Author: Sports Radio Service

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: What are the Kings chances without Monk and Huerter in tonight’s line up

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis is guarded by the Portland Trail Blazers forward Justin Minaya in first half action at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sun Apr 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Sacramento Kings Malik Monk injury is a huge hit to the Sacramento Kings who host the Golden State Warriors tonight in an NBA Play In game tonight at Golden 1 Center. Talk about how huge of a hit it is not to have Monk in the line up tonight.

#2 The Kings are also missing Kevin Huerter and will rely heavily on DeAaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis for scoring. The Warriors have lots of experience in post season. The way it looks right now the Kings will have to depend on Fox and Sabonis and their younger players if they want to get by the Warriors.

#3 How will the Kings shutdown the Warriors offense with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga, and Draymond Green under the basket grabbing rebounds.

#4 The Kings in their final game of the regular season on Sunday blew out the Portland Trail Blazers 121-82. Fox led with 24 points, Sabonis had 18 and Harrison Barnes with 17 points. These are the guys that the Kings will rely heavily on in the play in game against Golden State tonight.

#5 Tony so it all boils down to this game tonight at Golden 1 the Kings need to win big or go home. How do you see them matching up with the Warriors in this play in game tonight?

Tony Renteria podcasts Sacramento Kings basketball Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cards Gray haunts A’s in 3-1 win at Coliseum on Monday night

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Oakland A’s rightfielder Lawrence Butler (4) makes a dive to catch the baseball in the top of the fourth inning St Louis Cardinals Jordan Walker’s fly ball at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Apr 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, April 15, 2024

St. Louis (8-9). 100 002 000. 3. 8. 0

Athletics (7-10). 000 000 010. 1. 5. 0

Time: 2:19

Attendance: 5,508

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–A cursory glance at the roster of Monday night’s visitors, the St. Louis Cardinals, reminds you of the historical connection between baseball in the Gateway City and the game in city and town by the Golden Gate. The Cardinals got good pitching and two runs in the sixth inning to defeat the Oakland A’s 3-1 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Sonny Gray, starting for the Redbirds, threw his first big league pitch on July 10, 2013, for the Oakland Athletics, who had chosen him in the first round of the 2011 draft. Exactly one month later, he chalked up his first win in the show. 2014 was his first full season.

That year he logged 183 strikeouts, was named American League pitcher of the month in April and again in July, and threw a complete game shutout of the Rangers to clinch a playoff spot for the A’s. In the season’s opener the next year, Gray picked up where he had left off, holding the Rangers scoreless with only one hit and a walk over eight innings, in which he threw an economical 98 pitches.

A year and a half laer, at the 2017 trade deadline, Oakland sent him to the Bronx and some international bonus slot cash considerations. In return, the Athletics received Dustin Foster, James Kaprielian, and Jorge Mateo.

It was the first trading deadline deal that Oakland consummated under the presidency of David Kaval. Gray’s entry in the Cardinals’ media guide occupies five pages. Another Bay Area favorite in that publication, Brandon Crawford gets six pages. It almost seems as if the two metropolitan regions had a sister cities exchange program. Think of Tony LaRussa. Think of Dave Duncan. Think of Mark McGuire.

Ross Strippling, the Athletics’ starter, has been a travelling man. The A’s are the fourth major league team he’s pitched for in his 7+ years in the show. He took the mound with a 1-3, 5.48 record against St. Louis, and was 0-3, 5.50 in his three previous starts this season.

Monday night, he lasted 5-2/3 innings, in which he gave up three runs, all of which were earned, although one of them was posthumous, allowing half a dozen hits and a pair of free passes. He struck out three, and 67 of his 101 offerings went into the book as strikes . He was the losing pitcher and now has a slate of 0-4, 5.32).

Shortly before play began, the A’s announced that JD Davis had been placed on the 10 day injured list and that the speedy Esteury Ruíz, whose recent demotion had been strongly criticized, had been recalled from their triple A Las Vegas affiliate. His brief appearance in the eighth was your A’s highlight for tonight.

St. Louis and the team from a city to be determined later began the evening with identical records of 7-9. This was unremarkable for the Cards, since they had finished 2023 at 71-90, it signified that the A’s were on a roll. For one thing, after last year’s horrendous 50-112 anything would be an improvement.

