Author: Sports Radio Service

Quakes edged by Galaxy 4-3 at Dignity Health Sports Park

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The score says it all the La Galaxy just gets by the San Jose Earthquakes at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson CA on Sun Apr 21, 2024 (San Jose Earthquakes X photo)

By William Espy

The San Jose Earthquakes found themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference with just three points through their first eight games as they entered Match Day 10 and visited the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California for the 100th California Clasico.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy were second in the conference behind only the Vancouver Whitecaps entering the night and hoped to regain first place in the West. They have struggled at home so far this season though, as they were 1-0-2 in their first three home games. The Galaxy came away with a close 4-3 victory over the Earthquakes.

Earthquakes Starting XI: Yarbrough, Costa, Rodrigues, Beason, Akapo, Tsakiris, Gruezo, Yueill, Pellegrino, Judd, Espinoza

Galaxy Starting XI: McCarthy, Cerillo, Yoshida, Caceres, Aude, Puig, Brugman, Delgado, Pec, Joveljic, Paintsil

In the 7th minute, the Galaxy got the first booking of the night when Joseph Paintsil was shown a yellow card for a foul on Vitor Costa. After the foul, referee Rosendo Mendoza was clearly not pleased with the foul and was fairly animated during his conversation with the group of Galaxy players talking to him.

In the 10th minute, the Galaxy got their first quality scoring chance of the game when they methodically passed the ball around before the ball was eventually headed to Gabriel Pec who shot it just over the net.

In the 14th minute, Pec scored his second of the season when William Yarbrough came out of the net to attempt to prevent him from getting a shot off, but the ball bounced over the Earthquakes’ goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

As a result, the Galaxy had a 1-0 lead early in the match. In the 21st minute, Mendoza initiated a video assistant referee review for a handball inside the penalty area against the Earthquakes. After the review, a penalty was awarded to the Galaxy due to Niko Tsakiris’s elbow making contact with the ball as part of the Galaxy’s set piece.

Paintsil shot the ball toward the bottom right of the net, while Yarbrough stayed in the middle and it was 2-0 in favor of Los Angeles. Halfway through the first half, things looked bleak for the Earthquakes already. It didn’t take long for things to get even worse though, in the 30th minute Painstil took a corner kick and crossed it directly to the head of Maya Yoshida who increased LA’s lead to 3-0.

The Quakes would get themselves back into the game as Cristian Espinoza whipped it in on a free kick. After hitting a defender’s head, it bounced to Rodrigues who headed it into the netting and made it 3-1 in the 32nd minute. In the 45th minute, Espinoza was called for a foul and shown a yellow card, San Jose’s first of the game. At halftime, LA led 3-1 over the Earthquakes and San Jose had a lot of work to do if they wanted to have a chance to walk away with a point.

Preston Judd wouldn’t come out for the second half, as Jeremy Ebobisse was substituted on in his place. A shot from Dejan Joveljic got past Yarbrough in the 51st minute, but a defender was able to get back and clear the ball before it crossed the goal line and prevented the Galaxy from taking a 4-1 lead.

In the 55th minute, Carlos Gruezo became the second member of the Earthquakes to be booked during the game following a challenge on Riqui Puig. Shortly afterward, a breakout pass from their defensive third gave the Galaxy a strong attacking opportunity and Puig scored to make it 4-1in favor of LA.

In response Luchi Gonzalez made his second substitutions of the night, bringing Jack Skahan and Benjamin Kikanovic on for Amahl Pellegrino and Tsakiris.

Just a minute later Kikanovic, who had just been substituted into the match, gave the team a spark with a header goal to reduce the Galaxy’s lead to 4-2 with just over 30 minutes remaining. A pointless slide tackle by Vitor Costa resulted in the Quakes’ third yellow card of the night in the 64th minute.

This led to a couple of substitutions for the Galaxy who took a more defensive, counter-attacking approach. In the 69th minute, things changed drastically. Ebobisse got in past the defense, and Eriq Zavaleta attempted to challenge him from behind.

