Author: Sports Radio Service

Utah HC Concludes Inaugural Season Home Schedule With 4-3 Shootout Loss To Nashville

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Utah Hockey Fans show their appreciation on the final home game of the 2024-25 first season for the franchise as they played the Nashville Predators (Utah Hockey Club X photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Dylan Guenther scored the new franchise’s first and final home goals this season, but Utah falls to the Nashville Predators 4-3 in a shootout.

The Minnesota Wild ended Utah Hockey Club’s Wild Card pursuit on Wednesday night when they defeated the San Jose Sharks in Minneapolis. On Thursday, Utah HC returned to the Delta Center ice following their franchise record 7-1 thrashing of the Seattle Kraken two nights earlier to wrap up their 2024-2025 inaugural season home schedule against the Nashville Predators. It was exactly one year ago that Phoenix Coyotes players were informed that they were moving to Utah.

The first period turned into a battle of defenses as Nashville netminder Juuse Saros turned away 11 Utah shots while Karel Vejmelka, making his 22nd consecutive start in goal, turned away all five shots from the Predators.

Utah forward Nick Bjugstad kicked off the scoring at 4:49 of the second period with a steep angle snap shot which found the hole between the left shoulder of Saros and the upper corner of the net for his seventh goal of the season, assisted by Alexander Kerfoot.

At 13:54, Jack McBain hit the center of the crossbar with a shot which rebounded to Josh Doan in front of the net who wristed it past Saros for his sixth goal of the season to make it 2-0 Utah. With 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the frame, Logan Cooley was whistled for tripping against Zachary L’Heureux. On the power play, Nashville defenseman Nick Blankenburg cut Utah’s lead in half with his 4th goal of the season, assisted by Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O’Reilly.

The Predators began the third period on the power play again thanks to a Sean Durzi hooking penalty committed against Filip Forsberg with less than a second remaining in the previous period. At 1:19, Forsberg cashed in the man-advantage with his 31st goal of the season, assisted by Brady Skjei and Steven Stamkos, tying the score at 2-2. Two minutes later the Delta Center crowd was stunned as Ryan O’Reilly gave Nashville their first lead of the night with his 19th goal, assisted by Michael Bunting. That lead would last less than three minutes as Dylan Guenther knocked a rebound on a shot from Logan Cooley into a wide open net for his 27th of the season with the additional assist to captain Clayton Keller. The two goaltenders locked things down for the rest of regulation and the overtime period.

The final home game of the inaugural season would go all the way to a shootout. Juuse Saros was perfect in shutting down Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller, and Dylan Guenther. Karel Vejmelka was able to stop Ryan O’Reilly and Steven Stamkos, but surrendered the final shot to Filip Forsberg on a backhand to give Nashville the shootout win. Utah went 3-1-1 in their final homestand, finishing the regular season with a 18-15-8 home record. Guenther ended up recording the franchise’s first goal on opening night against the Chicago Blackhawks, and scored the team’s final home goal of the season on Thursday night, which also happened to be the sniper’s 22nd birthday.

At the conclusion of the game, all of the Utah players came out on the ice to acknowledge fans, and a number of awards were presented. Barrett Hayton received the “All-In” award which was voted by the fans. Alexander Kerfoot received the “Community Obsessed” award for his involvement in the community. The “Three Stars” award was given to Dylan Guenther for having been selected as one of the Three Stars 16 times this season, including nine First Star recognitions. Captain Clayton Keller received the “Leading Scorer” award, having scored 27 goals and 58 assists for 85 total points in 78 games. Finally, the “Team MVP” was awarded to netminder Karel Vejmelka, whose 22 consecutive starts is the most in the NHL since Darcy Kuemper of the Arizona Coyotes started 22 six years ago. He has gone 12-6-4 during the streak. Team owner Ryan Smith thanked the fans for their support throughout the year, and told everyone that this was just the beginning.

In the locker room Vejmelka talked about what winning MVP means to him. “It’s a great feeling, especially (the) first year. But I would say it’s a team trophy and a team award. I couldn’t get a trophy without the guys, without (my) teammates. They’re a big part of it and I really appreciate it.” Utah’s fans have serenaded Vejmelka with chants of VEG-GIE and recently began throwing broccoli onto the ice to acknowledge his play. When asked about it, Vejmelka responded, “Yeah, it’s getting crazy. I like to see that, and I can’t wait to see that again next season. It’s a really cool feeling, especially on the ice, and I really feel that support. So like I said, I really appreciate it.” With regard to his mental and physical preparation during his streak, he added, “It’s about consistency and just playing the right way. I don’t want to really complicate things, I just want to play simple, and just enjoy the game as well. It’s a big part of it, and it’s still the game. It was a really great feeling to be (on the) hunt and play for something, (and not) just play the last couple of games for nothing. It’s a good feeling for next season, and hopefully we’re going to be even better.”

