Author: rxslugger

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

Warriors’ defense downs the Nuggets 116-102

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors took a giant step as they defeated the Denver Nuggets 116-102 Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors have a two-game lead and own the tiebreaker in the race in the race for the best record in the Western Conference. The Warriors are now 53-24 and Denver 51-26 with five games left to play. The Warriors face four teams with a losing record and Denver has to play a couple of playoff teams.

The Warriors outscored the Nuggets 30-24 in the first quarter and 29-19 in the second quarter to lead by 16 at the half 59-43. Kevin Durant led the team in offense, and DeMarcus Cousins put the clamps on Denver’s big center Nikola Jokic.

In the third quarter, the Warriors increased the lead to 22. Kevin Durant was ejected from the game with 8:21 left to play when he argued with a referee for not calling a foul. The referee called two technical fouls on Durant, who was sent to the locker room. Durant has been charged with 15 technicals this year, and one more will get him a one-game suspension. Warriors’ head coach kept his starters in the game at the start of the fourth quarter. The Nuggets were down by almost 30 when they made a run at the Warriors. It was too little, too late as Golden State held on for the 116-102 win.

Game Notes and Stats: DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. It was Cousins’ best game as a Warrior, and if he continues to play well, he will be a tremendous asset for the Warriors in the playoffs. Kevin Durant finished the night with 21. Steph Curry had 17, and that total included five threes. Klay Thompson had 13. Kevon Looney added 10 and Jonas Jerebko, Alfonzo McKinnie all put points on the board.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 17. Paul Millsap 11, Jokic 10, Jarred Vanderbilt 10, and Monte Morris 10.

Up Next: The Warriors play the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night at Staples Center in LA. Game time will be at 7:30 pm. LeBron James will not be in the Laker lineup as he is done for the year.

A’s shut out the Red Sox again

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Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s were led by Mike Fiers’ six scoreless innings, limiting the Red Sox to five hits. Fiers earned his second win of the season. The As’s bullpen shut out the Sox the rest of the win and the A’s won by a score of 1-0. Sox ace, Chris Sale, who was roughed up by the Seattle Mariners in his first start last week, made just one mistake. He gave up a solo home run to Matt Chapman, and that was the run the A’s needed to shut down the potent Red Sox offense for the second night in a row. The last time the A’s shutout the Red Sox in back-to-back games was on August 30th and 31st in 1996.

Sale, as Fiers, went six innings he allowed one run and three hits. Sale did not display his blazing fastball. He kept the hitters off-balance with a variety of speeds that ranged from 75 to 92 MPH. Sale, known as a strikeout artist, managed to strike out only one A’s hitter.

The A’s third baseman, with one out, hit his third home run of the year. With the count 3-2, Chapman sent Sale’s 88 MPH fastball over the wall in left field to give Oakland an early 1-0 lead after one inning of action.

That was the whole ballgame. The Sox had chances, but failed to get the clutch hit that would have tied the game. They had a threat going in the fourth when they were able to have men on at first and third with two out. Fiers retired Brock Holt on a ground ball to first baseman Kendrys Morales to end the inning. In the sixth, Boston managed to get a man as far as third, but Fiers again rose to the occasion as he struck out Xander Bogaerts for the third out. In the top of the ninth, with closer Blake Treinen on the hill, Xander Bogaerts lined a shot to right center. The ball hit the 388-foot marker and remained in play. Had the ball been a couple of inches to the left, it would have been a home run. The ball stayed in play. Ramon Laureano, who made two tremendous defensive plays Monday night, performed his magic as he played the ball off the wall and threw a strike that nailed Bogaerts at third for the second out of the inning. Mitch Moreland walked. Treinen regrouped and struck out Brock Holt to record the save.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 5-3 for 2019. Mike Fiers, who had six innings of work, was the sixth game in a row that an A’s starter has gone at least six innings. Mike Fiers is now 2-1, and Chris Sale is 0-2. Treinen recorded his third save. Chapman’s homer was his third of the year. The Red Sox are 1-5.

Up Next: The teams play game three of the four-game series Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time will be at 7:05 pm. Marco Estrada (0-1) will go for Oakland, and Nathan Eovaldi (0-0) will pitch for Boston.

