Category: MLB

Webb suffers first-career loss at Dodger Stadium as Dodgers beat Giants again 5-4

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Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts (5) circles the bases after hitting his Major League leading fifth home run in the bottom of the third inning at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Tue Apr 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

Webb suffers shortest outing in two years, and Dodgers beat Giants again 5-4

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles, California

San Francisco Giants 4 (2-4)

Los Angeles Dodgers 5 (6-2)

Win: Logan Webb (0-1)

Loss: Ryan Yarbrough (1-0)

Save: Evan Phillips (3)

Time: 2:57

Attendance: 49,365

By Stephen Ruderman

The Dodgers, led by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, got to Logan Webb, and beat the Giants 5-4, as they have won the first two games of this series

Logan Webb, who came into tonight undefeated in his career at Dodger Stadium made his second start of the season, and hoped to be the stopper. The Dodgers opted to go with an opener, and it would be Ryan Brasier, who appeared last night.

Brasier pitched a scoreless top of the first inning, and Webb came out for the bottom first to face the Dodgers’ trio of superstars in Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. Last night, the three of them went a combined 6-for-11, and scored six of the Dodgers’ eight runs. 

Betts and Freeman have gotten off to torrid starts this season, and they would strike again in the bottom of the first. Betts singled to start the inning and stole second base. Ohtani struck out looking, but Freddie Freeman lined a base-hit to right to knock in Betts and put the Dodgers on the board first.

The lefty Ryan Yarbrough came in for the Dodgers in the top of the second, and immediately gave up a leadoff double to Wilmer Flores. Thairo Estrada grounded out back to the pitcher to get Flores to third, and Patrick Bailey struck out swinging for the second out of the inning. Nick Ahmed, who has had some RBI hits early in the season, lined a base-hit to left field to knock in Flores and tie it up.

Logan Webb responded by throwing a 1-2-3 bottom of the second, and Matt Chapman came up and doubled off Yarbrough to lead off the third. Jorge Soler flew out to left to get Chapman to third, and Michael Conforto continued his hot start to the season, as he lined a base-hit to right-center to knock in Chapman and give the Giants the lead.

The Dodgers responded in the bottom of the third when Mookie Betts hit a home run to left-center to re-tie it. It was Betts’ fifth home run of the young season, as well as his 1,500th-career hit. Betts is hitting .500 through his first eight games.

“Honestly, anything [Betts] does doesn’t surprise me anymore,” said Webb. “He’s the best player in Baseball, I think”

Yarbrough threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth to get the Dodgers right back in the dugout, and they would be ready to go against Webb in the bottom of the fourth. Max Muncy doubled off Webb to start the half-inning, and Teoscar Hernandrez walked. 

James Outman lined out to Flores at first, but Gavin Lux came up and hit a shot to left-center that fell in for a hit to knock in Muncy and put the Dodgers back ahead, and hustled his way into second for a double. Kiké Hernandez then came up and lined a single to left, which scored both Hernandez and Lux, and that made it 5-2 Dodgers. Webb got Betts fly out to right, but after walking Ohtani, Webb was done.

This was the first time Webb did not make through the fourth since April 19, 2022 when he went three and two thirds against the New York Mets in the second game of a double header at Citi Field in New York.

“His stuff looked pretty good,” said Manager Bob Melvin. “He [was] behind in some counts, and there [were] some two-strike hits. I don’t know if they were sitting soft late in the count, but [the Dodgers] have some guys with some decent numbers [who] made him work and throw a lot of pitches”

Yarbrough came back out and pitched a 1-2-3 shutdown inning, and Landen Roupp, who came in to relieve Webb in the fourth, pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth

Jorge Soler, whom Bob Melvin said he expects to get hot prior to the game, hit a home run to left-center to start the top of the sixth and make it 5-3, but the Giants were not done yet. Conforto reached on an infield single to third, and Flores lined a single to right-center that sent Conforto to third. 

The Giants now had runners at the corners with nobody out and the tying run at first for Thairo Estrada, hit a ground ball to third and beat out the back end of a fielder’s choice, which scored Conforto to make it 5-4. Alex Vesia came in for Yarbrough, and escaped further damage.

The Dodgers had runners at first and second with nobody out against Roupp in the bottom of the sixth. Roupp then beared down to strike out Hernandez, and as well as Betts, who Roupp froze with a filthy curve on the inside corner. Roupp was then succeeded by the lefty, Taylor Rogers, to face Ohtani, and Ohtani grounded out to second to end the inning.