Utah captain Clayton Keller talked about the fan reaction to the award ceremony. “It was awesome. It’s been a whirlwind since the end of last season, from top to bottom. Ryan and Ashley (Smith), Chris Armstrong, all the sacrifices that they made to make this transition easy, (and) giving us every source. The fans as well; since day one, you could tell the excitement. We’re super hungry for next year, and this is just the beginning. There’s lots to look forward to.” What was it like playing in front of the home crowd for the last time this season? “Just a special moment. First season here in NHL history. Sometimes it’s crazy to think about that, how quickly it happened and how great of a move it’s been. So just super thankful. So many people gave us a great position to be successful and I couldn’t be more excited for next year.” With regard to Vejmelka’s MVP, Keller added, “Well deserved. He’s been unbelievable. I don’t know how many starts in a row that is, but he’s been unbelievable all year long, making saves when we needed it, giving us lots of confidence. Great teammate, great guy. Signed a nice deal and you couldn’t ask for a better guy and goalie as well. Super excited to have him locked up for a long time and like I said, well deserved.”

Head coach André Tourigny began his media session talking about the final home game in Utah’s inaugural season. “It was special for us. It was the team’s first year and there were a lot of emotions. There were a lot of connections with the crowd and the way they supported us, we wanted to play for them and play in front of them. It’s just tough right now to comprehend that there’s no more this year. We’re addicted now. We’re looking forward to the next one, but we’ll have to wait a little bit.” When asked how players around the league might perceive Utah as a desirable destination for free agents, Bear responded, “You do things right or everybody will know. Here, we do things right and the players are happy. The way the people of Utah, not just our fans, have been with our players off the ice and on the ice and the pour of love and all, everything’s been so positive. I think that word will go around and go into the NHL player community, and that will help our recruiting. No doubt about it.” When asked about the player awards, Tourigny said, “A coach is like a father and you want everybody to be recognized. Those five players have been recognized and they all deserve it, no doubt about it. But there’s a lot of guys, unsung heroes, on our team that I would have loved to see them be rewarded as well. I understand we need to have limits, but I think there are a lot of guys who put their heart into the job this year, and they helped us make this year a special year.”

Utah now hits the road for the final three games of the season against Dallas, Nashville, and St. Louis. The next time fans pour into Delta Center for hockey, their team will have a new identity, whether Mammoth, Outlaws, or a surprise announcement. Stay tuned.

San Francisco Giants podcast Morris Phillips: It’s off to the Big Apple as SF opens 3 game set with Yankees

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Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees will host the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium in New York on Fri Arp 11, 2025 to open a three game series (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast Morris Phillips:

#1 San Francisco Giant Mike Yastrzemski’s two run home run in the bottom of the tenth inning got the Giants a 8-6 win over the visiting Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park on Wednesday afternoon.

#2 The Giants Jung Hoo Lee got three hits which included a triple and a double. Lee’s hitting also help pace the Giants down from five runs to comeback for the win.

#3 The Giants Wilmer Flores jumped into the act as well with three hits and a home run. Flores has been clutch so far in this early part of the season.

#4 Morris, big win for San Francisco as they avoided getting swept in the series.

#5 The Giants open a three game series at Yankee Stadium in New York on Friday night. Look out for those scary torpedo bats. San Francisco will be starting Robbie Ray (2-0, ERA 3.18) for the New York Yankees Davis Martin (0-1 ERA 5.73) for a 4:05pm PDT first pitch. Giants and Yankees Morris will be it one of those classic match ups.

Join Morris Phillips for the San Francisco Giants podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings’ Late Rally Falls Short as Jokic, Nuggets Hand Sacramento 124-116 Loss

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The Kings play the Nuggets in Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night (Photo: Sacramento Kings on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings were back home on Wednesday night to take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. The Kings were fresh off a 3-3 road trip, while Denver was fresh off firing long-tenured head coach Mike Malone. Malone was the coach for Denver for 10 seasons, and former Kings head coach Rick Adelman’s son, David Adelman, took over on an interim basis in Denver.