For another, the A’s had won six of their previous eight encounters. That’s impressive, even if the last two of those victories came over the lowly Washington Nationals. The green and gold’s performance on the field probably will afford their fans plenty of aggravation this year, but the 2024 version of the squad is no joke. Tonight, they were outplayed, or better, outpitched, but they performed respectably.

A base on balls to Paul Goldschidt, Lars Nootbaar’s sacrifice to the mound, and a single to left by Nolan Arenado got the Cardinals off to a jump start in the first. Things stayed that way until the top of the sixth. Nootbaar defied The Curse of the Leadoff Double by scoring on a one out double to left by Wilson Contreras. A ground out and walk later, Michael Kelly relieved Stripling, and Jordan Walker singled to put the Cards up, 3-0.

Gray turned in another shutout inning in the sixth and then retired for the evening, giving way to Andrew Kittridge. The veteran had needed only 72 pitches (50 for strikes) to complete those six innings, in which the total damage the A’s inflicted on him came to four hits. He earned the win and now can boast of a perfect 2-0, 0.00 record until his next start.

Kittredge pitched a perfect seventh and was succeeded by Jojo Romero for the eighth. The newly recalled Ruíz pinch hit for Lawrence Butler, took a slider for a strike and then took an 85mph change of pace 405 feet deep, into the left centerfield seats for his first dinger of the year. The Athletics now trailed, 3-1. The game was in reach.

Austin Adams kept the Cards off the board in the top of the ninth in spite of a single, a sacrifice, and a passed ball that put a runner on third with two down.

The Redbirds’ Ryan Helsley earned his sixth save of the year with a 1,2,3 bottom of the ninth. That’s 75% of his team’s wins that the righty reliever has saved.

Monday was Jackie Robinson Day, and everyone wore number 42. This is supposed to be a tribute to a courageous and complex man, to whom all of us owe a great debt. But the idea that Monday—or any other day—we’re all Jackie Robinsons diminishes his stature, It also makes it hard to tell who is doing what to whom on the field, but it’s good for the corporate image of the baseball cartel.

Tuesday, at 6:40 Lance Lynn (0-0, 2.63) will toe the rubber against the Athletics, who will send JP Sears (1-1.5.17)

Harrison settles down and Giants come back to beat Marlins 4-3 in weird game Miami

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco Giants Nick Ahmed scores on a Wilmer Flores hit which was the go ahead run in the Giants three run rally in the top of the seventh inning at Loan Depot Park in Miami on Mon Apr 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, April 15, 2024

Loan Depot Park

Miami, Florida

San Francisco Giants 4 (7-10)

Miami Marlins 3 (3-14)

Win: Kyle Harrison (2-1)

Loss: George Soriano (0-1)

Win: Tyler Alexander (1-0)

Loss: Blake Snell (0-2)

Save: Camilo Doval (2)

Time: 2:36

Attendance: 8,290

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants got a much-needed win in a flat-out weird game, as Kyle Harrison settled in for a quality outing after struggling early on, and the Giants came back with three runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat the Marlins 4-3.

The Giants came into Miami after losing two out of 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend across the state in St. Petersburg. The good news was that the Giants’ offense had finally woken up, as they scored 11 runs on Saturday, and another four yesterday.

The even better news was that the Giants were coming into Miami to play a Marlins team that was off to an abysmal 3-13 start. The Giants would be up against Edward Cabrera, who would be making his 2024 debut after starting the season on the Injured List due to a right shoulder injury he sustained during Spring Training.

Jung-hoo Lee singled to start the game, but he was caught trying to steal second base, and the Giants went down scoreless in the top of the first inning.

Kyle Harrison made his fourth start of the year and struggled early. After wiggling his way out of a jam in the bottom of the first, his first pitch of the bottom of the second was hit out of the park to left field by Asival Garcia.

Harrison got the next two guys out, but he quickly ran into more trouble. Otto Lopez and Luis Arraez singled, and Bryan De La Cruz hit a line drive to left that went under and past the glove of the diving Michael Conforto. Lopez scored, and when Arraez was waved in, the relay throw from shortstop Nick Ahmed sailed to the backstop.

The Giants trailed the 3-13 Marlins 3-0 going to the third, and they responded by going down 1-2-3 in the top of the third. Harrison walked Tim Anderson to start the bottom of the third, but Anderson was thrown out trying to steal second, and Harrison had himself a mostly-quiet inning.

