San Francisco Giants Jesus Rodriguez slides into home plate safely in the bottom of the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kaufman Stadium on Wed Jul 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
San Francisco Giants podcast Lincoln Juarez:
#1 How did starting pitcher Landen Roupp perform for the Giants, and what challenges did he face during the Royals’ five-run seventh inning?
#2 What offensive contributions did Luis Arráez make for the Giants, and how did his performance affect San Francisco’s scoring chances?
#3 How did Bryce Eldridge perform at the plate, and what impact did he have on the Giants’ offense during the 5–4 loss?
#4 Which Giants relievers pitched after Landen Roupp, and how effective were they in trying to hold Kansas City’s lineup?
#5 Despite strong efforts from players such as Luis Arráez and Bryce Eldridge, what were the key reasons the Giants were unable to hold their lead against the Royals?
Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) is back with a two year $16 million deal as the Blackhawks look forward to the tandem of Kane and Connor Bedard (AP News photo)
NHL podcast Len Shapiro:
#1 Patrick Kane has officially returned to the Chicago Blackhawks on a two-year contract. How might Kane’s reunion with Connor Bedard impact Chicago’s offense for the 2026–27 season?
#2 The Columbus Blue Jackets signed goaltender Jet Greaves to a three-year extension before arbitration. After his first full NHL season, what role do you expect Greaves to play in Columbus’ future?
#3 Reports continue to swirl around Connor McDavid’s next contract. What do you think is the most important factor influencing McDavid’s next deal with the Edmonton Oilers: salary, term, or Stanley Cup contention?
#4 Drew Fortescue is focusing on strength and skill development after making his NHL debut with the New York Rangers. Which area of his game do you think will be most important for earning a full-time roster spot?
#5 Trevor Zegras left wing and center for the Philadelphia Flyers who prefers the center position that could help him and the Flyers for shot into post season play. Zegras agreed to a four year $36.5 million contract worth $9.125 per season. Zegras’ stats in 2025-26, 26 goals, 41 assists, 67 points in 81 games
Shea Langilers catcher for the Sacramento A’s is being sought after by other clubs before the Aug 3, 2026 trade deadline (Copyright: Geoff Burke, Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images, Creator: Geoff Burke)
Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 The amount of runs scored by the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Sacramento A’s on Wednesday was a season high in the their 15-5 win at Chase field in Phoenix.
#2 A’s relievers just couldn’t shut down the D-Backs rallies scoring seven in the fifth and five in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
#3 A’s starter Gage Jump got lit up for eight hits and six runs in 4.2 innings of work. As a starter Jump struggled to get out of each of those early innings.
#4 Yunior Tur came into relieve Jump but also was on the other end of the Diamondbacks hitting barrage allowing five hits and eight earned runs in two third innings of pitching. That was most of the damage the A’s pitching suffered Hayden Juenger and position player Carlos Cortes settled the Diamondbacks bats down for the rest of the game as relievers.
#5 The A’s will take a much needed day off on Thursday before opening up a three game series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis. Starting pitchers for Sacramento LHP Jacob Lopez (4-4 ERA 6.64) for Minnesota RHP Zebby Matthews (4-7 ERA 5.40) first pitch 5:10pm PDT Friday night.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in
Sacramento A’s reliever/outfielder Carlos Cortes records the last out of the bottom of the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The A’s in the last of the ninth couldn’t make a dent in the score in the 15-5 loss at Chase Field in Phoenix on Wed Jul 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Bridget Mulcahy:
#1 The amount of runs scored by the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Sacramento A’s on Wednesday was a season high in the their 15-5 win at Chase field in Phoenix.
#2 A’s relievers just couldn’t shut down the D-Backs rallies scoring seven in the fifth and five in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
#3 A’s starter Gage Jump got lit up for eight hits and six runs in 4.2 innings of work. As a starter Jump struggled to get out of each of those early innings.
#4 Yunior Tur came into relieve Jump but also was on the other end of the Diamondbacks hitting barrage allowing five hits and eight earned runs in two third innings of pitching. That was most of the damage the A’s pitching suffered Hayden Juenger and position player Carlos Cortes settled the Diamondbacks bats down for the rest of the game as relievers.