“[Roupp] is becoming a guy that we feel really good about,” said Melvin. “I even told him when I took him out, ‘There’s going to be a time when I’m not going to take you out there.’ For him to pitch the way he did, and [who] has continued to pitch for a guy that has very little experience, and then has to go through that order…..I think he’s gaining a lot of confidence going forward…..He’s got really good stuff, and that’s why he’s on the team” 

“Roupp is fun to watch,” added Webb. 

Michael Grove came in and set the Giants down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, Taylor Rogers got into trouble in the bottom of the seventh, and Ryan Walker came in to bail Rogers out and get the final two outs of the inning. 

“The whole staff definitely picked me up,” said Webb. “I try not to get in those situations where they have to throw a lot of innings, but they did a great job tonight.”

The Giants had runners at first and second with one out against Grove in the top of the eighth, but they were unable to come through, as Evan Phillips came in for Grove to get the final out. Phillips pitched a scoreless ninth to close it out, and the Dodgers won it 5-4.

“We had an opportunity to come back, and we had some guys on [to] potentially tie it or win it,” said Melvin. “[We] just couldn’t get that big hit again when we [got] guys in scoring position.”

Ryan Yarbrough got the win; Webb suffered his first-career loss at Dodger Stadium; and Even Phillips got the save.

As for Betts and Freeman, they went a combined 5-for-9 tonight, and have gone a combined 10-for-16 in this series

The Giants have now lost three-straight, and fall to 2-4. The Giants’ young left-hander, Kyle Harrison, will look to be the stopper tomorrow night, just as he was last Friday in San Diego, and  the Giants will try to avoid the sweep.

News and Notes:

  • The Giants traded catcher Joey Bart, who they designated for assignment on Sunday, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed minor league pitcher Austin Strickland. Strickland, 21, was drafted by the Pirates last year.

As for Bart, this will be a new opportunity for him. Bart has shown his potential, and there seems to be a belief that he can stick in the big leagues and succeed with another team.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: A’s moving onto discussions with Sacramento Wednesday; No deal to stay at Oakland Coliseum

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Oakland team president David Kaval (left) and reporter Marko Ukalovic (right) sat down for a Mar 30, 2017 interview when Kaval had an open door policy for reporters. That door has since been closed as Kaval and top A’s officials met with the Oakland Coliseum Join Authority Tue Apr 2, 2024 regarding a lease extension at the Coliseum. (photo from Marko Ukaloivc)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury the Oakland A’s met with City management and the Oakland Coliseum Joint Authority today. There was talk before they were going to meet that there was no way the A’s would agree to pay the $97 million for five years to play their interim years at the Coliseum.

#2 Ironically the $97 million that the City of Oakland was asking for was the same amount that separated the City and A’s for the Howard Terminal ballpark. Then A’s president David Kaval announced that the A’s had a binding agreement with the Rio in Las Vegas back in June.

#3 I know you reported that Sacramento is a solid second choice for a A’s interim home if the Coliseum falls apart. The A’s have visited Sutter Health Park and Kaval said he likes the park and it was reported that MLB Commissioner would prefer the A’s stay in California. The Sacramento Rivercats if necessary are prepared to make adjustments to Sutter Health to make it work for the players.

#4 One of the biggest reasons the A’s wanted to meet with the Coliseum was they didn’t want to walk away from the $70 million a year NBC California contract they have that runs through 2030. Whatever deal they get in Sacramento would not be nearly as close as what NBC would pay the A’s if they’d stay in Oakland.

#5 A $97 million five year contract with the Coliseum would work out to $19.4 million a year on rent. Figuring they would get $210 million from NBC California for the first three years and the A’s would have to shell out $60 million to the Coliseum Joint Authority in rent and still would be a good deal giving the A’s $150 million on a three contract. They A’s refused that offer and countered with asking for two years for $17 million and the Coliseum Authority declined leaving both sides far apart.