The Giants only had one hit over the first three innings, but they finally appeared ready to break through against Cabrera in the top of the fourth. Lee walked to start the inning, and after LaMonde Wade struck out swinging for the first out, Jorge Soler singled on a ground ball the other way to right to put runners on the corner with one out for Michael Conforto.

Conforto hit a ground ball that ricocheted off the glove of Marlins’ second-baseman Luis Arraez and into right-center for a base-hit to score Lee and put the Giants on the board. It was now 3-1, and the Giants had runners at first and second with one out, but Matt Chapman struck out looking, and Thairo Estrada grounded into a force out to end the inning.

The Giants’ offense wasted a golden opportunity in the top of the fourth, but fortunately for the Giants, Harrison finally settled down, as he pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth. Cabrera pitched a scoreless top of the fifth, and Harrison a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth, as Harrison had set down eight-straight Marlins.

Wade hit a long single off the wall in right to lead off the top of the sixth, but after Soler and Conforto struck out, Wade was caught stealing to end the inning. Meanwhile, Harrison pitched a scoreless 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth.

Harrison struggled early on, but he settled down to retire 11 of the final 12 men he faced, and ended up pitching a quality outing.

Cabrera was also done after six, and he did not disappoint in his season debut, as he walked just one and struck out 10 over six innings.

Cabrera was relieved by George Soriano for the top of the seventh. Chapman lined out to center to start the inning, but Thairo Estrada lined a double down the left field line, and advanced to third on a wild pitch to Mike Yastrzemski, who eventually walked.

The Giants had runners at the corners with one out for Patrick Bailey, who knocked in Estrada with a sacrifice fly to left to make it 3-2. Nick Ahmed walked, and Marlins Manager Skip Schumaker pulled Soriano for the lefty, Andrew Nardi, who would face the top of the Giants’ order.

Lee came up and battled Nardi until he was able to hit a fastball over the outer half of the plate the other way to left for a base-hit to knock in Yastrzemski and tie the game. Wilmer Flores, who has not seen much playing time early this season, but has been money for the Giants in key RBI situations over the last four years, came through with a line-drive single up the middle to score Ahmed and give the Giants their first lead of the night.

Bob Melvin brought in the submariner, Tyler Rogers, for the bottom of the seventh. Otto Lopez reached on a throw in the dirt by Ahmed at short to start the inning. Luis Arraez then laid down a bunt on the first base side that he seemed likely to beat out, but Rogers dove to his left, and flipped the ball to first to get Arraez. It was a great play by Rogers, who was not fazed by the early-inning drama, and set down the next two men he faced to end the inning.

Bryan Hoeing pitched a 1-2-3 top of the eighth for the Marlins, and Ryan Walker came in for the Giants in the bottom of the eighth. Walker got Tim Anderson to ground out to third; gave up a single to Jazz Chisholm; and struck Avisal Garcia out looking.

Then there was some real confusion. Melvin summoned his closer, Camilo Doval, from the bullpen to come in for a four-out save, but for whatever reason, the lefty, Taylor Rogers, came in from the bullpen when Melvin clearly motioned for the right-hander, Doval. Rogers was stopped, and went back to the bullpen, as Doval came in.

Meanwhile, Schumaker was furious that the umpires did not start the warmup clock, and felt like Doval should have been limited in his warmup throws as a result. Schumaker made his frustrations with Home Plate Umpire and Crew Chief quite clear, but surprisingly wasn’t ejected.

Dee Gordon came up to the plate, and on the first pitch to Gordon, which was a strike, Chisholm stole second. Then Schumaker came back out of the dugout and was tossed by Diaz, as Schumaker believed that Doval had thrown a pair of warmup pitches after the clock expired, which if true, should have resulted in two automatic balls. Gordon struck out looking, and that would be that.

Hoeing was back out for the ninth, and pitched a scoreless inning after walking Bailey to start the inning. Doval was back out for the bottom of the ninth, as he tried to complete the four-out save. Jesus Sanchez grounded out to second, and Lopez struck out on a foul tip. That was after Patrick Bailey had to call timeout and use mound visit to keep Doval from walking Lopez on a pitch clock violation.

Doval, who was pitching in just his fourth game this season, was once again struggling with the pitch clock, just as he did in his first outing of the season on March 30 in San Diego, and just as he did early last season.

Arraez lined a base-hit to right after a seven-pitch at-bat, in which Bailey had to use another mound visit to keep Doval from getting called for a pitch clock violation, but De La Cruz struck out swinging to end it, and the Giants held on to win this weird game 4-3.