#5 The A’s will take a much needed day off on Thursday before opening up a three game series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis. Starting pitchers for Sacramento LHP Jacob Lopez (4-4 ERA 6.64) for Minnesota RHP Zebby Matthews (4-7 ERA 5.40) first pitch 5:10pm PDT Friday night.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Orlando City SC midfielder Ivan Angulo races past San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Nick Fernandez on a counterattack during City’s 4-0 shutout win at PayPal Park on Wednesday JUL 22, 2026. (Orlando City SC)
By Marko Ukalovic
SAN JOSE — Orlando City SC scored four unanswered goals in a dominating 4-0 clean sheet over the San Jose Earthquakes in the first match out of the World Cup break on Wednesday evening at PayPal Park.
San Jose has lost four out of its last five matches. Orlando City has won two matches in a row and had points in three out of its last four matches. With the Vancouver Whitecaps 4-3 loss to FC Cincinnati, San Jose remained tied with Vancouver for first place in the Western Conference.
San Jose (10-4-2-32 points) welcomed back striker Timo Werner back into the starting XI as he missed the past six matches dealing with a lower body injury. Goalkeeper Angus Gunn made his Earthquakes after being signed by San Jose two weeks ago on July 8. Gunn was one of the stalwarts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for his native Scotland. Gunn last played for Nottingham Forrest of the English Premier League and has 59 clean sheets in 218 EPL appearances. To make room for Gunn, the Quake traded Daniel to FC Dallas in exchange for up to $1 million in General Allocation Money.
Speaking of debuts, new striker Antoine Griezmann who was in the starting XI for Orlando City (5-9-2-17 points) and head coach Martin Pereiman. The star French forward and World Cup champion was signed by Orlando back on March 24 as a Designated Player.
Griezmann almost caught Gunn too far out from the goal in the fifth minute after Gunn came out to challenge ball outside the box. Griezmann’s long attempt was sailed high over the net.
Orlando City drew first blood in the seventh minute off a set piece. Eduard Atuesta’s free kick from the right wing sailed into the middle of the box where unmarked David Brekaio easily headed the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
Beau Leroux had a chance in the 18th minute for an equalizer when he intercepted an Orlando City clearing attempt out of the box after Werner drove his way in from the left wing, but his cross was deflected away. Leroux’s shot attempt from just outside the box was saved by City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
The Earthquakes thought they had tied the game in the 27th minute when Werner was sprung on a breakaway with a long ball into the middle. Werner was challenged by Crepeau before tapping it over to Daniel Munie who calmly put the ball into the back of the bet. The linesman called Munie offsides on the play as he left early before the pass was attempted.
Ivan Angulo doubled Orlando City’s lead in the 29th minute. Atuesta found Angulo with a pass to the right side. With all the time in the world, Angulo blasted a shot from 22 yards out past Gunn into the far-left corner of the net for his first goal of the season.
Griezmann recorded his first MLS goal thanks to a gift by San Jose in the 48th minute. A lazy back pass by Jamar Ricketts was intercepted by Justin Ellis just outside the box. Ellis quickly found Griezmann all alone inside the box where he made a move right then left before depositing the ball past Gunn for his 300th career goal among all competitions.
Crepeau made a diving save on a Werner chance a minute later as the Canadian goalie acted like a wall against the Quakes offensive attempts.
Orlando City scored its fourth unanswered goal in the 73rd minute on its second set piece of the match. Atuesta crossed the ball into middle of the box off of a corner kick and unmarked Braian Ojeda headed the ball just past the reach of a diving Gunn into the right corner of the net for his first goal of the season. Atuesta finished the match with three assists.
Crepau finished with six saves to earn the clean sheet. Gunn, who was at the mercy of his defense, made just one save on five shots attempts in his first match in a Quakes kit.
GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with two corner kicks. Orlando City also had two.
UP NEXT: San Jose hosts the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 105th meeting of the California Classico on Saturday July 25 at 7:30pm at Stanford Stadium.
Arizona Diamondbacks Nolan Arenado (28) swings for a double for his 2000th career hit in the bottom of the fifth inning against the Sacramento A’s catcher Jonah Heim (left) at Chase Field in Phoenix on Wed Jul 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
For four innings both teams traded zeros, before the Arizona Diamondbacks spun the game completely out of control. A 2-2 tie became a seven-run deficit in the fifth, and the Diamondbacks kept piling on in a 15-5 rout of the Sacramento A’s that ended the series with a thud.
Sacramento had an immediate chance against Merrill Kelly. Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers collected consecutive singles with one out in the first, but Carlos Cortes grounded into an inning-ending double play. The A’s finally broke through in the third when Jonah Heim doubled to center and Jacob Wilson followed with a single that moved him to third. Soderstrom’s groundout brought Heim home for a 1-0 lead, and Wilson stole third before Kelly escaped by striking out Langeliers.