#6 Amaury, reports today regarding Esteury Ruiz was sent down because as A’s general manager David Forst said he needs to get on base more. Also Brent Rooker has been benched because Forst said he’s not hitting. Insiders say that Ruiz and Rooker have been demoted or benched because they wore Last Dive Bar wristbands which are pushing for A’s owner John Fisher to sell the team. This has certainly become political.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Keaton Winn holds down fort, but Giants overpowered by Dodgers’ superstars 8-3

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San Francisco Giants designated hitter Jorge Soler strikes out in the top fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Mon Apr 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, April 1, 2024

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles, California

San Francisco Giants 3 (2-3)

Los Angeles Dodgers 8 (5-2)

Win: James Paxton (1-0)

Loss: Keaton Winn (0-1)

Time: 2:38

Attendance: 49,044

By Stephen Ruderman

Following an off-season of high-profile free agent signings by the Giants and Dodgers, the two rivals met for the first time in 2024, and the Dodgers and their superstars overpowered the Giants to beat them 8-3.

Following a split in their opening series in San Diego against the Padres, the Giants hopped on a bus, and headed north to Los Angeles to take on a Dodgers team that could have the highest of any in the history of the game. The Dodgers have these expectations because they added Shohei Ohtan and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to an already-powerful roster.

While the Giants may not have added the star power that the Dodgers did, the Giants still added Jung-hoo Lee, Jorge Soler, Matt Chapman and Blake Snell. The Giants and Dodgers made their splashes in the off-season, and now the bitter rivals would meet for the first time on the field here in 2024.

With the rotation short two men, Manager Bob Melvin has had to improvise. Yesterday, Daulton Jefferies was called up to make the start, and tonight, Melvin decided to go with Keaton Winn, who posted a 4.68 ERA in nine games and five starts with the Giants last season.

Winn got off to a rocky start when he came out for the bottom of the first. Mookie Betts hit a triple off the base of the wall in left-center field to start the inning. Betts was able to get to third, because the ball caromed completely away from Lee and the left-fielder, Michael Conforto, towards the left field line. Shohei Ohtani then grounded out to second to knock in Betts and give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead.

James Paxton started for the Dodgers and struggled with his command, but the Giants were unable to take advantage of Paxton when he was in trouble. The Giants had base-runners in each of the first three innings, and runners in scoring position and the first and third, but they were unable to get a run across 

Despite his bumpy start, Winn was solid as he faced the Dodgers the first time through their order. However, Winn ran into trouble again when the Dodgers came up for the second time through the order in the bottom of the third. Betts walked with one out, and Ohtani doubled Betts over to third. Freddie Freeman singled up the middle to score Betts, but Ohtani was held at third. Ohtani would score on a sacrifice fly from Will Smith.

The Giants looked like they were finally going to break through in the fifth when Nick Ahmed and Jung-hoo Lee hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. However, Austin Slater, who got the start and hit second tonight, hit a ground ball to second for a 4-6-3 double play. Jorge Soler and Matt Chapman drew walks to keep the rally alive, but Wilmer Flores grounded out to second to end the inning. It was another wasted opportunity for the Giants, who stranded eight runners in the first five innings of the game.

Winn ended up going five solid innings against what is possibly the most powerful offense in Baseball. He gave up just four hits, struck out six and did exactly what the Giants needed him to do, which was to go long enough to prevent Melvin from having to blow through his bullpen.

“Keaton did a pretty good job,” said Melvin. “It’s a pretty tough line up to navigate, so I thought he pitched pretty well…..he kept us in the game.”

Winn relied heavily on his fastball and splitter last year, but he really used his slider to his advantage tonight.

“[I’m] definitely going to build off the slider,” said Winn. “That was the most I’ve ever thrown the pitch in a game, and I thought I did pretty good with it.”

Winn also lavished praise for his catcher, Tom Murphy, whom Winn was working with for the first time.

“I felt like we were on the same page pretty much the entire time,” said Winn. “It was nice to be able to trust him back there.”

Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts brought in Ryan Brasier for the sixth. Michael Conforto, who had gone 0-for-2 against the lefty, Paxton, hit a towering home run down the right field line to put the Giants on the board. For Conforto, it was his third home run of the season.

Erik Miller came in for the bottom of the sixth, and despite his two strong outings in San Diego, the young lefty would be tested by the Dodgers. Freeman singled, and Smith walked to start the inning. Max Muncy then hit into a fielder’s choice, and Smith was retired at second.

Melvin then decided to lift Miller for the submariner, Tyler Rogers. Rogers hung a slider to Teoscar Hernandez, who hit one bomb to left that may have ended up sailing all the way to the Grapevine to blow the Dodgers’ lead open to 8-3.