Harrison got his second win of the season; George Soriano got the loss; and Doval got his second save. Doval is finally settling down after his third-straight rocky start to the season, but after Bailey had to use two of the Giants’ four mound visits to rescue Doval from pitch clock violations, and that is something Doval will have to work on.

The Giants improve to 7-10, and they will send Aaron Hicks to the mound tomorrow night, as they will try to get just their second two-game winning streak and second series win of the young season. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m. in Miami, 3:40 p.m. back home in San Francisco.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: After Lakers and Kings win Warriors settle for 10th place finish

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) gets a pass away while the Utah Jazz Darius Bazley (21) defends in the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Apr 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Going into yesterday’s game, there was a lot to be ironed out in the Western Conference not only for the number one seed but also in the eighth through tenth place.

#2 The Warriors had their eye on a eighth or ninth place finish but the Lakers and the Kings had something else in mind. Both the Lakers and Kings demolished their opponents and the Warriors had to settle for 10th place.

#3 Stephen Curry and Draymond Green sat out yesterday’s game–the team needing them to be fresh for Tuesday nights game.

#4 Klay Thompson led the team in points in their win over the Utah Jazz. Every Warrior that took the floor in this game scored points with the exception of Jonathan Kuminga.

#5 The playoffs get underway Tuesday night with the Warriors taking on the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Sacramento has a grudge to settle but can they do it without Malik Monk? How will this game play out.

Join Barbara Mason for the Golden State Warriors podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda can’t rally on Texas; End season in Tucson Fri and Sat

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The San Jose Barracuda and the Texas Stars battled to a 2-1 Texas win on Sat Apr 14, 2024 at Tech CU in San Jose to conclude the 2023-24 home season for the Barracuda (San Jose Barracuda photo)

On the SJ Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 Marko, the San Jose Barracuda got on the board first on Saturday night against the Texas Stars at Tech CU Arena in the second period when Daniel Gushchin scored at 5:14 for a 1-0 Barracuda lead.

#2 In the second period the Stars Matej Blumel forward tied up the game at 1:12 with assists from Derrick Pouliot and Mavrik Bourque making it 1-1.

#3 Once again Blumel scores against the Barracuda for the game winner for Texas with as Bourque and Pouliot assisted for the 2-1 win.

#4 The Barracuda just wasn’t able to get much offense going after the first period but Barracuda goaltender Magnus Chrona stopped 38 shots and allowed two goals but the offense couldn’t deliver.

#5 It’s off to Tucson this Friday and Saturday for a two game series that will conclude the Barracuda road schedule and season. The Roadrunners are not a slouchy team they are second in the AHL Pacific with a 41-23-3 record and have six of their last ten games.

Marko Ukalovic podcasted the Barracuda for the 2023-24 season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bay FC pick up first home win in franchise history with 3-2 win over Seattle

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Bay FC players were thrilled with their winning goal over the Seattle Reign FC at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sun Apr 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC Hosted Seattle Reign FC on Sunday evening on Women’s Empowerment Night and picked up their first home victory of the franchise 3-2 at Pay Pal Park. Bay FC’s most recent game was against the Houston Dash on March 30, a night that marked their first home opener as well as the first sellout in team history. Now, following a couple of weeks of international duty for some of the players, the team was ready to return to action and try to avenge their loss to the Dash.

Seattle Reign Starting XI: Dickey, Huerter, Cook, Barnes (C), Woodham, James-Turner, Van Der Jagt, Athens, Ji, Fishlock, Balcer

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

It’s important to note that Lysianne Proulx was unavailable for this game after picking up a minor injury while playing with Canada, but she has been participating in some training recently and is expected to return in the near future. Scarlett Camberos was also out of the lineup for a similar reason.

The first half started off fairly even, with end-to-end action. Their first big scoring chance came when Alyssa Malonson found quite a bit of space on the left side of the pitch, but the cross went straight to the goalkeeper rather than the intended recipient.

Bay sustained offensive pressure for the next few minutes, with Racheal Kundananji and Asisat Oshoala attempting to create chances. They tested Seattle’s keeper, Claudia Dickey a few times but the game remained 0-0. In the 18th minute, Oshoala got through the defense and shot it just wide of the goal.