Homer-happy A’s pound the Red Sox 7-0

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By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The A’s Aaron Brooks earned his first win of the year as he pitched six innings and allowed the struggling Boston Red Sox just two hits. The A’s bullpen pitched with three scoreless innings and limited the Sox to two hits.

In the last five games, the A’s starters have all pitched six innings, and the A’s have won four out of five. The defending World Champion Red Sox have not had a good start to the season. They have lost four of the five games played and their starting pitching, to be blunt, has not been good. The fans in New England have to wonder what happened to the team that won 119 games last year. They hit well in Seattle, but could not manage four hits in Oakland Monday night. The A’s play the Red Sox exceptionally well at the Oakland Coliseum and Monday’s game was no exception. The A’s took the season series 4-2 last year, including Sean Manaea’s no-hitter last April 19th.

The A’s hitters hit four home runs Monday night. They victimized David Price three times, and Heath Hembree gave up a solo blast to Matt Chapman in the eighth.

The game summary follows below:

The A’s grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Khris Davis blasted David Price’s 82 MPH change up over the left center field wall for his fifth home run of the season. Price then struck out the next three A’s hitters to end the inning.

In the third, Ramon Laureano, who had made two outstanding defensive plays in the second, sent David Price’s 91 MPH four-seam fastball out of the park to give the A’s a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Price retired the first two batters he faced. Price walked Mark Canha, and Chad Pinder sent Price’s first pitch change up out of the park to put the A’s ahead by four runs. The A’s broke it open in the bottom of the eighth. Matt Chapman greeted Red Sox reliever Heath Hembree with his second home run of the season. Stephen Piscotty singled and went to second when Khris Davis reached on a throwing error by Edwin Nunez. Kendrys Morales singled to drive in Piscotty and Davis scored on Pinder’s single to make it 7-0. Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth inning to end the game.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s improve to 4-3. The Red Sox drop to 1-4. Aaron Brooks was the winning pitcher, and David Price absorbed his first loss of the season.

The A’s homers were hit by Khris Davis (5), Ramon Laureano (1), Chad Pinder (1), and Matt Chapman (2). Davis has five homers in the first seven games of the season. He joins Mark McGwire and Reggie Jackson as the only A’s with at least five home runs in the first five games of the season.

The A’s improved to 36-15 in their last 51 games against the Red Sox in Oakland.

A’s starting pitchers have thrown six innings in each of the last five games and have a 0.30 ERA and have a .115 OBA in that span.

Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth inning. For Rodney, it marked his 900th appearance in a MLB game. Rodney tied Arthur Rhodes for 25th on the all-time list.

The A’s line for the game was seven runs, nine hits, and no errors. For Boston, it was no runs, four hits, and one error.

Up Next: The A’s and Red Sox will play game two of the four-game series Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time is at 7:05 PM. Mike Fiers (1-1) will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Boston’s lefty Chris Sale (0-1)

Time of game was two hours and 42 minutes. 12,417 fans were on hand to watch the game.

The Warriors punish the Hornets 137-90

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, in a dogfight with the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the Western Conference, and still seething from the officiating in the game against the Timberwolves, sent the Hornets down to their worst loss of the season 137-90. When the W’s played the Hornets in Charlotte earlier this year, the contest was close until the fourth quarter when the W’s shut down Kemba Walker and were able to pull away for the win.

The Warriors made sure that they would be in control as they led from start to finish. The W’s ended the first half leading 71-49. It was the fifteenth time this season that they put 70 or more points on the board in the first 24 minutes of the game. They continued to throttle the Hornet offense in the second half as they made sure that the Hornets would not be able to make a comeback.

The Warriors outscored the Hornets 34-23 in the third period and 32-18 in the fourth. The Warriors were able to rest their regulars, and the bench players were able to get significant minutes as the end of the regular season is nearing. The Warriors win 137-90.

Game Notes- DeMarcus Cousins was ejected from the game with 6:09 to play in the second quarter. The referees charged Cousins with a flagrant 2 foul when he hit Willy Herangomez’ head with a closed fist. Cousins scored 8 points and had 3 blocked shots.