After tripping Ebobisse up, Zavaletta was shown a straight red card and San Jose was awarded a penalty shot. Not only did the Earthquakes have an opportunity to make it a single-goal deficit, they were going to have a man advantage for the remainder of the game.

Ebobisse was awarded for his effort and took the penalty himself which he scored to make it a 4-3 game. In the 76th minute, Skahan was booked with a yellow card after accidentally catching Yoshida in the face with his boot while attempting to play the ball.

In the 81st minute, John McCarthy made an incredible save to deny Kikanovic who nearly scored to tie the game up. In the 88th minute, the Galaxy launched a counter-attacking opportunity but it was called offside as the attacker passed it too late otherwise, it could’ve easily become a 5-3 game.

With eight minutes of stoppage time, the Earthquakes had quite a bit of time to tie things up. A shot from Tanner Beason in the 92nd minute was one of their best scoring opportunities however it deflected off of a defender’s head in front of the goal. Despite applying a considerable amount of pressure on the Galaxy, the Earthquakes wouldn’t be able to tie it up and San Jose walked away without a point after a 4-3 loss.

San Francisco Giants game wrap: D-Backs 2 run sixth makes difference in 5-3 win at Oracle Park; D-Backs Cecconi starts on moments notice gives up two hits in win

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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Slade Cecconi (43) threw six innings and gave up two runs on two hits against the San Francisco Giants. Cecconi came in as a last minute replacement for a scratched pitcher Merrill Kelly and picked up his first win of the season at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Apr 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Arizona Diamondbacks 5 (11-12)

San Francisco Giants 4 (10-13)

Win: Slade Cecconi (1-0)

Loss: Erik Miller (0-1)

Save: Kevin Ginkel (4)

Time: 2:40

Attendance: 35,922

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants were unable to get the series win, as the Diamondbacks beat them 5-3 in a drama-filled series finale to salvage a split the series.

Despite getting absolutely obliterated by the Diamondbacks 17-1 on Friday, the Giants won 5-0 on Thursday, and 7-3 yesterday. Now, Giants looked to win this four-game series against the defending National League Pennant Winners with Aaron Hicks on the mound.

Hicks, who has been off to a great start this season and his reliever-to-starter transition was set to square off against Merrill Kelly. Kelly, like Hicks, has been off to a good start, but he was scratched before the game due to shoulder discomfort. Slade Cecconi made the spot start in place of Kelly.

After both teams went scoreless in the first inning, Hicks hit former Giant Joc Pederson, and Pavin Smith to start the second. Pavin Smith hit a sharp ground ball back to the mound, which Hicks snagged from his left and threw to third base to get Pederson for the first out. Gabriel Moreno walked to load the bases, and Jake McCarthy got Arizona on the board with a sacrifice fly to left. The Diamondbacks were able to strike first without a single hit.

Hicks ran into more trouble in the top of the third after walking Corbin Carroll and Pederson, but he was able to get out of it unscathed. Despite his early troubles, Hicks had yet to give up a hit through three innings. He set down the first two men he faced in the top of the fourth, but Jake McCarthy singled with two outs to give the Diamondbacks their first hit.

Originally, it seemed that the Giants had caught a break in not having to face Kelly, but Cecconi set down the first nine men he faced. Cecconi hit Jung-hoo Lee with a pitch to start the bottom of the fourth, but the Giants were unable to capitalize off it, as Cecconi retired the side in order.

Hicks pitched a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, his first 1-2-3 inning of the day, but he was done. Despite a rocky start, Hicks hung in there and gave up just a run and a hit over five innings.

“Obviously, [it was] not a great start,” said Hicks. “I feel like I didn’t really start making pitches I wanted to make until the fourth and fifth…..at the same time, I just [want to] find a way to keep us in it, and get through five. That was important for me.”