Bay also came out of the gate very aggressively, an early slide tackle set the mood for the rest of the half. Alex Loera earned back possession with a hard, but clean tackle. Kundananji had a similar tackle, but was called for a foul as it was a little off-target and caught the attacker’s legs rather than the ball. No card was shown on the play though.

In the 27th minute, Katelyn Rowland showed her sweeper-keeper ability coming into the middle third to clear out a ball despite it being swarmed by other players. It was a dangerous play, but it got the ball to safety. About a minute later though, disaster struck for Bay.

Despite having quite a strong start to the game, an own goal by Kayla Sharples put them down 1-0 on a very unfortunate play. In the 32nd minute, Deyna Castellanos had a strong chance from inside the box, but Dickey was able to tip it over the net and Bay got a corner kick as a result, but nothing would come from it.

In the 40th minute, Seattle got a strong scoring chance when Bethany Balcer nearly got in all alone with the goalkeeper, but a strong defensive effort by Malonson broke up the play and conceded a corner instead.

Shortly after, Bay got an opportunity of their own as Tess Boade got a shot off, that was saved by Dickey in the 41st minute. Despite Bay FC having a strong performance and outplaying their opposition in the first half, they walked out of the first half trailing 1-0.

Bay FC came out with intensity to start the second half, Oshoala had a quality scoring chance from just outside of the box just a minute into the half but it went just wide. In the 48th minute, Bay FC would score what seemed like an inevitable goal.

Sharples made up for her prior own goal, scoring a header off of an assist from Emily Menges. It was a rare situation where the center-backs combined to score a goal, It was Sharples’ second-ever NWSL goal and Menges’ first career assist. In the 54th minute, Seattle tried to answer back but their header went just wide of the goal, and the game remained tied at 1.

In the 57th, Bay FC led another strong attack, but the ball was tipped wide by the defense and it resulted in another corner opportunity. Although the corner itself didn’t lead to a goal, the ball found its way to Alex Loera who scored on a screamer of a shot to make it a quick 2-1 lead for Bay.

It was the first goal Loera had ever scored in the regular season, her only previous goals came during the playoffs. After the goal, Dickey received some attention from the trainer and had to leave the game, Laurel Ivory entered the game to take over in goal.

Bay FC continued their attacking pressure shortly after the goal but were unable to beat the keeper. In the 63rd minute, Malonson would be substituted for Savy King, who was playing her first career game outside of the starting lineup.

It would take until the 67th minute for Rowland to get tested in the second half, Olivia Athens got a shot off, but it was directly to Rowland. That marked Seattle’s first shot on target of the night. In the 71st minute, Rowland went down and required attention from the trainer as well.

During this time, Seattle made three substitutions to attempt to spark their offense. After a short delay, she remained in the game and immediately was forced to make her second save of the night.

In the 78th minute, Bay nearly put the game away as Oshoala found herself all alone with the keeper but the shot went just left of the goal. In the 81st minute, it seemed like Bay FC had put the game away when Boade found the back of the net, but the play was called offside.

A few minutes later, Seattle tied it up with a goal from Balcer and the mood instantly shifted in Paypal Park. It went from Bay FC putting the game away to a tied game over the course of just a couple of minutes.

However, in the 87th minute, things changed once again. Joelle Anderson’s shot was deflected by a defender into the back of the net which gave Bay FC a 3-2 lead with very little time remaining. It seemed like Seattle tied it up just a few moments later, but the play was called offside and it remained 3-2 in favor of the home team.

12 minutes of stoppage time were added, and Bay FC needed to find a way to hold on if they wanted to walk away with their first home win in franchise history. In the 92nd minute, Oshoala went down in the offensive third of the pitch and received some medical attention as well, which certainly added a little more time to the end of the game. She spent a moment on the sideline but quickly returned to action.

In the 94th minute, Oshoala was able to receive a breakout pass, putting her one-on-one with a defender who she got past and seemingly scored a goal but on the breakout it appeared that she grazed the ball with her hand and it was called back.

Eventually, she’d be substituted out as Bay went for a more defensive approach to end the game, and Jen Beattie entered the match. After stoppage time drew to a close, Bay FC walked away with their first ever home win, 3-2. It was an emotional night for the players, coaching staff and of course the fans. They’ll need to carry that energy into their next game as they look to build some momentum.

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Kings host Warriors for play in on Tuesday at Golden 1; Beat Blazers Sunday 121-82

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) shown after making a three point shot in the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sun Apr 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Sunday afternoon for the final game of the season. After losing to the Pelicans at home on Friday, the Kings welcomed the Portland Trail Blazers to town. The Kings were fighting for position in the play-in-game while Portland was already eliminated.