The Kings lost to Denver 124-116 on Wednesday night. 

In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a slow start. The Kings’ offense was only able to score 25 points, as Denver managed to put up 33 in the opening period. We saw early sightings of Doug McDermott and Devin Carter in the game, as Doug Christie was going deep into his bench due to the injuries to Jake LaRavia and Malik Monk.

In the second quarter, the Kings matched the intensity from Denver. Both the Kings and the Nuggets scored 33 points in the quarter, as Denver took a 66-58 lead into halftime. The Kings did not see any player reach double figures in the first half, while Denver had four players with double-digit points at the break. The Kings felt outmatched in the opening half and would need to significantly increase their scoring to take the game from Denver.

In the third, the Nuggets continued their steady barrage on the Kings. The Nuggets outscored the Kings 27-25, expanding their lead heading into the final frame, 93-83. The Kings weren’t losing by much, but slowly, over the course of the game, the lead ballooned.

In the fourth, the Kings made a run but ultimately weren’t able to seal the deal as they fell to Denver, 124-116. The Kings managed to pull within four points at 108-104 with just over four minutes left in the game. However, that would be the last run the Kings made, as Denver sealed the deal shortly afterward. The Kings outscored the Nuggets in the fourth quarter, 33-31, but it was too little, too late.

The Kings were led in the defeat by Zach LaVine, who scored 27 points on 10-20 shooting from the floor. Denver was led by Nikola Jokic, who scored 20 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

With the loss, the Kings remain one game up on the 10th-seed Dallas Mavericks.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the LA Clippers on Friday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

NBA podcast Michael Roberson Thu Mar 10, 2025: Lakers Doncic says trash talking was directed at fan not ref; Grizzlies Wells has broken wrist in scary fall; plus more NBA news

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) drives on the Oklahoma City Thunder guard Carson Wallace right at at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Tue Apr 8, 2025. Doncic was ejected for yelling at a fan but the official thought it was directed at him and Doncic was ejected. (AP News photo)

NBA podcast Michael Roberson Thu Mar 10, 2025:

#1  Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic says he trash talking courtside with a fan when an official thought Doncic’s talking was directed at him and ejected Doncic. Doncic said he has never been fan ejected before and that if a fan is going to talk he’s going to talk back.

#2 Memphis Grizzlies guard Jaylen Wells took a frightening fall and suffered a broken wrist. Wells who is up to make the NBA All Rookie team selection. Wells was averaging 10.5 points with 3.4 rebounds in 79 games for the 2024-25 campaign.

#3 The Denver Nuggets who fired head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth Tuesday shocked a lot of front office, players, media and fans. Malone was a championship coach for the Nuggets. The Nuggets are 47-32. They had lost four straight games and may not make the play in and snapped the losing streak with a win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Dave Adelman who was the Nuggets lead assistant has taken over as had coach for the rest of the season.

#4 What happened to the Minnesota Timberwolves had a 24 point lead and blew the game when the Milwaukee Bucks came back and scored 39-8 in the last ten minutes of the game to stun the Timberwolves 110-103. The loss ended a five game winning streak for the Timberwolves.

#5 The Cleveland Cavaliers the hottest team in the NBA at 63-16 and have won seven of their last ten games The Cavaliers are getting a lot of help from their leading scorers Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers handled the Chicago Bulls with a convincing win on Tuesday night 135-113.

Michael Roberson does the NBA podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda shutout Firebirds 1-0, Bystedt overtime winner

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San Jose Barracuda vs Coachella Valley Firebirds on Wednesday April 9th at Acrisure Arena (via sjbarracuda/x)

By Madison Montez

There was a lack of goals throughout the first and second periods but there wasn’t a lack of effort. Both teams in Wednesday night’s midweek matchup were playing their absolute best games of the season. For the overtime winner 53 seconds in, Filip Bystedt scored his 11th goal of the season as the San Jose Barracuda edged the Coachella Valley Firebirds 1-0.

Although the scoring appeared even and low, the shots on goals were split between the first and second periods but San Jose outshot Coachella Valley in the third period. In the first period, San Jose outshot Coachella Valley 12 to 7. In the second period, Coachella Valley outshot San Jose 11 to 5. To end the game, San Jose outshot Coachella Valley 10 to 6.