Joe Kelly came in for Brasier in the seventh. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Soler singled with one out. Chapman struck out looking for the second out, and Flores singled the other way to score Wade, but Soler was caught off second base and tagged out to end the inning. Since Wade touched the plate before Soler was tagged out, the run scored.

Nick Avila came in for the Giants in the bottom of the seventh to make his major league debut, and gave up a run over two innings. Dinelson Lamet pitched the final two innings for the Dodgers, and the Giants were able to plate a run against him in the ninth.

The Dodgers won it 8-3, as this was a game where the team with the superstars asserted their dominance. Betts, Ohtani and Freeman went a combined 6-for-11, and scored six of the Dodgers’ eight runs. 

“We can do better,” said Melvin. “They really have a good team. [The] top of [their] lineup is about as good as any in Baseball. We just gotta try and navigate it a little better.”

Paxton got the win, and Winn got the loss. The Giants fall to 2-3, but they will have their ace, Logan Webb, on the mound tomorrow night. First pitch will be at 7:10 p.m.

News and Notes:

  • Mike Yastrzemski was activated off the Paternity List prior to tonight’s game, following the birth of his second child. Luis Matos and Daulton Jefferies were sent down to Triple-A Sacramento to make room for Yastrzemski and Nick Avila, and infielder Otto Lopez was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Avila.
  • Blake Snell, who some believed could make his Giants debut on Wednesday against the Dodgers, will pitch in one more simulated game, and will make his Giants debut on April 8 against the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park.

A’s make 5 miscues as Red Sox trounce and shutout Oakland 9-0

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Oakland A’s centerfielder JJ Bleday can’t make the catch off of the Boston Red Sox Emmanuel Valdez’s hit in the top of the second inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Apr 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, April 1, 2024

Boston (3-2). 125 001 000. 9. 9. 0

Athletics (1-4). 000 000 000. 0. 4. 5

Time: 2:31

Attendance: 6,618

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–This is not an April Fool’s joke. The team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics might have climbed to just one game under .500 if they had managed to defeat the under performing Boston Red Sox tonight. That turned out to be a delusion of grandeur. The A’s defeated themselves, 9-0, and the Bosox climbed to 3-2.

It’s not as if the green and gold had been facing a healthy franchise. Over the weekend, the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy wrote what mutandis mutandi a few years ago could have been written by John Shea or Scott Ostler, the two Chronicle reporters who deserve to share a Pulitzer Prize for their recent coverage of the Fisher fiasco.

“It should be clear to all by now,”Shaughnessey wrote, “The Red Sox brass is not going to spend money or make much effort to improve this team. The message to Alex Cora, his staff, and fans, is unambiguous: This is your team. Figure it out. We don’t care if you finish last for the fourth time in five years and the seventh time in 13 years, we are not going to spend another penny to make it better. We are done.”

I can’t wait until the Boston ownership starts to complain about how outdated the fabled Fenway Park is and how badly the team deserves a new stadium, perhaps in Atlantic City. To tell the truth, Fenway is long on tradition and charm but low on good sight lines. Except for the bleachers and the expensive seats, you’re likely to have an obstructed view; in the bleachers, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself in the middle of a fist fight

The Bosox jumped to an early lead against the Athletics’ starting right hander, Joe Boyle.who broke into the majors when he joined the last September 17 and went on to compile a record of 2-0, 1..69. Jarren Duran laced a sharp lead off single, stole second, and advanced to third when Shea Langeliers’ throw went into center field. Triston Casas’ single to center drove him home, and the A’s went to bat against Tanner Houk (6-10, 5.01 last year; 15-19, 3.86 lifetime) trailing 1-0.

Errors cost the A’ dearly in the second frame. Masataka Yoshida opened it with a walk. He went to third when JJ Beday dropped Enmanuel Valdéz’s fly ball at the center field fence. Yoshida scored on Ceddane Rafaela’s sac fly to right, on which Valdéz moved up to third, whence he scored on Lawrence Butler’s errant throw home.

It was Ryan Noda’s turn to be the goat in the third. With runners on first and second and no outs, he made a nifty grab on Valdéz’s slow grounder between first base and the pitcher’ mound and a back hand flip that went past Boyle, covering the bag. That, combined with an error by Boyle himself, who threw a pick off throw into center opened the gates for five more runs and, after a double by Trevor Story, led to Boyle’s early departure.

