Author: Sports Radio Service

Bumgarner solid in season debut, but Giants lose to Dbacks 3-2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — It took nearly two months, but Madison Bumgarner finally made his 2018 season debut for the San Francisco Giants.

Bumgarner went six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits, while walking no one and striking out three; however, the Arizona Diamondbacks spoiled the night with a 3-2 victory over the Giants before a crowd of 36,925 at AT&T Park on Tuesday night.

The loss stopped the Giants’ five-game winning streak, as they fell to 4-1 on the six-game home stand versus the Philadelphia Phillies.

Through the first, Chris Owings got the Diamondbacks on the board in the top of the third inning, as he followed Ketel Marte’s double with one of his own. Kristopher Negron then made it 2-0, as he drove in Owings with a single to left field.

Paul Goldschmidt was locked in as he usually is against the Giants, as he picked up three hits in his only three at-bats off of Bumgarner.

This season against the Giants, Goldschmidt is hitting .429, as he is 12-for-28 with two home runs and five runs batted in. Against all other opponents this season, Goldschmidt is a combined 35-for-186, a .188 clip with six home runs and 15 RBIs.

Patrick Corbin was cruising into the fourth inning, as he did not allow a base runner until Andrew McCutchen got a base hit off of the left-hander to break up the no-hitter.

The Giants finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Mac Williamson hit a double to left field and then Brandon Crawford continues to hit the ball well, as he hit a double inside the third base line to score Williamson from second base.

Pablo Sandoval then hit a bloop single that fell in between Marte, Nick Ahmed and Owings that allowed Crawford to reach third base. Joe Panik then walked to load the bases, but Corbin regrouped to strikeout Bumgarner, Gorkys Hernandez and Buster Posey in succession to end the inning.

That fifth double by Crawford extended his home hitting streak up to 14 games, as 24-for-49 (.490) with 11 RBIs during the streak.

Corbin ended up going 6.1 innings, allowing x runs on just four hits, walking two and striking out seven in route to his raising his record to 6-2 on the season.

Mark Melancon made his second appearance of the season, as he replaced Bumgarner in the top of the seventh inning.

Melancon ended up going one inning, striking out two and throwing a wild pitch.

With a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning after loading the bases on walks against Corbin, Andrew Chafin and Yoshihisa Hirano, the Giants were unable to score, as Hirano got Posey to fly out to Jarrod Dyson to end the threat.

The Giants put two more on in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Evan Longoria singled with one out, then Crawford walked with two outs; however, Archie Bradley was able to regroup to get Sandoval to ground out to Ahmed to end the inning.

Hunter Strickland came on in the top of the ninth inning, and the Diamondbacks added another run, as Deven Marrero hit into Fielders’ Choice then Dyson walked and Jake Lamb hit a pinch-hit single that scored Marrero.

With one last chance to get back into the game, Alen Hanson hit a double that bounced on the right field line; however, the play was reviewed and after a brief 41 second review, the play stood. Boxberger then got Hernandez to strikeout swinging, and then Posey singled to right field to score Hanson from second base.

With McCutchen coming to the plate as the potential winning run, Austin Jackson came on to pinch run for Posey. McCutchen then singled to left field to bring up Longoria, who grounded out to Ahmed to end the game.

Brad Boxberger got the final three outs of the game, as he picked up his 14thsave in 15 opportunities.

NOTES: Chris Stratton will look to close the home stand on a high note, as he takes the mound for the Giants, and the Diamondbacks will send Clay Buchholz to the hill.

The game can be viewed on Facebook with Rich Waltz, Mike Krukow and Eric Byrnes on the call, and Ashley Adamson on the sidelines.

To make room for Bumgarner on the roster, Pierce Johnson was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Thru the first five games, the Giants have outscored their opponents 24-7 with one game remaining on the home stand.

With their first pick (second pick overall) in the 2018 MLB Draft on Monday, the Giants selected Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart, who was the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. Bart led the ACC in batting with a .359 clip, second in slugging at .632, and hits with 79. He also finished in the top 10 in home runs with 16, runs scored with 55, and on-base percentage at .471. His defense was outstanding as well, as finished the season with a career-best .992 fielding percentage.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Dbacks face off in a rubber match on Wednesday afternoon at 12:45 pm PDT.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Murray most likely to pass up A’s offer to quarterback at Oklahoma

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

@OU Baseball photo: Oklahoma Sooner centerfielder Kyler Murray who can do it all will turn down the Oakland A’s offer to be their number one draft pick to quarterback the Sooners in football next fall

Let’s talk the A’s MLB Draft with Charlie O!