Tempers were flared in Wednesday night’s game, especially throughout the second period. During the first period, each team took two penalties each. In the second period, Coachella took six penalties and San Jose took five.

Seven of the eleven penalties were for fighting or roughing. Coachella was given a four minute power-play opportunity when Lucas Vanroboys took a 4 minute double minor for attempting to head butt a Firebird. Ultimately, both San Jose and Coachella Valley equally took nine penalties.

The penalty kills were on display Wednesday night with neither team being able to capitalize on the many penalties. Previous to Wednesday night’s game, San Jose was in fifth place on the PK with an 82.2%. Coachella Valley was in 1st, and it showed in Wednesday night’s game, going nine for nine on the penalty kill.

Wednesday night’s game was nothing but a goalie duel starting goalie for San Jose was Yaroslav Askarov, his second game in a row after his injury. Askarov faced 24 shots and made 24 saves, his second shutout against the FireBirds this season. For Coachella Valley, starting goalie was Nikke Kokko. Kokko recorded the loss, making 27 saves on 28 shots.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  • 1. Yaroslav Askarov, 24 svs on 24 shots
  • 2. Nikke Kokko, 27 svs on 28 shots
  • 3. Filip Bystedt, 1G

The Barracuda will be back in action on Friday April 11th for the last home series of the regular season. San Jose will be hosting the Ontario Reign.

Padres Take Series from A’s in 2-1 Finale Win

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A’s take on the Padres on Wednesday afternoon in West Sacramento (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — Sutter Health Park in Sacramento hosted the rubber game between the A’s and the Padres on Wednesday afternoon. The Padres had taken the first game of the series on Monday, while the A’s responded with a 10-4 victory on Tuesday.

Wednesday’s matchup featured Osvaldo Bido on the mound for the A’s, facing Randy Vasquez for the Padres. Both pitchers delivered strong performances, but the A’s offense struggled significantly, managing only two hits and ultimately losing the series finale, 2-1.

The A’s got on the scoreboard first in the second inning when Luis Urias hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing home Shea Langeliers. Initially, Langeliers was ruled out at the plate, but after a quick review, the call was overturned, awarding the A’s the early 1-0 lead.

San Diego responded swiftly in the third inning, as Oscar Gonzales drove in Xander Bogaerts on a sacrifice fly, tying the game at 1-1. The Padres scored again in the fifth inning with another sac-fly, this time by Gavin Sheets, bringing in Bogaerts once more. That 2-1 lead would stand for the remainder of the game, as the Padres’ pitching silenced the A’s bats.

Despite the loss, Bido pitched reasonably well for Sacramento, throwing five innings and allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out five. Although the nine hits appear problematic, many resulted from soft contact that found gaps in the defense. On the Padres’ side, Randy Vasquez was effective over five innings, giving up just one run on a single hit with three walks and one strikeout.

Offensively, the A’s struggled throughout, producing just two hits and one run in the entire game. They’ll have a chance to regroup with an off day on Thursday before facing the New York Mets at Sutter Health Park on Friday night at 7:05 PM PST. Mets starting pitcher RHP Griffin Canning (0-1 ERA 2.79) for the A’s JP Sears 1-1 ERA 3.46.

With this loss, the A’s fell to 5-8 on the year, while the Padres improved their early-season record to 10-3.

Note: Jacob Wilson continued his impressive start to the 2025 season, recording another hit on Wednesday and extending his hitting streak to 13 games.

Yaz walks it off, as Giants overcome their 2025 kryptonite with thrilling 8-6 comeback win over Reds

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San Francisco Giant Casey Schmitt (10) gives teammate Mike Yastrzemski (left) the Gatorade shower after Yastrzemski’s walk off home run in the bottom of the tenth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Apr 9, 2025 (San Francisco Giants X photo)

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Oracle Park

Cincinnati Reds 6 (5-8)

San Francisco Giants 8 (9-3)

Win: Erik Miller (1-0)

Loss: Emilio Pagan (0-1)

Time: 2:41

Attendance: 35,186

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants avoided the sweep with a thrilling come-from-behind win, as they came back from down 6-1 to beat the Reds 8-6 on a 10th-inning walk-off home run by Mike Yastrzemski

The Reds have seemed to be the Giants’ kryptonite early this season. They shut out the Giants in the first two games of this series, and they have been responsible for all three of the Giants’ losses so far this season.’

Wednesday, the Giants not only needed a win to avoid the sweep, but they needed a win to avoid having a three-game snide going into what is going to be a tough road trip through New York and Philadelphia.