He had lasted a mere 2-2/3 innings, in which he managed to throw 84 pitches, 48 for strikes. Seven of the eight runs he allowed were earned, and they came on eight hits, four walks, and a wild pitch. He struck out four Bosox, took the loss, making his record 0-1, 23.63.

Lefty Kyle Muller replaced him and was the sole bright spot in the A’s otherwise dreary performance. He left after going 5-1/3 innings and yielding one run.. The tally he allowed, which came in the sixth, didn’t come on an error, but if Zack Gelof hadn’t bobbled Yoshida’s grounder with one out and runners on second and third, it would have resulted in an inning ending double play instead of a run producing force out.

Muller gave up only one safety during his tenure and walked two while setting a half a dozen Red Sox down on strikes. Michael Kelly closed down the Bostonians in the top of ninth, allowing just a lead off base of balls.

Tanner Houk was Boyle’s opposite number for Boston. He pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and striking out ten. He threw one less pitch, 83, in his six full frames than Boyle did in his 2-2-2/3; only 20 were balls. He was the winning pitcher, giving him a 1-0, 0.00 mark for the newborn seaon. Chase Anderson took over for him to start the bottom half of the seventh and shut the A’s down on one hit over the final three innings.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, afternoon at 12:37pm PDT, Oakland’s Alex Wood (0-1, ERA 16.20) will try to undo his disastrous previous outing as he faces the Red Sox and Brayan Bello (1-0, ERA 3.60)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Sacramento is the place for the A’s?

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Aerial view of the Oakland Alameda County Sports Complex as the Oakland A’s and the Oakland Coliseum Joint Authority meet on Tue Apr 2, 2024 to negotiate a lease extension for the A’s (photo by NBC Bay Area News)

Sacramento is the place for the A’s? That’s Amaury News and Commentary Amaury Pi-González

Like it or not, TODAY, all the signs point to the Oakland A’s playing in Sacramento from 2025 until they complete the new stadium in Las Vegas. In the business world, friendships and connections are paramount. Many might not have known that A’s owner, John Fisher, is good friends with Mr. Vivek Ranadivé, who happens to own the Sacramento River Cats and also the NBA Sacramento Kings.

Sports business owners run in a different lane than many other billionaires who are not in the sports world. nonetheless, they do business with each other in many circumstances, they support each other and even invest in each other’s teams. This could be the key to why they are moving to Sacramento. I will be speculating, but, I am not the first or the last to speculate in this long-moving A’s saga.

On Tuesday, the A’s will meet again with the City of Oakland after the city submitted a proposal to the team to stay in Oakland for five more years (3 years while they build in Las Vegas), which is supposed to be inaugurated in 2028, and the other two years in case there are constructions delays, or in case the whole Las Vegas move falls through. It could very well be that the City of Oakland’s proposal strikes out, and the A’s then would be temporarily moving to the State Capital.

Sutter Health Plan stadium in downtown Sacramento, if you drive, is a couple of blocks after the bridge and by the river; it was once the home of the Oakland A’s Triple-A team, the Rivercats (2000-2014) later from 2015 to the present They became affiliated with the San Francisco Giants.

According to published reports. Tuesday, the 2nd of April, the city of Oakland will present Athletics ownership with an offer to extend the team’s lease that includes a five-year contract with an opt-out after three years, as well as a requirement the team pays a $97 million “extension fee,” according to a document obtained by ESPN and KGO in San Francisco, plus other stuff to be negotiated.

Recently, the city withdrew the request for the A’s name colors and insignia to remain in Oakland when they leave for Las Vegas, as well as the possibility that Oakland be granted some preference for a new expansion team. Both are off the table. Oakland also wants the A’s to run the cost to fix the field for the Oakland Roots FC when they play at the Coliseum; the Roots are members of the USL. Also, this proposal suggests that A’s sell its 50% stake in the Coliseum ownership.

This Tuesday meeting could be just an exercise in futility for Oakland, who (if the A’s chose Sacramento) can claim to their citizens that “we tried to keep the team and still want the team to stay in Oakland, willing to work with them.”

Considering that MLB and the Commissioner want the A’s to make a decision soon, Commissioner Manfred has said he wants the A’s to play in California while they are building in Nevada, which takes Salt Lake City out of the equation. Time is of the essence now, and MLB needs a schedule for 2025, pronto!