1) Charlie, you told me you’re not to happy about the Athletics’ first-round pick Kyler Murray. What’s your objection?

2) You pointed out an interesting pattern in the first 10 draft picks.

3) Charlie, it took the A’s a while before the grabbed a pitcher in the draft. Does that surprise you?

4) What happens next with the draft?

5) How’s the big club doing and what’s coming up for Oakland?

Charlie O does the Oakland A’s podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Spartan Foundation Honors Three Student-Athletes of the Month

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State honored three student-athletes for the month of May on Tuesday morning. Those student-athletes were women’s track and field’s Destiny Longmire and baseball’s Andrew Mitchel and Shane Timmons. The Spartan Foundation Student-Athletes of the Month were presented by O’Connor Hospital.

Longmire became the first San Jose State women’s track and field athlete to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with her sixth place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships West Preliminary Round meet. She won the women’s long jump at 2018 Mountain West Championship and became the second athlete in conference history to win the women’s outdoor long jump championship as a freshman and a sophomore. She’s the sixth athlete in MW history to win the women’s outdoor long jump championship twice in her college career. She also ran the anchor leg on the Spartans’ school record-setting 4×400 relay team at the MW Championship that finished seventh and added to San Jose State’s best point total (55) in its five-year conference meet history.

Mitchel recorded a 1.71 ERA in 26.1 innings pitched. In his last four starts, he faced three of the top-10 hitting teams in the nation and allowed five earned runs the entire month with 29 strikeouts. At the MW Tournament against San Diego State, he struck out nine batters and held the Aztecs to two earned runs to earn a spot on the 2018 MW All-Tournament Team.

In Game 2 against Air Force on senior weekend, Timmons recorded the game-winning hit to punch the Spartans’ ticket to the MW Tournament, and clinch third place in the Mountain West for the program’s highest finish since San Jose State joined the conference in 2013. He was responsible for all six of San Jose State’s runs on May 18th. In the bottom of the third, he hit a grand slam to left field for the 26th career home run to take a 4-0 lead. He broke John Fagan’s career record of 25, which was set nearly 20 years ago, to become San Jose State’s all-time home runs leader with 26. He batted .365 in 14 starts and recorded a .538 slugging percentage in May.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Have the Cavs really lost all hope?; Will the Warriors sweep in Cleveland?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @awfulannouncing

On the Warriors podcast with David:

To illustrate the frustration of the Cleveland Cavaliers in this year’s finals, two of their players have already walked out on pressers. The Cavs’ Tristan Thompson walked out when he was asked if the team has lost all hope, remarking “That’s f—– up” said an unhappy Thompson. Then, there was LeBron James when he asked about JR Smith and did he know what the score was in Game 1 when time ran out for the Cavs’ first loss.

Game 3 is Wednesday night. Can the Warriors sweep the rest of the way?

David Zizmor does the Warrior podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Dwight Clark will be forever remembered for the catch; Can the Warriors sweep or split in Cleveland?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SBNation

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

*He will forever be remembered for “The Catch” in the 1981 NFC Championship that launched the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl. Dwight Clark, who passed away at age 61, was not only remembered for his great days in football, but also as a family man and friend. Clark’s wife Kelly made the announcement on Monday. Clark was surrounded by friends, family, and many fans, who paid visits to the 49ers superstar.

*The Bay Area is surrounded by many pro and college teams, but a recent survey by many pro teams and college teams that came out Monday, 46% of Bay Area residents said they would like to move because of the high cost of housing and the bad traffic. In the survey, residents said they would move in the next few years.

*Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors continues Wednesday. The Warriors are up 2-0. Could Golden State take the next two games in Cleveland or will they split?

* The Oakland A’s, after finishing up on the road on Wednesday, start a 10-game homestand against Kansas City, Houston, and the Los Angeles Angels. They had a rough time last homestand. Can the A’s go above .500 this coming homestand?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish play by play announcer, does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca and Morris Phillips: Giants rolling with 5-game win streak; Bumgarner gets the call tonight against D-Backs

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

file photo from arizonasports.com: San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner returns tonight for the first start since his injury during spring training in March

On the Giants podcast with Michael and Morris:

We knew that the Giants would be facing some tough opponents of late. Looking back to their road trip in Philadelphia, the Phillies swept the Giants in Philly. They struck 55 Phillies in five games and the Giants didn’t see any of that coming back to AT&T Park and sweeping the Phillies.