Justin Verlander made his third start of the season, and he was hoping to fare better than he did in his last start in the home opener against the Mariners on Friday, in which he only lated two and a third innings.

We got vintage Verlander over the first two innings, as he retired the first six men he faced, and struck out the side in the top of the second inning. He struck out four in total over the first two innings

However, in the top of the third, it was a different story. After getting Spencer Steer to pop out to second for the first out of the inning, things got rough for Verlander. It started with a walk to Jake Fraley, who was the first base-runner for either team. Former Giant Austin Wynn then singled to left field to put runners on first and second with one out for the top of the Reds’ lineup.

TJ Friedl came up and hit a double off the bricks in right, which knocked in Fraley for the first run of the game, and got Wynns over to third. Santiago Espinal reached on a swinging bunt to third, and that brought up the Reds’ exciting young phenom, Elly De La Cruz.

Of course De La Cruz had to do damage, as he hit a chopper over LaMonte Wade Jr. at first down the right field line for a two-bagger, and that scored a pair to make it 3-0. Former Dodger Gavin Lux then hit a ground ball off the glove of the diving second-baseman, Tyler Fitzgerald, who along with the rest of the infield was playing in, and another two runs scored to make it 5-0.

Reds’ starter Nick Martinez also set down the first six hitters he faced. The Giants finally got in the hit column with a two-out double by Fitzgerald in the bottom of the third, but Wade grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Giants finally got on the board for the first time in this series in the bottom of the fourth. Willy Adames drew a lead-off walk, and Jung Hoo Lee brought him in with a triple down the right field line to make it 5-1. The Giants had a golden opportunity to get right back into this game, but Lee was thrown out at the plate on a ground ball off the bat of Heliot Ramos, and they had to settle for just the run.

The good news was that there were still five innings of baseball left, and the Giants have had a propensity for coming back here in the early part of the season.

Meanwhile, Verlander settled back down and threw two more 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth. The Reds would get one more run off Verlander in the top of the sixth, though it came on a walk to Wynns issued by Lou Trivino, who had just come into the game for Verlander.

Despite giving up six runs over five and two thirds innings, Verlander was fairly strong. If you take out the ugly top of the third, he was frankly dominant. Nothing said that more than his nine strikeouts, and no one believed it more than his skipper, Bob Melvin.

“[Verlander was] incredibly unlucky,” said Melvin. “His stuff was good the whole game today. I don’t think there was one ball hit [other than] Frito’s ball. To be able to finish the inning was huge.”

It was only a matter of time before the Giants would stage a rally to get back into the game. Even when they were shut out in the first two games of this series, they never gave up and kept hitting the ball hard.

That rally would come in the bottom of the sixth. Lee singled to right to lead off the inning. Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos both struck out, but Mike Yastrzemski lined a double to right to move Lee over to third. A wild pitch from Martinez made it 6-2, and then Wilmer Flores lined a base hit the other way to right to make it 6-3 and put the Giants right back in the game.

Left-hander Taylor Rogers was summoned by Reds Manager Terry Francona to try and put out the fire. Rogers was greeted by his former battery mate, Patrick Bailey, who lined a triple to right to make it 6-4. Tyler Fitzgerald then lined an opposite-field base-hit to right to make it 6-5.

Randy Rodriguez held down the fort with a scoreless top of the seventh, and then the Giants wasted a leadoff double by Lee in the bottom of the seventh. By the way, for those of you keeping track, that was the third leg of the cycle for Lee. The only leg missing was the home run.

The other Rogers twin, Tyler, struck out the side in a 1-2-3 top of the eighth for the Giants. The first man to strike out in the inning was Will Benson, who took home the golden sombrero with his fourth strikeout in his 2025 debut.

Wilmer Flores then stepped in against Tony Santillan to lead off the bottom of the eighth, and on the very first pitch, Flores tied the game with a home run down the left field line. It was Wilmer’s fifth home run of the year, and he now has more home runs just two weeks into this season than he had all of last season.

Melvin brought in his closer, Ryan Walker, who threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth. Ian Gibaut did the same for Cincinnati in the bottom of the ninth, and we were going to extras for some Manfred Ball.

Erik Miller survived the ghost runner in the top of the tenth, and the Giants looked to win the game against Emilio Pagan in the bottom of the tenth. Heliot Ramos moved Chapman, who was the Giants’ ghost runner to third, and that brought up Mike Yastrzemski.

