. The Warriors defense was terrific. Toronto’s three-point shooter, Danny Green, was held to zero points for the first 24 minutes. They held Pascal Siakam to six. Kawhi Leonard scored 14 to keep Toronto close. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 14 points. The Raptors held Curry to just 8. Kevon Looney was terrific. Everyone thought he was out for the rest of the series. He implored the doctors to check him, and they cleared him to play. Kevon responded with 8 big points. Toronto knew if they could stay within 5 points of the lead at halftime, they had a chance to win.

The Raptors took it to the Warriors in the third quarter. They made five threes, and Leonard knocked 17 points to propel Toronto to a 79-67 advantage at the end of three quarters.

The Warriors knew that it would be difficult to overcome a twelve -point lead in the final 12 minutes of play. They tried, but Toronto answered every Warrior bucket with a bucket of their own. They continued to pressure Curry, and as much as he wished, he could not bring the Warriors back. The Warriors fell to Toronto 105-92 and now trail the series 3-1. The next game will be played in Toronto Monday night.

Game Notes: The Raptors won the game on the strength of their third-period outburst. They connected on eight three in the second half. The Warriors made six. The Raptors had 24 shots from the free throw line and made 23. The Warriors made 14 in 21 tries. On defense, the Raptors had 12 steals and four blocked shots. The Warriors did a poor job of handling the ball. They turned the ball over 17 times. The Raptors committed nine.

Klay led the Warriors with 28. Steph had 27. Draymond Green and Kevon Looney were the only other Warriors in double figures. They each scored 10. Cousins had six, and Iguodala had three. The Warrior bench, other than Looney, added eight.

Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard led his team with 36 points and 12 rebounds. Leonard knocked down five threes. Serge Ibaka had 20, and Pascal Siakam added 19. Kyle Lowry scored 10, and Fred VanVleet had eight. VanVleet, who hounded Curry all night long, left the game with a cut under his right eye. He went to the locker room, and the wound was closed with seven stitches.

The Warriors’ Kevin Durant was not cleared to play again. The doctors would not let him practice, and it is becoming apparent that Durant may not play at all in the series.

If the Warriors lose Monday night, they will no longer play another game at Oracle Arena. The team moves to the Chase Center in San Francisco for the 2019-2020 season.

The last team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and to win on the home team’s court was the Cleveland Cavaliers. They did it to win the 2016 NBA Championship over the Warriors.

A’s outlast Angels 7-4, win series

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s downed the LA Angels Thursday night to bounce back from a very tough loss on Wednesday. The A’s got off to another good start. The A’s led 6-1 midway through the fifth inning. The Angels made it 6-3 in their half of the fifth when Mike Trout homered with a man aboard. A’s manager Bob Melvin must have thought it was deja vu all over again. The Angels rallied from a 7-1 deficit on Wednesday to beat the A’s. The Green and Gold did not want to suffer another defeat like that on Thursday.

The A’s put three on the board in the top of the fourth. Stephen Piscotty started the rally with a single. He went to second when the Angels’ catcher Dustin Garneau committed an error by mishandling a pitch from Tyler Skaggs.  Three more singles and two sacrifice fly balls put the runs on the board. The Angels got one back in the bottom of the inning. Singles by Shohei Ohtani, Kole Calhoun, and David Fletcher loaded the bases for the Angels. Brian Goodwin drove in Ohtani with a sac fly to Ramon Laureano in center field. The A’s led 3-1.

The A’s plated three more in the fifth. Chad Pinder and Matt Chapman walked to get things going for Oakland. Khris Davis singled to drive in Pinder. Chapman and Davis advanced to second and third on Calhoun’s throwing error to the plate. Angels’ manager Brad Ausmus removed Skaggs from the game and brought in Jaime Barria to pitch. Piscotty’s fly ball to shallow left field was caught by Brian Goodwin. Goodwin’s throw slipped off his hand and Chapman scored. Davis went to third on the error. Laureano drove in Davis with a sac fly to left field. The Angels responded with two in their half of the fifth. Mike Trout hit his 16th bomb of the season with a man aboard to make it 6-3.

Piscotty hit a solo homer in the seventh, and the Angels scored one in the bottom of the ninth. The A’s won 7-4.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 31-31 for the year. The Angels drop to 30-33. Mike Fiers went six innings and allowed seven hits and three runs. He is now 5-3. Tyler Skaggs absorbed the loss and is now 4-6.

The A’s bullpen did their job Thursday night. Melvin used Ryan Buchter, Liam Hendriks, Lou Trivino, and Joakim Soria. Soria was nicked for a run in the ninth.