Here’s the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are starting at 19-8 and they’re still in that slide. They came into AT&T Park on Monday night with just a one-game lead in first place and they now have lost 13 of their last 14 games. The Diamondbacks re-assumed first place by beating Cincinnati and Miami, winning five out of six in Phoenix. which has been their only response to the huge swoon they went through in May.

There’s more Michael and Morris as they do the Giants podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants Feature With Tony the Tiger Hayes: Forgotten Giants Player Dick Groat in 1967; He Was a Giant?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: 1960sbaseballblog.blogspot.com

By: Tony “Le Tigre” Hayes

Forgotten Giants Player
Dick Groat – SS – 1967 – # 20

He Was a Giant?
The understated Dick Groat wasn’t blessed with the panache of Deion Sanders, the Madison Avenue push of Bo Jackson or the Gold Medal winning cache of Jim Thorpe.

But Groat–briefly a Giant in 1967–was on par with any other multi-sport star American has produced.

He earned MVP honors in MLB (Pirates) and Player of the Year and All-American honors in College Basketball (Duke), yet he rarely gets included among the top players who flittered between sports depending on the seasonal calendar.

Why Was He a Giant?
As a Phillie, Groat collected his career hit 2,000 in 1966, but by 1996, he was literally on his last legs.

The years of constant running and jumping finally caught up to Groat and he would spend two weeks that spring hospitalized after his ankles swelled to three times their normal size.

But even this severe case of cellulitis could not spoil Groat’s competitive spirit and he was game when acquired by San Francisco in mid-1967 to back up the infield and pinch hit.

Before & After
One of the best athletes ever out of the Pittsburgh area, Groat accepted a dual baseball/basketball scholarship to Duke University. Under the guidance of Coach Red Auerbach, Groat was an immediate success in the hardwood.

Twice, he was selected as an All-American and was named National Player of the Year in 1952 when he averaged 25.2 points per game for the Blue Devils. Twice, he also garnered All-American honors for Duke’s baseball team.

Initially, Groat pursued pro careers in both sports and played the 1952-53 season as a sharpshooting guard with the NBA’s Ft. Wayne Pistons, averaging 12 points per game.

Groat opted to focus on baseball for his hometown Pirates and batted .284 as a rookie in 1952 without spending a day in the minors.

In 1960, Groat–a shortstop by trade–was named NL MVP, after winning the batting crown and leading the Bucs to their first World Series title in 35 years.

Later, Groat was dealt to the Cardinals and was a key contributor to their 1964 World Championship club.

He Wasn’t Hal Lanier. But…
The crew-cutted Groat arrived in San Francisco in the midst of the Summer of Love.

Playing time was scant for the 36 -year -old but, he had his moments in the Fog.

In back-to-back wins vs. the visiting Phillies (7/28/67-7/29/67), Groat poked a pair of hits as starting shortstop in each contest.

In 34 games with SF, Groat would bat .171 with four RBIs.

He retired following the 1967 campaign.

Giant Footprint
As a member of the Pirates in 1957, Groat combined to record the last putout of the New York Giants’ final home game–and last game ever–before the club’s move to San Francisco (9/29/57).

After Don Mueller flew out and Willie Mays grounded out for the first two outs of the bottom of the ninth, Dusty Rhodes punched a ground ball to Groat, who in turn fired to first baseman Frank Thomas to conclude the 9-1 Pittsburgh win and 74 seasons of New York Giants baseball.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Len Shapiro: It could be over quickly for Knights, who are down 2-1 to Caps with Game 4 tonight

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

a57.foxnews.com photo: The Vegas Golden Knights Alex Tuch (89) looked for a sure fire goal, but the outstretched stick of Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) stopped the puck in front of the crease to save the game for the Caps in Game 2.

On the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Len:

If  you had to ask if the shot that Vegas Golden Knights’ Alex Tuch took in Game 2 that was stopped with the goalie stick paddle of Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby that Holtby outstretched with the stick to save the puck from going into the mouth of the net that would have taken the first-year expansion team to a 2-0 series lead.

Now after three games played in these NHL Finals and the Capitals with home ice, it’s looking grim for the Knights, who are down 2-1 and desperately need to tie up the series in Game 4 on Monday night and bring it back to Vegas for Game 5.