We will have the answer by mid-week when the series between Oakland and Boston ends. I am biased; as a Bay Area resident, I would like the Oakland A’s to stay in Oakland, period, and would like these two Bay Area entities to work together. However, like many of you, I have no say. We are all spectators. Is the City of Oakland coming a day late and a dollar short with this proposal? Or are the A’s following In-and-Out?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice

Padres clobber Giants 13-4 split series in San Diego

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Ha Seong Kim (7) of the San Diego Padres is jubilant after crossing the plate after a second inning three run homer against catcher Patrick Bailey (left) and the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park in San Diego on Sun Mar 31, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Petco Park

San Diego, California

San Francisco Giants 4 (2-2)

San Diego Padres 13 (3-3)

Win: Pedro Avila (1-0)

Loss: Daulton Jefferies (0-1)

Time: 2:43

Attendance: 34,499

By Stephen Ruderman

The Padres blew out the Giants 13-4, as the Giants ended up getting a split in their opening series in San Diego.

The Giants lost on Opening Day Thursday by a final of 6-4, but had two strong offensive performances carry them to wins Friday and yesterday. Today, the Giants were looking to win their opening series with Daulton Jefferies being called up to make the start.

Jefferies pitched in a handful of games for the Oakland A’s in 2020, 2021 and 2022, but missed all of last season after having Tommy John Surgery. The Giants then signed Jefferies to a minor league deal over the winter.

Michael King got the start for the Padres, and after Jung-hoo Lee walked to start the game, King set down the next three Giants in order. Jefferies came out for the bottom of the first, and Xander Bogaerts reached on an error by the shortstop, Tyler Fitzgerald, who got the start today. 

Fernando Tatis Jr. came up, and hit a pop up into foul territory on the first base side that first-baseman Wilmer Flores chased, and lunged into the Padres’ dugout to try and catch. Flores was unable to catch the ball, but even worse, he tumbled over the railing of the dugout, and crashed hard. 

Manager Bob Melvin and Senior Director of Athletic Training Dave Groeschner went to the Padres’ dugout to check on Flores. They were able to get Flores up, and got him to walk back onto the field on his own. Flores had a cut on one of the fingers on his right hand, which Groeschner bandaged up, and Flores stayed in the game.

Tatis then hit a ground rule double that bounced up and over the wall in left that put runners on second and third base with nobody out for Jake Cronenworth. Jefferies’ first pitch to Cronenworth was a cutter at the top of the zone for a called strike, but the ball hit off of catcher Patrick Bailey’s mask, and sailed to the Padres’ on-deck circle, which allowed Bogaerts to score the first run of the game, and Tatis to go to third. 

Cronenworth grounded out to Flores at first, but Manny Machado lined a double into the gap in right-center field to score Tatis and make it 2-0 San Diego. Ha-seong Kim reached on an infield single to third, and Jurickson Profar grounded out to first for the second out. Runners were at first and second with two outs for catcher Luis Campusanocame, who came up and hit a three-run opposite-field home run to the jury box out in right to make it 5-0

Wilmer Flores was due to lead off the top of the top of the second, but in addition to the finger on his right hand that was bandaged up, he hit his right shoulder pretty hard as well on his tumble into the Padres’ dugout. Flores left the game with a right shoulder contusion, and he was pinch-hit for by Luis Matos, as the Giants went down quietly in the second.

Jefferies was back out for the bottom of the second, and immediately ran back into trouble. Jackson Merrill and Bogaerts both singled to start the inning. Tatis flew out to center, which advanced Merrill to third, and Cronenworth lined a double to right to knock in Merrill and make it 6-0.

Bogaerts, who advanced to third on Cronenworth’s double, was thrown out at the plate for the second out when Machado reached on a fielder’s choice, but Kim came up and hit a three-run home run to left to blow it open to 9-0.

“I’m happy to get back on the mound,” said Jefferies. “It was a long road, but at the end of the day, I didn’t really do my job. I could feel good all I want [about] getting back here, but when I got here, I wanted to compete and help the team win. I just didn’t do that today.”

The Giants went into the third down 9-0, but the Padres turned a 9-1 game into a 9-6 game yesterday, so in the Giants’ view, there was no reason why the Giants couldn’t make a comeback with seven innings remaining. Lee walked to start the inning, and LaMonte Wade Jr. walked with one out to put runners on second and third for the Giants, but hard-hit fly balls by Matt Chapman and Matos ended up being routine fly outs to end the inning.