Cecconi took a no-hitter into the bottom of the fifth, where he struck out Matt Chapman looking and got Patrick Bailey to line out to second. Thairo Estrada finally got the Giants’ first hit with an infield single to third, and then Mike Yastrzemski came up and hit a home run that landed on the green metal top of the 24-foot-high Willie Mays Wall in right to put the Giants ahead.

Erik Miller came in for Hicks in the top of the sixth, and ran into trouble, as Joc Pederson doubled to right to start the inning, and Eugenio Suarez reached when shortstop Nick Ahmed bobbled a ground ball. Christian Walker flew out to Lee in right-center to advance the runners. Suarez was nearly thrown out at second, but after he was called safe by Second Base Umpire Dan Merzel, the Giants challenged the play, and the call was upheld.

The Giants brought their infield in for Gabriel Moreno, who hit a ground ball up the middle into center field for a base-hit to put Arizona back ahead. Cecconi then came back out for the bottom of the sixth and threw another 1-2-3 inning.

For Cecconi, that would be the end of his day, and he did exactly what the Diamondbacks needed him to do, as he gave up just two runs and two hits over six innings of work. Sean Hjelle, meanwhile, came in for Miller in the top of the seventh and threw a 1-2-3 inning.

Bryce Jarvis came in for Cecconi in the bottom of the seventh, and the Giants looked to finally be in business. Michael Conforto hit a leadoff single the other way to left, and Bailey walked with one out. After Thairo Estrada grounded out to second, Yastrzemski was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Bob Melvin sent Jorge Soler up to pinch-hit for Nick Ahmed. Soler grounded out to third to end the inning, and the Giants wasted yet another opportunity.

HJelle was back out for the Giants in the top of the eighth, and he pitched a scoreless inning after allowing a leadoff single to Lourdes Gurriel. Ryan Thompson came in for Arizona in the bottom of the eighth, and walked Lee to start the inning. The Giants had another leadoff base-runner, but Lee was thrown out trying to steal second, which was a real buzzkill to any hopes of a rally.

Nick Avila came in for what would be a rather eventful top of the ninth. Gabriel Moreno lined a base-hit to left to start the inning. Jake McCarthy then laid down a bunt to try and sacrifice Moreno to second, and when third-baseman Matt Chapman charged in to field it between the mound and home plate, he tried to nab Moreno at second, but the throw skipped off the glove of the shortstop, Tyler Fitzgerald and ricocheted into left field to put runners at second and third with nobody out.

Kevin Newman then came up, and with a 1-2 count, he appeared to swing and miss at a pitch in the dirt. Home Plate Umpire Stu Scheurwater called it a foul tip, but replays indicated that the ball was swung at and missed.

Unfortunately for Avila and the Giants, the play was unreviewable, and Newman proceeded to line a base-hit to left to knick in Moreno and make it 4-2. Giants Third Base Coach Matt Williams and Bob Melvin were then ejected following Newman’s hit, as both men expressed their angst with Sheurwater.

“When you have [a manager] who truly has your back fully like that, it’s really appreciated [by] the team,” said Yastrzemski. “We’re obviously going to give him the same effort in return, so it’s a good feeling to have. Obviously, it’s tough to finish the game without [Melvin], but sometimes you gotta say what you gotta say.”

Katel Marte then hit a sacrifice fly to left to knock in McCarthy and make it 5-2.

Kevin Ginkel came in to try and close it out in the bottom of the ninth. Matt Chapman doubled to left-center with one out. Bailey grounded out to short, and Estrada doubled in Chapman to make it 5-3. Yastrzemski struck out swinging on a pitch in the dirt to end it.

Cecconi got the win; Erik Miller took the loss; and Ginkel notched down the save.

The Giants fall to 10-13, and they will welcome in the New York Mets to Oracle Park for three games starting Monday night. Starting pitchers for the Mets Jose Quintana (1-1 ERA 3.05) for the Giants Keaton Winn (1-3 ERA 4.09) will make the start, and first pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

News and Notes:

The Giants acquired Mitch White from the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday, as Alex Cobb was moved to the 60-Day Injured List. White could be activated tomorrow. Cobb will be eligible to come off the IL on May 27, and Melvin hopes to have him back by then.