The Knights goalie Marc Andre-Fleury, who has been superb throughout the playoffs with a low goals against, has been tamed through the first three games of these finals surrendering four goals in Game 1, three goals in a loss to Washington in Game 2 and another loss surrendering another three goals in Game 3.

Len takes a look at what to expect in tonight’s Game 4 at Capital One Center for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Rodriguez with fantastic rookie start; Holland goes after fifth straight win tonight

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips:

Son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants starter Dereck Rodriguez, might have punched his ticket to the big leagues with a Major League win in his debut in a 6-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Rodriguez is the first Giants rookie to pitch for win in his big league debut since Ryan Sadowski did it in August 2009 against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Field. Rodriguez said that the Giants offense helped battle back the Phillies when they rallied for five runs in the sixth inning.

After 159 at-bats since his last homer, the Giants’ Andrew McCutchen tagged a homer to right field–a very difficult place to hit one out at AT&T Park. The last right-handed batter to get a big fly out over the right field fence was Nick Hundley on May 2nd.

Tonight, the Giants will start Derek Holland, whose on a four-game win streak and will open the series at AT&T against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks with a 7:15 PDT first pitch.

Morris Phillips does the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: World Cup Russia 2018 and USA 1994

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @DailyMirror

By: Amaury Pi Gonzalez

The United States did not qualify for this upcoming World Cup. However, I did have the privilege of covering the 1994 USA World Cup for Telemundo Bay Area–the only World Cup ever in the USA–and had great memories of that event.

Like, for example, my exclusive one-on-one interview with the great Edson Arantes do Nascimiento, who’s better known as Pelé. The Brazilian forward is also known as the greatest fútbol player of all time. He came to the USA as an ambassador to FIFA and I recall that he was wearing a sports jacket with the MasterCard logo, one of the biggest worldwide sponsors at that time. I have a photo with him and he even autographed his photo for me. You could not ask for a better person to represent his country of Brazil or the sport in general. I was lucky and privileged to cover the Brazilian team that won the 1994 US World Cup since their plane arrived at San José International Airport. That year (1994), Brazil had the great Bora Milutinovic as their head coach. Milutinovic was born in Serbia and previously coached México, Costa Rica, USA, Nigeria and China.

Brazil also had great players, whom I interviewed as a sports anchor for CH 48 San José, like Bebeto and Romario. It was truly a pleasure to cover that 1994 World Cup in person. A truly unforgettable experience.

The World Cup is arguably the greatest sporting event in the world. Billions of people watch on television and listen on radio all around the world. This World Cup in Russia is just around the corner as it starts on 14 June and ends on 15 July.

From our continent, these are the teams that qualified for the event: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, México, Panamá, Perú and Uruguay.

Brazil has won the World Cup five times in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Argentina has won two in 1978 and 1986. Uruguay has won two in 1930 and 1950. Colombia, Costa Rica,México,Panamá and Perú have never won. The official languages of the World Cup are English and French.

How come the USA did not qualify? Back in October 2017, the US men’s national team was embarrassed as they lost 2-1 to Trinidad and Tobago. The USA only needed a win or a tie, to qualify for the World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago is a small island in the Caribbean with a population of 1.3 million people. It’s incredible to believe that a small island with very limited resources would beat the USA with all the money and resources in the world. But it happened.

But FIFA is not free of scandals. In November 2017, they were found guilty of millions of dollars in “inducements” to secure contracts to televise matches in a New York City courtroom. This includes the bribes sought by FIFA executives with the power to determine World Cup hosts. There were a number of death threats for cooperating with investigators. Also, dozens of individuals along with two corporations have been indicted, including nine FIFA officials and five businessmen. Anyway, the corruption has been well-documented around the world in many courts of law.

In less than two weeks, Russia will host the 64 matches that spread over 1,800 miles in 12 stadiums in the 2018 World Cup. Their largest venue, Luzhniki Stadium (Moscow), is one of the newest ones with a 81,000 capacity. The stadium reopened this year and it is here that the first game on June 14 will take place as well as the last game and final 31 days later.

Luzhniki Stadium was also the main venue for the 1980 Summer Olympic Games and had a capacity of 103,000 at that time. In 1992, the stadium was renamed Luzhniki Stadium. In 1996, extensive renovation saw the construction of a roof over the stands, and the refurbishment of the seating areas, which resulted in a decrease in a capacity to 81,000.

Germany was the last World Cup Champion. I do not have a favorite on this World Cup, but I wish you all the very best and may the best team win.

In the United States, FOX and Telemundo have the rights for this World Cup.