The A’s line score was seven runs, nine hits, and no errors. The Angels’ line was four runs, nine hits, and three costly errors.

Up Next: The A’s are on their way to Texas to play three with the Rangers starting Friday night. Lefty Brett Anderson (6-4, 3.95 ERA) goes for Oakland and Texas will send righty Lance Lynn (7-4, 4.50 ERA) to the hill.

Game time will be at 5:07 pm.

Angels rally from a 7-1 deficit to win a wild one over the A’s 10-9

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Photo credit: @Angel_City_Buzz

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s and the Los Angeles Angels played another wild one at the Big A in Anaheim. The two teams played a nine-inning game that lasted four hours and 13 minutes.

Both teams used an “opener” to start the game. The Angels used reliever Cam Bedrosian for one inning and replaced him with Felix Pena. The A’s Joakim Soria pitched the first inning and was later replaced by Daniel Mengden. This strategy was not successful for either team Wednesday night.

Angels leadoff hitter, Tommy La Stella, homered on the second pitch from Soria to give the Angels an early 1-0 lead. The A’s roughed up Pena for four runs in the second inning. The A’s had two doubles and two singles in the inning to put them ahead. Oakland scored three more in the top of the third to lead 7-1. The A’s put together four singles and a walk to get the runs on the board. The Angels answered with four runs in the bottom of the third. La Stella single to get the rally going for LA. Mike Trout hit his 15th dinger of the year to make it 7-3. Shohei Ohtani singled, and that was followed by a double off the bat of Albert Pujols. Kole Calhoun grounded out to first to drive in Ohtani with the third run of the inning. Pujols scored on David Fletcher’s single. The A’s lead was now 7-5.

The Angels plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 8-7 lead. With one out, second baseman Luis Rengifo singled. Mengden walked La Stella to put men on at first and second. It was at this point that A’s manager decided to remove Mengden from the game. Yusmeiro Petit was brought in to pitch. Angels DH Ohtani hit his fifth big blast of the year to put the Angels ahead.

The Angels maintained the lead until the top of the eighth. The A’s scored twice for a 9-8 lead. The A’s rally started when Marcus Semien walked with one out. Matt Chapman singled. That was followed by Matt Olson’s single to drive in Semien with the tying run. Chapman went to third, but Olson was thrown out at second. Chapman scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. The home plate umpire called Chapman out, but the call was reversed after a review. The A’s lead didn’t last long as the Angels tied the game. A’s reliever Liam Hendriks gave up two hits and an intentional walk to load the bases. Melvin brought in lefty Ryan Buchter to face the left-handed hitter Shohei Ohtani. Buchter walked him, and the Angels knotted the score at 9-9.

Lou Trivino, who got the final out of the eighth inning, retired the first two hitters he faced in the bottom of the ninth. Brian Goodwin then singled and stole second. The next hitter, Dustin Garneau, hit a ground rule double that went over Robbie Grossman’s head and bounced over the fence to drive in Goodwin with the winning run. The Angels won 10-9.

Game Notes: The A’s drop to 30-31. The Angels are now 30-32. LA’s line score was 10 runs, 14 hits, and no errors. Oakland’s line was nine runs, 15 hits, and no errors. Lou Trivino took the loss. Hansel Robles earned the win.

A’s hitting stars were Marcus Semien with three hits and three RBI. Jurickson Profar also had three hits and two ribbies. The Angels’ Tommy La Stella had three hits, one of with was a home run. Ohtani had two hits and four RBIs.

Daniel Mengden did not have a good outing. The A’s hurler lasted just 2 1/3 innings. He allowed six hits and six runs. The Angels’ Felix Pena went 1 2/3 innings and the A’s roughed him up for eight hits and seven runs.

Up Next: The A’s and Angels play the rubber game Thursday night in Anaheim. Game time will be at 7:07 pm.

Short-handed Warriors’ effort not good enough, fall to Raptors 123-109

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Photo credit: @Raptors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, without Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Kevon Looney, fought a brave, but losing battle against the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.  The Warriors held the lead just once in the entire contest. They led 5-4 early in the first quarter. Toronto took the lead 6-5 and never trailed the rest of the way.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to juggle his lineup. He had the veteran, Shaun Livingston, start in place of the injured Klay Thompson. DeMarcus Cousins started for the second game in a row. The Warriors needed Cousins to put a lot of points on the board. Cousins tallied just four points as the Raptors’ Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Pascal Siakam manhandled Cousins.

Steph Curry did everything he could to keep his team in the game. Curry ended the night with 47 points. He connected on six threes to keep his team close. Draymond Green with 17 and Andre Iguodala with 11 were the only other Warriors in double figures.