Gage Jump handled the early advantage well. Arizona put runners aboard in each of the first two innings, but the rookie left-hander received help from double plays behind him. Wilson and second baseman Donovan Walton turned one in the first, while Jump started another in the second. He then retired the Diamondbacks in order in the third.
Jump entered the game with a 0.75 ERA in four road starts, but he had also posted a 7.41 ERA over his previous four outings after opening his career with six strong starts. His 56 strikeouts through his first ten major-league games matched Sonny Gray for the most by an Athletics pitcher over that span during the previous 27 years.
Arizona changed the direction of the game with two swings in the fourth. Corbin Carroll tied it with a solo homer to left-center, and Nolan Arenado followed with another solo shot to left. Jump limited the damage there, striking out Tim Tawa and Ryan Waldschmidt with two runners aboard.
Jeff McNeil brought the A’s even in the fifth by sending a solo homer to right. McNeil entered the game having struck out only once in his previous 54 plate appearances, and his fourth home run of the season briefly restored order.
That order disappeared in the bottom half.
Ketel Marte doubled and scored on a wild pitch. Gabriel Moreno then homered to center, giving Arizona a 4-2 advantage. Arenado drew a walk and scored on Ildemaro Vargas’ double before Yunior Tur replaced Jump. James McCann greeted Tur with a two-run homer, Tawa singled and Waldschmidt launched the first home run of his major-league career.
Arizona sent 11 batters to the plate, scored seven runs and turned a tie game into a 9-2 beating within minutes. Jump was charged with six earned runs on eight hits, four walks and three home runs over 4 2/3 innings. His record dropped to 3-6.
The Diamondbacks added five more in the sixth. Carroll tripled and scored on Tur’s wild pitch before Moreno, Arenado and Vargas drew three consecutive walks. McCann singled home Moreno, and Hayden Juenger entered with the bases still loaded. Tawa greeted him with a two-run double, and Waldschmidt’s sacrifice fly extended the lead to 14-2.
McCann finished with three hits, a home run and four RBIs. Waldschmidt drove in three, while Carroll homered, tripled and scored three times. Arizona collected 17 hits, including five home runs, and scored 12 times during the fifth and sixth innings.
The Athletics did not quit producing at-bats. McNeil singled and scored on Heim’s seventh-inning single. Donovan Walton doubled to begin the ninth and scored on Lawrence Butler’s RBI single. Alika Williams added a sacrifice fly that brought home Tommy White.
McNeil, Heim and Langeliers each had two hits as the A’s finished with 10. Wilson’s third-inning single extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and he completed another errorless appearance at shortstop. He entered the game with a 101-game errorless streak, tied for the second-longest by a shortstop in major-league history.
Cortes recorded the final out of the eighth from the mound, marking his sixth pitching appearance of the season. He had already tied Charlie Jamieson’s 1918 franchise record for pitching appearances by a position player with his fifth outing.
Following Thursday’s off day, the Athletics head to Minnesota, where Jacob Lopez (4-4, 6.64 ERA, 49 strikeouts) will oppose Zebby Matthews (4-7, 5.40 ERA, 58 strikeouts) Friday at 5:10 p.m. Pacific.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez throws to second base for the first out in the bottom of the second inning to retire Salvador Perez at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City on Wed Jun 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
If you love the nuances of the pitching game, the opening innings of game three between the San Francisco Giants (42-60) and the Kansas City Royals (43-60) was definitely your cup of tea.
Through the first five innings of this game three it was a good old-fashioned pitchers duel with Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp and the Royals starter Seth Lugo putting up some brilliant work. Each team had a single hit through five innings. The Royals just get by the Giants for the three game sweep in a Wednesday 5-4 win.
GAME RECAP
The first five innings show-cased some excellent pitching from both starters. Landen Roupp for the Giants and for the Royals Seth Lugo were both amazing. Each pitcher had only given up one hit apiece.
The Giants finally broke through in the top of the sixth inning and they did it without a single hit. Willy Adames crossed home plate for the first run of the game. He had walked to open the inning. Drew Gilbert was hit by a pitch giving the Giants two runners on base. A sacrifice from Luis Arraez gave Adames the first run and the first lead of the day 1-0.
Going into the top of the seventh inning there had been a total of three combined hits for the two teams. Both pitchers had done a great job keeping the offenses in check until San Francisco got an impressive rally going with two outs in the inning.