The Kings were looking for a win and a Lakers loss to be the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Also of note in the matchup was Kings Keegan Murray facing off against twin brother Kris Murray.

It was the second time the two faced each other in the NBA. The Kings and Trail Blazers tipped off at 12:30 PM PST inside Golden One Center. The Kings defeated the Trail Blazers on Sunday 121-82 to secure the 9th seed in the Western Conference.

In the first quarter, the Blazers appeared outmatched against the Kings. The Blazers were only able to score 18 points in the first quarter. Portland shot an abysmal 1-19 on three-point attempts in the first quarter. On the other hand, the Kings offense was going strong early. The Kings scored 30 points to take the quick first-quarter lead. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings in the first quarter with eight points and two steals. The Kings would lead 30-19.

In the second quarter, the Kings started the process to route the Trail Blazers. The Kings offense took off to outscore the Blazers 35-19. The Kings would lead going into halftime 65-37. The Kings offense was on fire as Portland couldn’t muster anything to stop the Kings. The story was less about the Kings defense and the inability of Portland to put the ball in the hoop. The Kings would look to keep the pressure on in the second half to come away with the victory.

In the second half, the Kings completed the route with ease. The Kings outscored the Trail Blazers in the second half by a combined 56-45. It was clear that the Portland Trail Blazers had nothing left to play for in the season. The Kings took care of business by defeating the Blazers 121-82.

In the second half, Delano Banton was ejected from the game after a technical foul and altercation in which he dropped his shoulder into a Kings defender. Other than the ejection, the second half was very uninteresting. The Kings emptied their bench after the third quarter. The Kings best performance in the game came from De’Aaron Fox, who scored 24 points. Delano Banton led the Trail Blazers with 17 points.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Golden State Warriors in the 9-10 seed NBA Play-In Game on Tuesday at 7PM.

Mason Miller Shines In Oakland Win Over Nationals 7-6; A’s score six in sixth in comeback win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Left to right congratulations all around by Oakland A’s Darell Hernaiz (2), Seth Brown (15), Zack Gelof (20), Lawrence Butler (4) defeat the Washington Nationals for their third consecutive series win a first in three years. Game played at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Apr 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

After trailing by the score of 6-1 going into the sixth inning a loss was beginning to look eminent for the Oakland A’s (7-9). The A’s never hung their heads and came away with an amazing six run inning winning the game 7-6 against the Washington Nationals (6-9). The A’s had 11 hits in the game with JJ Bleday and Lawrence Butler with three hits apiece. Mason Miller closed out this game with a 1,2,3 inning striking out two players. He has been something special this season.

Game recap: Neither team scored in the first two innings of the game but it was the Nationals who got up on the board first in the third inning and it did not end there. Washington scored not only two runs in the third but went on to score in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings taking a 6-1 lead.

In the third inning the National’s Jacob Young and CJ Abrams both scored giving Washington a 2-0 lead. In the fourth inning Young doubled driving Riley Adams home extending their lead to 3-0.

The Nationals would continue to add to their lead when Lane Thomas hit a solo home run for a 4-0 advantage. Oakland finally got on the board in the 5th inning when Shea Langeliers singled Lawrence Butler home but they had a whole lot of work to do.

It was looking grim for Oakland when in the sixth inning the Nationals hit a couple of singles that brought Trey Lipscomb and Joey Meneses both home and the A’s were looking at a rather daunting 6-1 National lead.

Oakland has shown a lot of fight this season and they refused to back down in this game. They had an amazing sixth inning not only tying the game but taking a 7-6 lead in an unlikely comeback. Abraham Toro, JJ Bleday, Tyler Nevin, Lawrence Butler, Shea Langeliers and Ryan Noda all crossed home plate to take the lead. A collection of singles, a wild pitch and a walk accounted for the six runs. It was a sixth inning that will not soon be forgotten.

The A’s had the bases loaded in the seventh inning with a great opportunity for some insurance runs but came away empty. Relief Pitcher Lucas Erceg breezed through the eighth inning and the A’s were three outs away from a third series win in a row.