The Raptors had six players in double figures. They also were connecting on three-point shots. Kawhi Leonard led Toronto with 30 points. Danny Green, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet killed the Warriors as they made 6, 5, and 3, respectively.

The Raptors led 36-29 after the first quarter. They finished the first half leading 60-52. Curry led the Warriors with 25. No other Warrior player was in double figures. The Raptors scored the first six points in the third quarter and the Warriors, as hard as they tried, could not catch up. Late in the third quarter, the Raptors went on an 8-0 run, and they finished the period leading 96-83. It was more of the same in the fourth quarter. They could not get buckets when they needed them. They had shots blocked by Serge Ibaka and Toronto’s defense. The Warriors, without the firepower of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, could not catch up. The Raptors double-teamed Curry every time he handled the ball. The Warriors were forced to take bad shots. The Raptors won 123-109 to take a 2-3 series lead.

Game Notes: The Raptors shot 52.4% from the floor and held the Warriors to 39.6%. The Raptors were 17 for 39 from 3-point range. The Warriors were 12 for 36. The Raptors made five more threes than the W’s, and that was the difference in the game.

Up Next: Game 4 of the best-of-seven series will be played Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors are hoping the Durant and Thompson will be able to play. Game time will be at 6 pm.

Montas, Laureano help A’s snap 5-game losing streak

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s snapped their five-game losing streak Tuesday night as the beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2. It was also the start of a nine-game road trip. Frankie Montas, who has pitched very well for Oakland this season, had another outstanding outing as he went six innings and allowed four hits and two runs while improving his record to 7-2. He was cruising along until the bottom of the sixth. With one out, he had a 13-pitch battle with the Angels’ superstar, Mike Trout. Trout refused to strike out. He fouled off seven or eight pitches. With the count at 3-2, Montas drilled Trout on his left elbow. It seemed that Montas was a bit rattled by the battle that he had with Trout. He had to face Angels’ DH Shohei Ohtani, and Montas lost that battle as Ohtani blasted his fourth homer of the year to cut the deficit to two 4-2

The Angels’ starter Griffin Channing, who pitched well against Oakland last week at the Coliseum, did well except for two innings. The A’s were able to put two on the board in the second inning. With one out, Matt Chapman singled. Matt Olson walked to put men on at first and second. Khris Davis, the A’s DH, smoked a double over the head of Mike Trout that went for a double. Chapman scored. Stephen Piscotty hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Olson with the A’s second run.

The A’s made in 4-0 in the top of the sixth. Robbie Grossman singled with one out. Ramon Laureano homered into the left-field seats. The blast was measured at 403 feet. The Angels, as mentioned above, scored twice in their half of the inning.

The A’s manager Bob Melvin had Yusmeiro Petit pitch the seventh, Liam Hendriks, the eighth, and Blake Treinen the ninth. The A’s relievers did the job. They did not allow a hit in the last three innings of the game. Treinen set the Angels down in order in the ninth, and he earned his 12th save of the year.

Game Notes – With the win, the A’s improved to 30-30 while the Angels fell to 29-32. The A’s are in third place in the AL West. The A’s trail the Texas Rangers by one game in the race for second place in the division.

Ramon Laureano was the hitting star for Oakland, He had a double and home run in the game, and that extended his hitting streak to sixteen games.

The line score for Oakland was four runs, eight hits, and no errors. The Angels’ line was two runs, four hits, and no errors.

Time of game was three hours and four minutes and over 36,000 fans were on hand to see the A’s take the first game of the three-game series.

Game Two will be played Wednesday night in Anaheim. The A’s will send Daniel Mengden to the mound, and Felix Pena will go for the Angels. The Angels may use an “opener’ and then have Pena come in to pitch in the second inning.

The game will start at 7:07 pm.

A’s start a 3-game series against the Angels in Anaheim on Tuesday

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Photo credit: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s kick off a nine-game three-city road trip on Tuesday against the Angels in Anaheim. The Angels took two out of three from the A’s last week and started the A’s on a five-game losing streak.  The teams are currently tied for third place in the AL West with identical records of 29-30. The Angels are playing the Chicago Cubs on Monday, and if they win, they will be 1/2 game ahead of the A’s. If they lose, they will be 1/2 game behind the A’s.