A’s Offense Falls Short – Guardians Sweep Oakland Winning Series 6-2

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Oakland A’s runner Zack Gelof (20) gets a jump on the throw as the Cleveland Guardians Brayan Rocchio (left) anticipates the late throw in the top of the second inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s(8-14) fell to the Cleveland Guardians (16-6) in the third game of their series getting swept. It was a forgettable game with problems on the mound as well as not being able to muster much offense.

They did get hits but they could not string them together leaving runners stranded. The Guardians however delivered some clutch hits as well as putting some very good pitching on the mound for the 6-2 win. Cleveland is not the best team in baseball at the moment for no reason. They are having their best start in 25 years.

Game recap: The Guardians took it to the A’s from the get go scoring runs in the 2nd and third innings taking a 2-0 lead going into the fourth inning. Cleveland’s Will Brennan got the game underway for Cleveland with a home run in the second inning, a solo shot.

The Guardians added another run in the third inning when Andres Gimenez singled Brayan Rocchio home and Cleveland showed no signs of letting their foot off the peda in this series intent on sweeping Oakland.

In the fourth inning Oakland did get on the board via a Brent Rooker home run, a solo shot but the Guardians answered right back in the same inning. Gabriel Arias singled and Will Brennan scored giving Cleveland a 3-1 lead.

Oakland almost made a game of it in the sixth inning when they pulled to within one run 3-2. Lawrence Butler singled Ryan Noda home and we had a ball game. Unfortunately Cleveland broke this game open in the seventh inning.

The A’s had relieved starting pitcher Ross Stripling who had allowed five hits and three runs through five innings. Oakland trailed by a single run into the seventh inning but it all went haywire in the bottom of the seventh.

A’s Relief pitcher Mitch Spence got through the sixth inning very well but had a rough time in the seventh allowing a double and hitting Brayan Rocchio. With two Cleveland runners on base and only one out, T.J. McFarland relieved Spence looking to clean up the mess but only added to it.

Spence hit Gimenez and allowed a double that brought in three runners giving the Guardians a 6-2 lead. Josh Naylor doubled to bring in those three runners. He was making life pretty miserable for Oakland the entire series in fact the entire Cleveland offense had been on point the entire series. The final was 6-2.

This has been the best start for Cleveland since 1999 as they handed the A’s their second sweep of the season. The Guardians stepped up in clutch situations in the game and they delivered every time. On the other side, the A’s struggled offensively unable to string hits together although each team finished with seven hits apiece.

The timing of those hits were clearly on Cleveland’s side. Oakland could not muster much offense in clutch situations in this game. The Guardian relief pitching held the A’s scoreless over the final 3 1/2 innings.

Oakland now has lost seven games in a row in Cleveland. They also have nine players on the injured list so when it rains it pours. It does not get any easier for the A’s as they head to New York for a four-game series with the Yankees that starts Monday.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon, the A’s finished up their series in at Progressive Field against the Guardians with a sweep and a 6-2 win. Oakland was tried to avoid the sweep but in order to do that, they had to battle through one of the best offenses and defenses in MLB today.

The Guardians are relentless at the plate and the A’s had to be pretty much perfect on the mound. Oakland starter Ross Stripling got touched up for five hits and three runs Guardians. The A’s themselves needed hitting, start stringing hits together and stop leaving runners stranded. Far easier said than done.

JP Sears (1-1 ERA 4.35) will get the start for Oakland Monday in New York and Carlos Rodon (1-1 ERA 3.66) will take the mound for the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 10:05AM PDT in an early game for Oakland. It will all come down to what the A’s can produce at the plate and solid pitching will be a must. These guys will be sorely challenged in yet another rough series for Oakland.