Rafael Devers got the rally underway walking. Jung Hoo Lee came through big-time hitting a triple and Devers scored giving San Francisco a 2-0 lead. Willy Adames followed with a double that drove Lee home, the lead now 3-0 in favor of the Giants. Going into the bottom of the seventh the Giants had some ample breathing room.
The Royals displayed quite a rally of their own in the bottom of the seventh inning after a dispute on second base claiming that Vinnie Pasquantino had been pushed while trying to advance to second base.
It was a downright horrible call and disrupted play for a minute. After the incident Salvador Perez hit a 2-run homer and in a flash San Francisco was looking at a 3-2 lead. A pitching change for the Giants took place with Sam Hentges relieving Roupp.
Unfortunately Hentges gave up a couple of singles and the Royals had runners on first and third with only one out. Again a pitching change for the Giants and Keaton Winn relieved Hentge.
Winn allowed a run; Michael Massey scored when Starling Marte singled and this game was tied 3-3. When it had looked so very promising for San Francisco it all came crashing down.
With two outs the Royals had the bases loaded and Lane Thomas singled driving in Nick Lofton and Marte. The 3-0 Giants lead had become a distant memory now trailing 5-3. The bottom of the seventh got underway on a sour note and ended horribly for San Francisco.
The Giants got through the eighth inning without further damage and went into the top of the ninth inning, their last chance to avoid a sweep. Heliot Ramos was the first at bat and struck out.
Rafael Devers grounded out and Casey Schmitt was the last hope for the Giants. Schmitt hit a home run and San Francisco was still breathing. It all came to an end when Jung Hoo Lee popped out and that was the ball game 5-4 in favor of the Royals sweeping San Francisco. The Giants are now 18 games under .500.
GAME NOTES
The Giants jumped out in front early showing great energy. Willy Adames provided some really nice offensive sparks in the game as did Jung Hoo Lee and Casey Schmitt. The team just could not sustain rallies still struggling with runners on base.
The bottom line is that the Giants could not turn their scoring opportunities into enough runs to win this game. San Francisco was in a tight, winnable game but the big difference was clutch hitting and late execution by Kansas City. A huge moment for the Royals was the homer off the bat of Salvador Perez for his 317th home run tying the franchise home run record.
Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp had a stellar six innings which loosened toward the end of his outing. He was relieved by Sam Hentges in the seventh inning. Roupp had allowed four hits, two earned runs with seven strikeouts.
Hentges only lasted 1/3 of an inning allowing two hits and two earned runs. He was relieved by Keaton Winn who also allowed two hits and one earned run.
The Royals starter Seth Lugo pitched through seven innnings. He allowed three hits, three earned runs, one walk with five strikeouts. For the first six innings of the game both of these pitchers put on quite a show.
The Giants will now return home on what will no doubt be a very quiet flight. This had been an extremely tough series. They will be back on the field Friday taking on the Los Angeles Angels in a three-game series.
Probable pitchers for Friday for San Francisco will be Logan Webb. He has a 5-7 win/loss record and a 3.87 ERA. The San Francisco offense will be facing Los Angeles starter Grayson Rodriguez. His ERA is 8.23 with a 3-3 win/loss record. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
Washington Mystics Kiki Irafen (44) takes the ball up the floor against the Golden State Valkyrie in the second of their two game meetings on Mon Jul 20, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)
Golden State Valkyrie podcast Michael Roberson:
#1 The Washington Mystics on Monday night got lots of help in their second meeting with the Golden State Valkyrie at Chase Center. Kiki Iriafen scored 23 points with 12 rebounds and Shakira Austin scored 15 points with 15 rebounds for a 90-82 win to snap the Valkyries nine game win streak.
#2 The Mystics down 80-73 with just 3:32 left and closed the game off with a 17-2 run. Iriafen hit a jump shot to help Washington take the lead 1:41.
#3 The Valkyries Kaitlyn Chen scored 20 points with six assists and hit a three pointer in the fourth quarter to lead the Valkyrie in scoring. Chen also assisted on Kiah Stokes three pointer but the Valkyrie later faltered later in the game and couldn’t hold on.
#4 The Valkyries Veronica Burton scored 12 points and had seven assists with Kayla Thornton scoring 15 points. The Mystics and Valkyrie split their two games series with the Valkyrie winning on Saturday and the Mystics winning on Monday night.
#5 The Valkyrie face the Phoenix Mercury on Wed Jul 29th at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix for a 7:00pm PDT tip off. The Valkyrie third place in the Western Conference 19-8 and the Mercury 13th in the Western Conference are 9-18 how do you see this match up?