Steph Curry connected on five threes in eight tries. For Steph, it was the eighth consecutive game that he made at least five threes. He now has made 335 3s which is second only to the 402 that he made during the 2015-2015 season.

Draymond Green has 15 technical fouls to his credit so far this year. If he gets one more, he will receive an automatic one-game suspension. He reached fifteen last year but made it to the end of the regular season without getting one. Hopefully, he will not get another in the six games left.

Hernangomez led Charlotte with 22 points. None of the Hornets’ starters were in double figures. The W’s held Kemba Walker, Miles Bridges, and Dwayne Bacon to nine points each. The other Hornet in double figures was Frank Kaminsky with 10.

With the win and Denver’s loss to the Washington Wizards, the W’s have a one-game lead in the race for the Western Conference crown. The Warriors clinched the Pacific Division for the fifth year in a row. Should they beat Denver on Tuesday night, the Warriors will have a two-game edge with five to play, and the win probably would guarantee them home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.

The Warriors had six players in double-figures. Steph led the team with 25. Klay Thompson had 24 and Klay made 6 threes. Quinn Cook, coming off the bench and getting playing time, knocked down 21. Cook connected on 5 threes. Jerebko had, Durant 11, and Draymond Green 10.

The Warriors shot 60.25 from the floor. They made 21 threes in 33 attempts. They outrebounded Charlotte 50-28. They recorded 41 assists on 53 made baskets. On defense, they had 8 steals and 10 blocked shots.

The game against the Nuggets on Tuesday is going to be a very important game for both teams. With a win, the W’s will have a two-game lead. If they lose, the teams will be tied for the best record. If the teams finish tied for the best record, various tiebreakers will be used to determine which squad gets to be the number one seed.

Game time Tuesday night is at 7:30.  The A’s and Boston Red Sox are also playing and the parking lots will fill up early.

Warriors drop a thriller in OT to the Timberwolves 131-130

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, had they beaten the Minnesota Timberwolves, would have had a two-game edge of the Denver Nuggets in the race for the best record in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves upset the Warriors’ applecart at the Target Center in the Target Center Friday with a 131-130 overtime win.

The Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder to move into a first-place tie with the Warriors. The Warriors and the Nuggets meet Tuesday night at Oracle. The Warriors have the season edge 2-1, and a win would clinch the crown.

The Warriors led 68-54 at the half, and it looked good for them. The Warriors usually own the third quarter, but the T-Wolves turned the tables on Golden State and outscored them 32-18 in the period to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter. Each team scored 29 in the fourth, and the game went to overtime tied at 115.

The T-Wolves grabbed a nine-point lead with one minute and 41 seconds left in the overtime period when Curry went on a tear and hit three threes, and the Warriors went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 130 with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.

All the Warriors had to do was make sure that no one fouled a T-Wolves player on the inbounds pass, and the game would go to a second overtime, but that did not happen as Kevin Durant fouled Karl-Anthony Towns, who made the first free throw. He missed the second and time, and the Warriors’ luck ran out. The Timberwolves won 131-130.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors are now tied with Denver with an identical record of 51-24. The Warrior play the Charlotte Hornets at Oracle Arena on Sunday, and then face the Nuggets on Tuesday.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 37 points. Kevin Durant had a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins had 16 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson had 20 points. Andre Iguodala had 14 points coming off the bench. The rest of the Warriors’ bench contributed just 11 points.

The Timberwolves had eight players in double-figures. The T-Wolves’ bench had three players: Anthony Tolliver with 14 points, Gorgui Dieng 14 points, and Jerryd Bayless with 17 points. In Fact, the T-Wolves’ bench outscored the Warriors’ bench 49-25.

Up Next: The Warriors have seven games, four at home and three on the road. The only team with a winning record is Denver. They play the Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Clippers at home. Then, they face the Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies on the road.

Fiers pitches the A’s to their first win of 2019

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Photo credit: @nbcbayarea

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — It was the second Opening Day for the Oakland A’s Thursday at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s started the season in Tokyo with two losses to the Seattle Mariners, and they were eager to get their first win of the year. Mike Fiers, who didn’t pitch well in Tokyo, redeemed himself as he went six innings and allowed just one hit. Fiers improved to 1-1 for the season. The A’s bullpen came through, as they did last year with three scoreless innings, and the A’s won 4-0.