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: A’s try to avoid sweep in Cleveland today at Progressive Field

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Cleveland Guardians hitter Josh Naylor celebrated his home run off the Oakland A’s starter Alex Wood in the bottom of the fifth inning by hitting himself in the helmet with his bat. (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Augie:

#1 Augie, the Cleveland Guardians Josh Naylor hit a home run on Saturday that he took the bat and hit himself in the head with the bat to celebrate. The Guardians took the second game of the three game series from the A’s 6-3 at Progressive Field.

#2 A’s pitcher Alex Wood was touched up for eight hits and four earned runs over five innings. He just had a tough time trying to get tracked against the Guardians line up.

#3 The A’s will have to go out and face Naylor again who been hitting like Ted Williams this opening month of the season swinging for a .429 average with five homers and 11 RBIs scoring eight runs in eight games.

#4 On the other hand the A’s are not just hurting in getting some good starting pitching in the series but also they need runs badly and the hitting production is off.

#5 First pitch in game three Sunday is scheduled for 10:40 AM. Ross Stripling (0-4 ERA 5.32) will get the start for Oakland and Tanner Bibee (1-0 ERA 4.82) will take the mound for the Guardians.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a reporter for KHAI 103.2 Honolulu radio

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Giants hope to win four game series Sunday against Diamondbacks

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San Francisco Giants Wilmer Flores (41) greets Patrick Bailey (right) just slugged a bottom of the fifth inning home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Apr 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stephen, Giants catcher Patrick Bailey really dug in against the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching with three runs and four hits.

#2 One of Bailey’s hits was a two run home run which landed in McCovey Cove and it was the first time a ball was not a splash hit in the cove as it was caught by a kayaker. Although still went into the books as the 165th splash hit in the cove.

#3 Bailey said it was pretty cool to go four for four, have a ball land in the bay and have your own bobblehead all on the same day.

#4 Stephen talk about Jung Hoo Lee got two hits and now is on an 11 game hit streak talk about his focus at the plate to hit in 11 straight games.

#5 Sunday’s pitchers at Oracle Park, the Diamondbacks are going with Merrill Kelly (2-0 ERA 2.19) he’ll be opposed by Giants starter Jordan Hicks (2-0 ERA 1.57) whose been pitching lights out. This should be a good pitching duel which all starts at 1:05pm PDT.

Stephen Ruderman is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports with Bruce Magowan: Where Klay Thompson will end up; Giants and Diamondbacks conclude series today at Oracle

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During last Tue Apr 16, 2024’s game in Sacramento Klay Thompson (11) takes an off balance shot against the Sacramento Kings Harrison Barnes (40) at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Thompson could be a free agent if the Warriors do not sign him this off season. (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports with Bruce Magowan:

#1 Bruce, talk about Klay Thompson his future. He is expected to ask for a bigger contract from Golden State. Is he overvaluing himself and do you see an exit for Thompson during this off season.

#2 Golden State is going to have make some tough decisions who else do you see also leaving the Warriors and what adjustments and changes are coming at Chase Center?

#3 The Giants in this Arizona Series saw Logan Webb retire 19 hitters in a row in a 5-0 shutout on Thursday. The Diamondbacks clobbered the Giants 17-1 on Friday night behind the first time pitching appearance of the Diamondbacks Jordan Montgomery. On Saturday the Giants Patrick Bailey went 4-4 with a home run and Jung Hoo Lee extended his 11 game hit streak.

Bruce Magowan is a podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Coyotes quick exit out of Arizona; Kings will be remembered for taking out Warriors; plus more news

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The Delta Center in Salt Lake City Utah which will be the home of the NHL Utah team for the 2024-25 season (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Short notice came from the NHL and the Arizona Coyotes when they had announced during the last week of the season that they were moving from the Mullet Center at ASU in Tempe to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City in Utah.

#2 The Sacramento Kings will be remembered for their win over the Golden State Warriors in the play in game. The Kings took down one of the most experienced teams in the NBA and were underdogs going into that game.