It turns out the Giants would not even need the ghost runner, as Yastrzemski launched the first pitch he saw into McCovey Cove to win it, and the Comeback Kids did it again. For Yastrzemski, it was his fifth-career walk-off home run, and his third into the water.

The Giants are now 9-3, and they got the massive win they needed going into what is going to be a tough three-city road trip through the Bronx, Philadelphia and Anaheim.

“It’s amazing, [and] about as much as I’ve ever had on the baseball field right now,” said Yastrzemski. “[It’s] an unbelievable group. Even when things got tough the last two days where we didn’t score any runs, we’re still here having fun. We’re smiling, we’re not letting [the losses] affect us, and I think that these are learning curves even for veteran guys. You see how hard it is to win a big league game, and we need to enjoy it every time we do.”

Erik Miller got the win, and Emilio Pagan took the loss.

The Giants have gotten off to this 9-3 start against three solid teams, and they will now be tested against two powerhouses in the Yankees and Phillies in their ballparks. This weekend will be a battle of old school baseball and new age analytics, as the Giants and their pitching staff will be up against Jazz Chisholm, Anthony Volpe, Giancarlo Stanton and the other Yankees using the abomination known as the torpedo bat.

The Giants will begin the road trip on Friday night at Yankee Stadium with left-hander Robby Ray (2-0, 3.18 ERA) on the mound. Opposing Ray for the Yankees will be Marcus Stroman (0-0, 7.27 ERA). First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. in the Bronx, and 4:05 p.m PDT in San Francisco.

Giants News and Notes:

Yastrzemski walk-off was the 106th splash hit in the history of Oracle Park, and the fifth walk-off splash hit.

Barry Bonds hit the first off of left-hander Ray King of the Braves at then-Pacific Bell Park on Aug. 19, 2003. Brandon Crawford did so against the Rockies on April 13, 2014, and Yastrzemski hit his other two, both against the Padres, on July 29, 2020 and June 19, 2023.

SF Giants game wrap: Lodolo and Reds shutout Giants for second night in row in 1-0 win

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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo (40) delivers to the San Francisco Giants line up at Oracle Park on Tue Apr 8, 2025 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

By Lewis Rubman

Cincinnati (5-7). 001 000 000. 1. 8 1

San Francisco (8-3).000 000 000. 0 4 0

Time: 2:05

Attendance:30,261

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–For the second night in a row, the fans at Oracle Park were treated to a nail-biter of a pitchers’ duel. I was going to call it a classical one, but that would have required that both pitchers stay in the game for more than six innings. But you take what you get, and Tuesday night’s five moundsmen gave us plenty, a Cincy’s Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft, and Emilio Pagán combined to defeat San Francisco’s Landen Roupp and Hayden Birdsong, 1-0.

Lodolo, who earned his second win and one setback allowed three hits, a walk, and a balk over six frames, brought his ERA down to 0.96. He threw 87 pitches, 51 of which were balls, to the 23 batters he faced. Ashcraft took care of the Giants in the next two frames, surrendering a leadoff single to Sam Huff in the eighth before he was erased by Héliot Ramos hitting into a U4-3 double play. The Reds’ righty reliever then fanned Willly Adames. Pagán set Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, and Wilmer Flores down in order, to earn his second save of the season.

Roupp calls Logan Webb, the tough luck loser of Monday’s razor thin loss to the Rhinelanders, his best friend on the team. The rookie, who hails from Rocky Mount, NC, the home of Hall of Famer Buck Leonard, had nothing to be ashamed of in his performance, gave up the visitors’ only tally.

It came in the top of third on a lead off double by Spencer Steer, who advanced to third on Jake Fraley’s single to center, and scored on TJ Friedle’s ground out to third. The young hurler allowed seven safeties, chalked up four strike outs, and didn’t walk anyone, He left with a record of 0-1, 3.60. Birdsong threw three shutout innings, in which he walked one and struck out two. He has yet to give up an earned run this season.

The Giants will try to salvage one game of this series 12:45 tomorrow, Wednesday, afternoon. Nick Martínez (0-2,5.91) will go against fellow righty Justin Verlander (0-0,6.14).