The A’s scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second. Jurickson Profar, making his home debut for the A’s, tripled to right field leading off. Chad Pinder hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Profar with the run. The A’s led 1-0 after two complete.

The A’s added a run in the third. With one out, Robbie Grossman singled to left. Grossman stole second and Angels’ starter Trevor Cahill walked Matt Chapman to put men on at first and second with one out. Stephen Piscotty doubled to drive in Grossman with the A’s second run. Cahill pitched his way out of the jam when Chapman tried to score on a ground ball to third. He was thrown out at home for the second out of the inning. Cahill then retired Profar on a flyball to left. The A’s shortstop Marcus Semien hit his first home run of the year when he sent Cahill 91 MPH sinker over the fence in centerfield. The A’s led 3-0 after four.

The A’s DH Khris Davis led off the bottom of the sixth with his second dinger of the year. Cahill had Davis in an 0-2 hole when he threw another 91 MPH sinker that Davis did not miss. The A’s led 4-0 heading into the seventh.

The A’s bullpen did their job as they held the Angels scoreless and preserved the first win of the year for Oakland. The A’s won 4-0.

Game Notes: Marcus Semien and Khris Davis each hit a solo home run for the Green and Gold. Leadoff hitter Robbie Grossman singled in his first two at-bats in his first game at the Coliseum as an Oakland Athletic. Jurickson Profar tripled in his first trip to the plate in the second inning. Stephen Piscotty has hit safely in all three games this year and had an RBI double in the third inning.

Mike Fiers had his best career outing against the Angels, allowing one hit in six scoreless innings.

The A’s are now 1-2, and the Angels are 0-1.

The A’s line was four runs, seven hits, and one error.

The Angels’ line was no runs, three hits, and no errors.

In the eighth inning, the Angels’ Mike Trout survived a scare when he slid into second base. He came up holding his knee, and everyone in the ballpark held their breath as it appeared that he was injured. Fortunately, he hook it off and stayed in the game.

Time of game was two hours and 18 minutes and 22,691 fans watched the A’s win their first game of the season.

Up Next: The A’s and Angels play game two of the four-game series Friday night at 7:07 pm at the Coliseum. Marco Estrada will make his second start for Oakland and Matt Harvey, the former New York Met and Cincinnati Red, will go for the Angels.

Warriors take down the Grizzlies 118-103

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors traveled to Memphis to face the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night. The Grizzlies, coached by J.B. Bickerstaff, had a record of 30-44 before the start of the game and were not going to make the playoffs this year. The Grizzlies traded their star center Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors for Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas, who did not playing much in Toronto, found a new home in Memphis. The Grizzlies have played well and beaten several postseason-bound teams. The Warriors, who were embarrassed at home by the lowly Phoenix Suns, did not want to suffer the same fate at the hands of the Grizzlies. The Warriors entered the game with a record of 50-23 and are in a race to win home court advantage in the Western Conference.

The two teams played a very entertaining first quarter. The Warriors led 30-27 late in the period when Memphis went on a 10-1 run the finish the period 37-31. Former Warrior Justin Holiday connected on a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

Memphis increased the lead to 41-31 before the Warriors started clawing their way back. Golden State’s second unit of Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins, and Klay Thompson knocked down threes and the Warriors tied the game at 50. The Warriors continued to play well and finished the first half 66-60.

The Warriors were hot from the floor. They were 26-for-41 from the floor and made 11 three-point shots. Curry and Kevin Durant led the team with 14 each, Quinn Cook made three threes for nine points total. The Grizzlies’ Jonas Valanciunas had 16 and Michael Conley added 11. Conley passed M. Gasol to become the Grizzlies’ leading scorer in franchise history.

The Grizzlies used a 8-2 run in the third quarter to tie the game. Klay Thompson made a three and Steph knocked down two more threes to put the Warriors ahead 77-68. The Grizzlies refused to quit and went on an 11-2 run to trail 85-84. Curry made two free throws and Alfonzo McKinney hit a deuce to finish the quarter leading 89-84.