#3 The Kings as everyone knows were eliminated on Friday night by the New Orleans Pelicans. The Kings went into that play in game 0-5 against the Pelicans and the odds were not in the Kings favor. Talk about the mismatch between these two teams.

#4 New York Yankees radio voice John Sterling is hanging up the mic after 36 years as the Yankees voice and after a 64 year career. Sterling was honored before Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium with his family and a long list of Yankee greats. Sterling 85 years old first worked Yankee games since 1989. Sterling got a jersey with the number 5631 which represents the games he had called.

#5 The Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jordan Montgomery had a good first outing with the Diamondbacks pitching six innings, four hits, one earned run, three strikeouts in the Diamondbacks crushing of the San Francisco Giants 17-1 last Friday night. The Diamondbacks in that first game from Jordan got what they expected from him.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda close out season with OT victory over Roadrunners 5-4

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

The Barracuda closed out their season against the Roadrunners on Saturday, April 20th.

In goal for San Jose was Gabriel Carriere who was making his first start in a San Jose uniform.

On the other side of the rink, it was Dylan Wells in between the pipes. Heading into this one Wells had a 10-5-2 record with a 3.20 GAA and .900 SV%.

Tuscon ended up getting off to a scorching hot start in this one as just 24 seconds in former Shark John Leonard scored his 12th of the season.

The period though ended up being one of firsts as Mitchell Russel got his first career goal in the AHL to tie the game. Less than five minutes later it was another first as Gannon Laroque scored his first-ever goal in the AHL to give San Jose the lead.

Scoring took a little longer to get going in the second as the first goal wouldn’t come until 15:26 into the period when Filip Bystedt scored his fourth of the campaign. Shark fans have to be excited by Bystedt’s play so far as in just eight games he has seven points.

The final period in this one was one that San Jose probably would want to forget as they found a way to blow their lead.

It started with Milos Kelemen scoring just 1:05 into the period which was then followed up by a power play goal from Colin Theisen.

With the game tied the Roadrunners kept their foot on the gas and scored just 26 seconds later as Travis Barron got them the lead 4-3.

It looked like the Roadrunners were gonna pull off the comeback until Mason Klee also got his first goal in the AHL tying the game back up at four.

The game went to overtime and was ended by a breakaway goal scored by Tristen Robins getting his seventh of the season and securing the Barracuda’s 23rd win of the season.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Tristen Robins 2nd: Milos Kelemen 3rd: Kyle Rau

The shots in this one favored San Jose 33-22 while the Barracuda went 0/4 on the power play and the Roadrunners went 1/5.

San Jose will end their season 23-34-10 with 60 points good enough for last place in the Pacific Division.

It was another dissapointing season for the Barracuda who will look to bounce back next season with a playoff berth.

KC opens up offense on Bay FC at CPKC Stadium 5-2

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It was a rough evening of football for Bay FC who were outscored by the KC Current at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City on Sat Apr 20, 2024 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

Bay FC is on the road this weekend, visiting the Kansas City Current at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Lysianne Proulx returned from injury for tonight’s matchup, however, Scarlett Camberos is still out of the lineup with a leg injury.

It was also a milestone night for Caprice Dydasco who was appearing in her 150th regular season match. Alex Loera won the NWSL’s goal of the week award for her goal against the Seattle Reign last week and had the captain’s armband to start tonight’s game. Kansas City is known for their high-powered offense, and Bay FC is near the middle of the table for goals conceded so they’d need a strong defensive effort to walk away with three points in this game.

Bay FC Starting XI: Proulx, King, Sharples, Menges, Dydasco, Loera (C), Bailey, Castellanos, Kundananji, Oshoala, Boade

Kansas City Current Starting XI: Franch, Mace, Wheeler, Chawinga, Ball, Zaneratto, Hutton, DiBernardo, Feist, Robinson, Spaanstra

Kansas City took the lead in just the second minute, a turnover from Emily Menges allowed Bia Zaneratto to get behind the defense and Proulx had no chance to make a save. It wouldn’t take long for them to extend their lead either.