Six-run bottom of the first leads A’s to first Sacramento win at Sutter Health, 10-4 over Padres

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Athletics’ Gio Urshela watches his single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
 (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Sutter Health Park

San Diego Padres 4 (9-3)

Sacramento Athletics 10 (5-7)

Win: Jeffrey Springs (2-1)

Loss: Dylan Cease (1-1)

Time: 2:37

Attendance: 9,018

By Stephen Ruderman

WEST SACRAMENTO–The A’s finally got their first win in Sacramento, as they responded to a three-run top of the first inning by the Padres with a six-run bottom of the first en route to a 10-4 win.

I’ll be honest, it was a less-beautiful night at Sutter Health Park with the absence of clouds. However, it was still a rather-nice evening, and it was the perfect backdrop for the A’s first win in Sacramento if they could get it.

Jeffrey Springs made the start for the A’s tonight, and things seemed to be going well for him, as he retired the first two men he faced. However, things completely changed with two outs.

Manny Machado hit an opposite-field home run to right, and that was just the start. Xander Bogaerts lined a base-hit to left, and then Yuli Gurriel shot a double into the gap in left-center that knocked in Bogaerts to make it 2-0. Springs was getting lit up, and now that I think back on it, even the first out of the game was a loud out.

Springs then walked Jake Cronenworth, but he finally seemed to be on his way out of the inning on a ground ball to third by Jose Iglesias. Unfortunately, the throw from third-baseman Gio Urshela was high, which took first-baseman Tyler Soderstrom off the back. Iglesias was able to reach first as a result, and Gurriel scored to make it 3-0

The A’s were quick to respond against Padres’ starter Dylan Cease in the bottom of the first inning. Okay, somewhat quick. Lawrence Butler singled to lead off the inning, and Soderstrom walked with one out, With two outs, JJ Bleday smoked a double to right-center, which scored both runs to make it 3-2. Miguel Andujar then fisted a base-hit up the middle to center to knock in Bleday, and just like that, it was tied.

The A’s were not done yet. Jacon Wilson lined a base-hit to left, and Urshela lined a double to the wall in left, which put the A’s ahead 5-3. Max Muncy capped it all off with a base-hit to left, which scored Urshela to make it 6-3.

The Padres scored a run in the top of the second to make it 6-4, and it looked like it was going to be a wild seesaw affair. However, he A’s went down scoreless in the bottom of the second, and Springs threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third.

The A’s then got things going again in the bottom of the third. Bleday led off the inning with a walk, and Andujar singled him over to second. Wilson singled to left past the diving shortstop, Xander Bogaerts, to load the bases, but after left-fielder Oscar Gonzalez overran the ball, Bleday and Anujar both scored, to make it 8-4. Urshela followed that up with a double to left, and it was now 9-4.

From there, the game really settled down. Springs settled down from his early doldrums to retire 14 of the final 16 men he faced to cap off what was a solid six-inning performance.

Cease, on the other hand, was done after giving up nine runs and nine hits over a rough four innings.

Jose Leclerc pitched through a jam in the top of the seventh on his way to a scoreless inning. Bleday then led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to right to make it 10-4.

Justin Sterner threw a scoreless top of the eighth, and Tyler Ferguson ended it with a scoreless top of the ninth.

At the end of the game, “California Love” by Tupac played as the A’s new victory song, replacing “celebration,” which of course was used for decades at the Coliseum.

Jeffrey Springs got the win, and Dylan Cease took the loss. The A’s improve to 5-7, and they can take the series with a win in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon.

Osvaldo Bido (5-3, 3.41 ERA) will take the ball for Oakland, and Randy Vasquez (0-1, 1.69 ERA) will go for the Fathers. First pitch will be at 12:35 p.m.

A’s News and Notes:

Tyler Soderstrom had to leave the game with tightness in his right calf. More on his condition should be available shortly.

Utah Hockey Club game wrap: Utah HC Offense Unleashes On Kraken In 7-1 Rout

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Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) makes a save with his skate against Utah Hockey Club center Nick Schmaltz (8) in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City Sat Apr 5, 2025. Utah clobbered the Seattle Kraken at the Delta Center on Tue Apr 8, 2025. (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Seven different players lit the lamp for Utah HC in a lopsided 7-1 victory over Seattle.

Nearing the end of their inaugural season in Salt Lake City, Utah Hockey Club entered Tuesday night’s showdown with the Seattle Kraken still mathematically surviving in the Wild Card race with five games remaining on the schedule.