Oakland went into the ninth inning with Mason Miller on the mound looking to close out this game facing Lane Thomas at the plate. Thomas struck out. Joey Gallo was next up at the plate and experienced the wrath of Miller striking out. Luis Garcia Jr. struck out for the third out and the A’s had one amazing win 7-6. This guy is something special and it was “Miller Time” indeed.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon the A’s took on the Nationals in game three of their series. The A’s took game one 2-1 in ten innings but dropped game two to Washington 3-1. Oakland got their third series win in a row. Alex Wood got the start for the A’s but struggled. He went 4.1 innings allowing 7 hits, and 4 runs with 4 strikeouts.

Monday the Oakland A’s will be back at work beginning a series against the St. Louis Cardinals. This will be a three game series with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM. Both teams have the same 7-9 record. Ross Stripling will take the mound for Oakland and Sonny Gray will start for the Cardinals.

Warriors Playoff Bound After Beating Utah Jazz 123-116

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) makes the face after scoring a three pointer against the Utah Jazz at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Apr 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

As it all played out Sunday afternoon, the Golden State Warriors (45-36) ended up in tenth place in the Western Conference slated to meet the Sacramento Kings Tuesday at Golden 1 Center. Golden State beat the Utah Jazz (31-50) 123-116 and as it turned out neither a win or lose would have affected the standings for the Warriors. Neither Stephen Curry nor Draymond Green took the court in this game resting them for the playoffs.

Game recap: The Warriors won both the first and the second quarters. Golden State took a 33-27 lead after the first 12 minutes and extended their lead at the half. The Jazz refused to back down trailing at the half 63.56. The Warriors had outscored the Jazz in the second quarter but only by a single point.

In the second half of play, Utah saw their first lead of the game in the third quarter. The Warriors tied up the quarter at 85 with three minutes left in the third. Utah had taken as much as a six point lead in the quarter but the Warriors pushed back every time.

After three quarters, Golden State had established a 95-89 lead. The writing, however, was on the wall with the Lakers beating the Pelicans 92-68 mid-way through the third quarter and the Kings absolutely destroying the Trail Blazers after three quarters 99-58.

In the early minutes of the fourth quarter, the Warriors took their largest lead of the afternoon 101-89. With the Lakers and the Kings well in-charge of their own games, 10th place would go to the Warriors win or lose. Golden State had a date with the Sacramento Kings up at Golden 1 Center Tuesday night April 16th in the 9-10 game. The Warriors went on to beat the Jazz 123-116 and Golden State was play-off bound.

Game notes: After a long and grueling 2023-24 NBA season, Sunday saw the final game of the regular season. There are numerous spots up for grabs in the Western Conference. The Warriors are watching the 8th-10th positions. Sunday afternoon, the Warriors took on the Jazz.

The Warriors got the win but the Los Angeles Lakers won and the Sacramento Kings won who also figure in this equation. The Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-108 and the Sacramento Kings defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 121-82. The wild finish that was predicted the past few weeks made for some crazy games. Curry and Green did not take the court in this game.

Klay Thompson finished the game with 25 points, the team high. Andrew Wiggins had 19 points in this game and every Warrior who took the court in this game scored points with the exception of Jonathan Kuminga who came away empty. He did have seven assists. It now all comes down to a Northern California battle between the Warriors and the Kings Tuesday night to start off the 2024 NBA playoffs.

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: A’s win third straight series with win over Nationals at Coliseum

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Oakland A’s second baseman Zack Gelof (left) throws to first baseman JD Davis (5) for the out against the Washington Nationals at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Apr 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Messenburg:

#1 Washington Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore had control on the Oakland A’s line up sending down 11 hitters on strike outs.

#2 Augie the A’s have had success on their last road trip going 4-2 and started this homestand with a 2-1 extra inning win over the Nats on Friday night. The A’s just couldn’t figure out Gore and while their getting the pitching their not getting the hitting.

#3 Gore pitched five innings of shutout against the A’s to top it off Gore never really cooled off he threw for 90 pitches and he struck out the last five batters he faced.

#4 Speaking of the A’s needing hitting Esteury Ruiz crushed a 400 foot plus home run that hit the wall in the back of the bleachers at Las Vegas Ballpark Saturday night . Ruiz was the stolen base leader for the A’s last season, he was hitting over .400 when he got sent down after the first week of the season. What is so wrong about Esteury Ruiz that he’s still in triple A Las Vegas?

#5 The A’s are hoping to pick up a win against the Washington Nationals today in game 3 of the series. If they succeed this would be the third series they would have won for the season in their last three games series.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com