Off of a corner kick, a cross from Alexa Spaanstra was headed in by Bayley Feist to give the Current a 2-0 lead. This marked Feist’s first goal with her new team, and only the second of her NWSL career. She previously scored one with the Washington Spirit in 2019.

Bay FC got on the board during the 17th minute as Kayla Sharples scored her second goal in as many games. Off of a corner kick, Deyna Castellanos crossed it in and Sharples was able to find the back of the net off of a header.

Sharples was called for a yellow card in the 23rd minute following a challenge. She missed the ball entirely and caught the ball carrier’s legs, leaving the official with no choice but to book Bay FC’s goal scorer.

Early in the first half momentum was on Kansas City’s side and they were undoubtedly the better team. Once Sharples scored though, things started to even out a bit. Proulx was getting tested, however not as regularly as she was in the first 20 minutes.

In the 28th minute, Loera made a challenge on Zaneratto and after come contact she went down with an apparent leg injury. Based on her reaction as she went down, it seems like it’s going to be a serious injury. As one of Bay’s most important players was down on the pitch, manager Albertin Montoya attempted to fire up the remainder of his team and get them back in the game.

Eventually, Loera was removed from the game, and Joelle Anderson came into the game in the 32nd minute as the delay ended. With Loera leaving the match, the captain’s armband was passed to Emily Menges. The final 15 minutes of the half were fairly even and Bay FC was unable to tie it up in the first 45 minutes. Kansas City would hold a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.

The second half started with a great scoring opportunity for Bay, however, a header from Asisat Oshoala went too high and it remained 2-1. In the 56th minute, Kansas City made it 3-1 when Temwa Chawinga received a breakout pass from Vanessa DiBernardo and toe-poked it past Proulx.

History repeated itself just a few minutes later, as a breakout pass from Dibernardo once again found Chawinga. Prolux was playing forward, and as a result there was no chance to make a save. Chawinga’s shot found an empty net, and Kansas City led 4-1. Immediately after the kickoff, the Current got the ball back and Proulx was out of her net once again, and needed to make a late save to keep it 4-1 for the time being.

In the 66th minute, Kansas City made a trio of substitutions as it seemed that they had the game won at that point. In the 67th, Bay FC countered with a couple of substitutions of their own. Princess came on for Castellanos, while Caroline Conti made her NWSL debut, taking Dorian Bailey’s spot.

In the 69th minute, Zaneratto got a quality scoring chance with Tess Boade attempting to come back and defend but the shot went just wide. In the 73rd minute, Zaneratto got her second of the night as well powering through the debuting Conti before firing it into the back of the net.

Shortly after the second goal though, she went down in some discomfort and was eventually substituted off for 16-year-old Alex Pfeiffer. Boade made it 5-2 after a fantastic solo effort, essentially walking through the entire defense in the 78th minute.

Savy King and Sharples came off for the debuting Maddie Moreau and Jordan Brewster in the 81st minute. In the 87th minute, Princess was shown a yellow card for a foul on Ellis Wheeler. Bay threw everything they had at Kansas City late in the game in an attempt to overcome the odds and claw their way back into the game, but they were unable to do so and the game ended with a final score of 5-2. After the game, Montoya was unable to give an update on Loera’s injury, stating that they were waiting for test results.

A’s Struggle With Guardians Pitching Losing Game Two 6-3

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Oakland A’s Max Schuemann slugs a top of the fifth inning home run off of the Cleveland Guardians pitcher Logan Allen at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Sat Apr 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s (8-13) were a lot more competitive than they were in Friday’s game although coming up short losing to the Cleveland Guardians (15-6) 6-3. The Cleveland pitching is a tough nut to crack, one of the reasons that they are the best team in baseball right now.