The Grizzlies continued to fight back and briefly held a 92-91 lead. The Warriors took control of the game behind the play of Durant, Livingston, Cousins, and Draymond Green. The Warriors won 118-103.

Game Notes and Stats: Kevin Durant had the best shooting night of his career. He missed just one shot from the floor. He made 12 buckets in 13 tries. He was 3-for-3 in three-point shots. In addition, he had nine boards and six assists.

Curry had a double-double with 28 points and led the team with 10 rebounds,

Cousins scored 16, while Klay Thompson had 13.

Memphis’ leading scorers were Jonas Valanciunas with 27 points, Michael Conley with 22 points, Bruno Caboclo with points 17, and Chandler Parsons with 13 points.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis Friday at 5:00 pm.

A’s start 2019 season on Thursday against the Angels

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, who surprised all of baseball in 2018 by winning 97 games and making the playoffs, have their home opener at the Oakland Coliseum against the Angels on Thursday.

The A’s, skippered by Bob Melvin, return most of the players that helped the club last season. They lost two key players, the second baseman Jed Lowrie, and catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Lowrie went to the Mets, and Lucroy will be in Oakland Thursday as an Angel.

The A’s starting rotation was hard hit by injuries. Several pitchers had Tommy John surgery, and Sean Manaea was lost for the season with a shoulder issue. The A’s obtained Marco Estrada from Toronto to fill one of the holes in the rotation. The A’s did not sign Edwin Jackson, who performed very well in Oakland last year. He is still available and may sign with the A’s later in the year. The A’s starting rotation this year will feature Mike Fiers, Estrada, Brett Anderson, Frankie Montas, and Aaron Brooks. Brooks performed well in spring training and in his last outing, Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants threw 5 1/3 innings allowing five hits and one run.

The A’s first baseman, Matt Olson, suffered a hand injury in spring training and is out for six to eight weeks. Jurickson Profar will move over to first in his absence. Mark Canha can also place first. The rest of the infield is set with Matt Chapman at third base, Marcus Semien at shortstop, and either Franklin Barreto or Chad Pinder will play second. Canha and Pinder can also play in the outfield. The A’s plan to use Robbie Grossman in left field and as the leadoff hitter. Grossman, formerly with the Minnesota Twins, is a switch hitter. Ramon Laureano will be in center field, and Stephen Piscotty will be in right field.

The catching chores will be handled by Josh Phegley and former Giant Nick Hundley. The A’s have their eyes on catcher Sean Murphy, who will start the season with Triple-A Las Vegas.

The A’s bullpen will be strong again this season. Ryan Buchter is the sole left-handed pitcher in the pen. The A’s will have Yusmeiro Petit, Fernando Rodney, Joakim Soria, Lou Trivino, J.B. Wendelken, and closer Blake Treinen ready to shut down the opposition. The bullpen was a big reason for the A’s success in 2018.

The Angels’ longtime manager Mike Scioscia left the club after the 2018 season His replacement is Brad Ausmusm who had managed the Tigers for several seasons.

The Angels’ pitching staff also saw several pitchers have Tommy John surgery. They have revamped their starting rotation. Former A’s starter, Trevor Cahill, signed with the Angels in the off-season and will start Thursday against Oakland, Cahill pitched very well at the Coliseum but did not do well on the road. The Angels acquired Matt Harvey from the Reds. Harvey, who starred with the Mets before going to the Reds, had a record of 7-9 and a 4.94 ERA. He will be pitching on Friday and making his AL debut. Tyler Skaggs and Felix Pena will see action against the A’s this weekend. The Angels acquired Chris Stratton from the Giants, and he will make his Angel debut next week

The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, was the AL Rookie of the Year, is on the injured list. Ohtani also had Tommy John surgery and will not pitch again until 2020. However, he will be able to hit and will rejoin the club in a couple of months. When he arrives, he will be the DH and Albert Pujols will play first base.

The Angels will use Justin Bour at first base when Pujols is the DH. Tommy LaStella will be at second base. La Stella played with the Cubs last year. Andrelton Simmons will be the shortstop. Zack Cozart, Caleb Cowart, and Taylor Ward will play third base or fill in at the other infield positions if needed.