The A’s had won 10 in a row before losing two to the Angels last week in Oakland. The A’s then were swept by Houston Astros over the weekend and are hoping to regain their mojo. The A’s will have to find a way to quiet the bats of several of the Angels’ players. They know what Albert Pujols and Mike Trout can do. The Angels’ third baseman Tommy La Stella is having a career year. La Stella has been solid so far and can really handle the bat. David Fletcher is also another surprise. The young man is hitter over .300 and playing well at shortstop. Second baseman Luis Rengifo had several critical hits in the series last week. Right fielder Kole Calhoun and rookie Cesar Puello also came through for the Halos. Puello, in his first game as an Angel last Wednesday, had two singles and a home run in the Angels’ 12-7 win.

The pitching matchups for Tuesday will be Frankie Montas going against Griffin Canning. Montas, who is 6-2 with a 2.81 ERA, has been the A’s ace. Montas has allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of his 11 starts this year. Canning is 2-1, and his ERA is 3.06. He pitched very well against the A’s last week. He went six innings and allowed one run and three hits. On Wednesday, Daniel Mengden will pitch for the Green and Gold. Mengden is 1-1, and has a 3.05 ERA. Mengden came into the game last Wednesday after Liam Hendriks pitched the first inning. Mengden’s line was 4 1/2 innings of work and allowed just one run. The Angels will counter with Felix Pena. The Angels may also use an “opener” to start the game and bring in Pena after the first inning. Pena has come in six times in his last seven outings after the first inning.

Mike Fiers (4-3, 4,78 ERA) will go on Thursday. Fiers has a 2.82 ERA in his last seven starts. The Angels will send lefty Tyler Skaggs to the hill to pitch against the A’s. Skaggs had a rocky month in May as he posted a 5.29 ERA in six starts.

The games between the two teams are always entertaining. It’s Northern California against Southern California. The A’s want to get another winning streak going, while the Angels want to continue to make life miserable for the A’s. As always, it should be fun.

Battered and bruised Warriors find a way to beat the Raptors to even the series 1-1

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing without Kevin Durant who missed his seventh straight game since suffering a strained calf muscle, found a way to come back from a five-point halftime deficit to defeat the Toronto Raptors 109-104 in Toronto.

With the win, the Warriors now own home court advantage as game three, four, and six will be played at Oracle Arena. The Warriors had two more key players injured in the game Sunday night. Kevon Looney suffered a chest injury in the first half, and he did not return. The other player injured was Klay Thompson. Thompson suffered what appeared to be a thigh or hamstring injury late in the game. Thompson hobbled off the court and was wearing an ice pack, and his leg was heavily bandaged when he gave high fives to his teammates after the game. Hopefully, the damage is not too severe, and he will be able to play on Wednesday.

The Warriors knew that they did not want to leave Toronto down two games to none. The Raptors scheme on Sunday was to not let Steph get open. Curry struggled to get shots but he found his game in the second period and finished the first half with sixteen points. Klay had 18. The Warriors and Steph, in particular, have the hearts of champions. They have been down before but have always found a way to come back and win the game.

The Warriors trailed by five after the first 24 minutes of play. As they have done so many times in the past, they came out smoking to start the third quarter. They went on an 18-0 run to lead 72-59. The run was stopped when Raptors’ Fred VanVleet knocked down a three-pointer. The Warriors maintained the lead until late in the fourth quarter. They led by 12 with a little over five minutes to play. The Raptors defense stopped the Warriors cold. They scored ten straight points and held the Warriors scoreless for over five minutes. The Raptors closed the gap to 106-104. The Raptor fans were on their feet hoping the team from the North would come back and snatch the victory from Golden State. That hope was dashed when the very savvy Andre Iguodala nailed a three-pointer to ice the win. The Warriors win 109-104.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors started DeMarcus Cousins at the center position Sunday night. Cousins played limited minutes in his first game back last Thursday. On Sunday, he was a force in the middle. Cousins played 28 minutes and had a double-double. He scored eleven points, had ten rebounds, and recorded six assists. Draymond Green had another outstanding game. He almost had a triple-double. Draymond helped out with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. Iguodala tallied 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. His three-point shot with 5.9 seconds left to play helped win the game for the W’s. Klay Thompson led the team with 25, and Curry finished the night with 23. Klay made 4 threes and Steph hit six. Andrew Bogut played 7 minutes and scored three big buckets. Quinn Cook had three threes, and Shaun Livingston pitched in with 6.

The Raptors were led by Kawhi Leonard’s 34 points. The Warriors held Pascal Siakam, who scored 32 points in game one Thursday night, to just 12. The big man from Cameroon had 8 board. Marc Gaol was held to 6, and Kyle Lowry 13. Fred VanVleet, coming off Toronto’s bench, knocked down 17.

Game Three of the best-of-seven series will be played at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night. The game will start at 6 pm.