Game recap: Unlike the game Friday, it was the Guardians first up on the board in the first inning taking a 2-0 lead. Jose Ramirez doubled and David Fry scored for the early 1-0 lead. Cleveland would add to their lead in the first off the bat of Ramon Laureano driving Ramirez home for a 2-0 tally.

Neither team would score in the second, third nor fourth innings. Oakland tied up this game in the fifth inning when both Ryan Noda and Max Schuemann hit back-to-back solo home runs. This was Schuemann’s first MLB hit and it was a dandy, in fact he came very close to a home run in his first at bat in this game.

This tie game was short-lived. In the bottom of the fifth inning the Guardians broke the tie taking a 4-2 lead. Josh Naylor homered with Steven Kwan on base and Cleveland had a 2-run lead 4-2.

Oakland pitcher Alex Wood went five innings before being relieved by Michael Kelly. He allowed 8 hits, four runs with 4 strikeouts. It was a challenging game for Wood on the mound. Kelly pitched one inning allowing one hit, no runs with 2 strikeouts.

In the sixth inning, the A’s Abraham Toro tripled and Oakland was threatening to tie up this game. The A’s were unable to tie up the game but Shea Langeliers hit a sacrifice, Toro scored and Oakland trailed by a single run 4-3 in this highly competitive contest. The question now, could the A’s remain competitive.

Oakland’s Austin Adams relieved Kelly on the mound in the seventh inning. The Guardians added another run in the inning taking a 5-3 lead with one out and runners on first and second. Josh Naylor singled Steven Kwan home for the 5-3 tally.

Cleveland would strike again in the seventh when Tyler Freeman singled and David Fry scored for a 6-3 Guardian lead. Through seven innings the A’s had five hits while Cleveland had 13. There was some lop-sided offense going on in this game. Again it was the Guardian pitching that was giving Oakland a lot of trouble.

In the top of the eighth inning, the A’s tried to put something together. They had a runner, Zach Gelof on base on a walk with one out and Abraham Toro at the plate. Toro struck out and Shea Langeliers came to the plate and pop flied out and the A’s were unable to add to their score continuing to trail by the score of 6-3.

Oakland was running out of innings. In the bottom of the eighth inning there was a pitching change for the A’s as TJ McFarland took over on mound. He faced Steven Kwan who had been on fire the entire series.

Kwan singled with two outs after already having 4 hits and two runs. David Fry struck out looking for the third out and the A’s had the ninth inning to make any sort of move. Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase got the job done striking out the A’s Lawrence Butler for the final out and that was the ballgame 6-3.

After the first two games in this series it is easy to see why Cleveland has one of the best records in MLB. They now have a 15-6 record with the Yankees right on their heels. They have extraordinary starters and an excellent bullpen.

These were a couple of tough games for the Oakland A’s. They had six hits while the Cleveland Guardians finished with 14 hits. Oakland did have two home runs in the game but both were solo. The highlight of this game for A’s fans in attendance was the home run coming off the bat of Schuemann his first career hit, which turned out to be his first career home run.

His first big-league hit was his first big-league homer, a very special moment for Schuemann and his family and friends in the stands supporting him. This was Oakland’s 6th game with 2+ home runs.

Game notes: Friday, the A’s took a beating at the hands of the Guardians in game one of this series at Progressive Field. The A’s hit solo home runs in the first and the ninth innings but the Guardians scored ten runs in innings two through nine for the 10-2 win. Cleveland was relentless and the A’s had a lot of trouble offensively. Cleveland had an excellent game on the mound and Saturday’s game was no exception either as the won again beating Oakland by three runs 6-3.

Oakland will try to salvage the series Sunday and avoid the sweep in game three of this series before moving on to New York and a four-game series with the Yankees on Monday. First pitch in game three Sunday is scheduled for 10:40 AM. Ross Stripling (0-4 ERA 5.32) will get the start for Oakland and Tanner Bibee (1-0 ERA 4.82) will take the mound for the Guardians.