The Angels with have Kole Calhoun play right field. Mike Trout will be in center field once again. Justin Upton will start the season on the injured list. His spot in left field will be taken by Peter Bourjos.

The A’s hope to bounce back from the two losses they suffered at the hands of the Mariners. They have 160 games left and the A’s know they can no longer be taken lightly. They expect to go to the playoffs again this season. The road to the playoffs begins now.

A’s win 4-2 in a rain-shortened game, sweep the Bay Bridge Series

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The A’s and Giants played the final game of Spring Training at Oracle Park Tuesday night. The weather conditions were much better than Monday night, but they deteriorated in the fifth. The rain came down in buckets in the sixth, and the umpires called the game. The A’s beat the Giants in all five games the teams played this preseason.

The teams are off on Wednesday, and the A’s have their home day opener on Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels and their $430 Million Dollar Man, Mike Trout. The A’s are 0-2 in the regular season as they lost two games to the Mariners in Tokyo on March 20th and 21st. The Giants will open on the road against the San Diego Padres and their $300 Million Dollar Man, Manny Machado.

The game summary follows below.

The A’s scored two runs in the second and two runs in the fourth to send Giants’ starter Jeff Samardzija to an early exit. The A’s center fielder Mark Canha blasted Samardzija’s 89 MPH four-seam fastball into the seats to give the A’s a 4-0 lead. Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy decided he had seen enough and removed Samardzija from the game with two outs in the fourth.

The Giants put two on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Connor Joe started the rally with a single. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Brian Schlitter to relieve Brooks. Schlitter walked Alen Hanson and then hit Mac Williamson with a pitch to load the bases. Melvin removed Schlitter and Jerry Blevins, who tried to get a spot in the A’s bullpen, served a single to Gerardo Parra. Two runs were scored on the play. The Giants had runners on first and third with two out. Blevins struck out Pablo Sandoval for the final out (and of the game) as the rain came down and the umpires decided that conditions were too severe to continue. The A’s won 4-2 and swept the Bay Bridge Series.

Game Notes: A’s starter Aaron Brooks, who is out of options, pitched very well for the A’s. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed five hits and one run. The A’s have to make a decision on his status Wednesday as they have to be down to 25 players by Thursday.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Angels Thursday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. Mike Fiers will pitch for the A’s. Game time will be at 1:05 pm.

A’s beat the Giants to win Game 2 of the Bay Bridge Series 5-4

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The A’s and Giants met in Game Two of the three-game Bay Bridge Series. Both teams will be making decisions as they have to get down to 25 players by Thursday. The A’s will have to make decisions on 12 players, and the Giants have to cut nine. The teams will have one more game left after Monday’s game to evaluate their talent.

It was a cold, rainy miserable night at Oracle Park. The game was delayed for one hour and 25 minutes. The game started at 8:10 pm. The A’s scored the first run of the game in the first inning. The Giants’ pitching did not allow a hit until the seventh inning. All the Giant could show for the first six innings was two hits. In the top of the seventh, with more seagulls in the outfield seats than fans, the A’s erupted to score four times on five hits. Ty Blach gave up three doubles and two singles, and the Giants didn’t help their cause as the committed two errors in the inning. The A’s led 5-0 midway through the seventh. The Giants have not scored in 15 innings so far against the A’s in the series.

The A’s lefty reliever, Ryan Buchter, had a bad outing in the seventh inning. He faced five Giants’ hitters and failed to record an out. The Giants had two hits and three walks when A’s manager Bob Melvin removed Buchter from the game. The Giants scored twice and had the bases loaded for new A’s pitcher J.B. Wendelken. The Giants’ new acquired catcher Erik Kratz greeted Wendelken with a single to drive in two more runs. The Giants trail 5-4 with no out in the seventh. Wendelken retired the side with no further damage. Wendelken allowed a hit in the eighth and Ryan Dull sent the Giants down 1-2-3 in the ninth. The A’s won 5-4.

Notes- The game was played in 3 hours and 10 minutes and the attendance was announced as 25,102.

Up Next: Game Three of the Series will be played at Oracle Park Tuesday night at 6:45 pm. It will be the last Spring Training game of the year.