Utah wasted no time opening up a first period lead when defenseman Mikhail Sergachev increased his career high in goals with his 15th of the season, assisted by Kevin Stenlund and Sean Durzi. At 12:54 of the first period, with Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak and Brandon Montour in the penalty box, captain Clayton Keller recorded his 27th goal of the year with a wicked wrist shot which whizzed past Kraken netminder Joey Daccord on the 5-on-3 power play, assisted by Sergachev and Dylan Guenther.

With Oleksiak remaining in the sin bin due to a high-sticking double minor against Kailer Yamamoto, Yamamoto cashed it in with a slap shot with six seconds remaining on the power play to make it 3-0, his second goal of the season, assisted by Josh Doan and Logan Cooley. For his part, Karel Vejmelka stopped all four shots he faced in his 21st consecutive start in goal for Utah.

The second period began much as the first period ended. Just 16 seconds after the puck drop, Lawson Crouse fired the puck from almost the identical spot as Sergachev’s first period goal, the middle of the ice at the distance of the top of the faceoff circle, to beat Joey Daccord unassisted for his 12th goal of the season.

Before the period was halfway over, Logan Cooley harpooned the Kraken with his 23rd goal of the season, assisted by Guenther and Keller. If Ron Popeil were at Delta Center, one might hear him exclaim, “But wait, there’s more!” With Ryker Evans committing Seattle’s sixth penalty of the evening for holding against Lawson Crouse, the Utah power play scored for the third time in the game, on this occasion with Nick Schmaltz poking in a smooth pass from Guenther at the side of the net for his 18th of the season, with the additional assist going to Sergachev.

But Utah still wasn’t done slaying the Kraken. With less than two minutes remaining in the frame, Michael Carcone launched a shot at the hapless Seattle netminder which made its way into the back of the net for his seventh of the season, assisted by Michael Kesselring and Kevin Stenlund, sending both teams to the locker room with the scoreboard showing Utah up by a touchdown over sleepless Seattle. Vejmelka turned away all seven shots faced in the period.

The Kraken opened the third period on the power play due to an interference penalty against Ian Cole as time expired in the second. Seattle forward Jared McCann ended the shutout 23 seconds into the man advantage to make the score 7 -1, which was the final tally as the horn sounded at the end of the game. Vejmelka saved 18 of 19 shots overall.

In the Utah locker room, Mikhail Sergachev addressed his squad’s defense which held the Kraken to a single goal. “I think we defended well, at least in the first two periods. Everybody came back, we didn’t turn the puck over on the lines, and we just got it deep and always got it back, so that’s an improvement.” When asked whether they talked about continuing to hit the gas after taking a 3-0 lead in the first, Sergachev responded, “Yeah, whenever you have a three-nothing lead after the first, you still have 40 minutes to play. Especially if they’re going in, you want to go and pressure and try to get more shots and more pulls, but obviously, looking back, and not giving up goals. So I think that’s what guys did in the second.”

Forward Kailer Yamamoto was asked about scoring against his former teammates. “It’s awesome. Obviously, I owe them one. They didn’t want me, so I came in with a little bit of a vengeance, but it’s a good one for us, for sure.” When asked what he adds to the lineup looking toward his next contract, Yamamoto commented, “Just work ethic and trying to make plays. Obviously, my linemates are phenomenal players, so fitting in with them has been very easy. I’m just trying to work hard and make some plays.”

Head coach André Tourigny was so pleased with the team’s performance that he simply smiled at reporters and dispensed with his usual opening statement to take questions. The first had to do with seven different skaters registering a goal. “If you remember in training camp, we talked about our depth. A season has a lot of chapters, and we were in the trenches in January. It was a really tough situation, and we didn’t have that depth scoring and we knew our team was depending on that. Since then, we have had that depth scoring and you can see the result. In every game our offense can come from everywhere, like tonight. The power play was really good, but we also had scoring from other lines. That made a difference.” Tourigny praised Yamamoto who has split his season between Utah HC and the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. “He’s a really good player. His hockey IQ, his give-and-go game, and his experience as well, you can see the NHL is not new for him. It’s not like he’s a guy who is trying to break into the NHL, he’s already been here. His playmaking defensively and under pressure are really good.”

With four games remaining on the schedule, Utah is still mathematically in contention for the final Wild Card spot, albeit it would require a perfect storm of failure by Minnesota, Calgary, and Vancouver to pull off the miracle comeback. On Thursday the Nashville Predators which close out the final regular season homestand at Delta Center, after which Utah will finish out the season on the road in Dallas, Nashville, and St. Louis.