Kai-Wei Teng came in for the Giants to make his major league debut in the bottom of the third inning, as became the first-ever Taiwanese-born player to appear in a game with the Giants, and the 17th in Major League Baseball history. However, Teng had a very rough first inning, as the Padres scored three runs off him to make it 12-0.

Michael Conforto, who has been off to a hot start for the Giants, walked to start the fourth, and Thairo Estrada hit a towering two-run home run to the front row of the second deck out in left-center to put the Giants on the board and make it 12-2.

Bailey and Lee drew walks, and were at first and second with one out for Jorge Soler, who hit a popup to shallow left-center that the shortstop, Kim, went out on and was unable to catch. Center-fielder Jackson Merrill, who had also come in on the ball, fielded it, and tried to nab Bailey at third, but the throw sailed away. 

It was originally believed that the bases were going to be loaded with one out, but the umpires called an infield fly on the play. The ball fell in shallow left-center field, but an infield fly is described as “any fair fly ball (not including a line drive or a bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when first and second or first, second and third base are occupied, before two men are out.” 

Even though Kim was drifting back on the ball, it was in his general vicinity the entire time, which meant he could have caught it with ordinary effort, so the umpires made the correct call. Bob Melvin came out to argue the call, and was quite upset, but there was nothing he could do. The infield fly took the sails out of the Giants’ rally in the fourth, and really, any hope of coming back today. 

Teng pitched through a two-out base-hit in the bottom of the fourth, and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fifth, so he ended his major league debut on a positive note.

The Giants scored two runs off of Pedro Avila in the top of the seventh. On the pitching side for the Giants, Ryan Walker pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh, and Landed Roupp pitched a scoreless seventh.

Melvin decided to bring Tyler Fitzgerald in from short to pitch the bottom of the eighth, and the Padres scored a run off him to make it 13-4, which would be the final score.

“It was a tough day,” said Melvin. “[It was] a weird game all around,”

Since Avila replaced Michael King at the start of the fifth inning, it is Availa who got the win for the Padres, as starting pitchers have to go five full innings to get the win. Daulton Jefferies of course took the loss for the Giants.

The Giants fall to 2-2, and all they can do is move on and get ready for their three-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers that will start tomorrow night. Keaton Winn will be on the mound for the Giants, and first pitch will be at 7:10 p.m.

News and Notes:

  • To clear a roster spot for Jefferies, who was not on the 40-man roster, the Giants designated catcher Joey Bart for assignment.

Bart was the Giants’ first-round pick, and the second overall pick in the 2018 Draft. Bart was originally believed to be the Giants’ catcher of the future, but he struggled when he was called up during the 60-game sprint season of 2020, and even though he was the opening day catcher for the Giants in 2022, he struggled that season as well.

Bart started last season on the Giants’ roster, but he did not make the start on Opening Day, and he ended up spending most of the season in the minors with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.

Bart will have 10 days to either accept an assignment in the minors, or become a free agent.

  • Wilmer Flores says he is still feeling sore, and will be reevaluated in Los Angeles tomorrow.
  • Blake Snell pitched four innings, gave up three hits and struck out 11 in an extended spring training game against the Giants’ Double-A team in Scottsdale on Friday. 

“I feel good,” said Snell. “[I] just [want to] get more reps, get better and better [and] stronger and stronger. When we get out there, that will be the real tell of where I’m at, and what I need to work on.”

Manager Bob Melvin has not announced the Giants’ probable pitchers past tomorrow night’s game. With Snell expected to make his next start on Wednesday or Thursday, That could feasibly mean that Snell’s next start will come for the Giants against the Dodgers on Wednesday night.

Snell has already been expected to be ready to join the Giants when they host the Padres Friday for the Home Opener at Oracle Park.

A’s get first of the win of the season over Guardians with walk-off walk 4-3

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Photo courtesy of Oakland Athletics.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

OAKLAND- On a warm Easter Sunday the A’s looked for their first win of the season in the final game of their series against the Guardians.

It’s been a rough start to the season for the A’s as they remain winless in three games against Cleveland heading into this one.

Getting the start for the A’s was Paul Blackburn who was making his first start of the season. Last season he finished with a 4-7 record and 4.43 era in 20 starts.

For the Guardians it was veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco making his season debut on the mound. In 2023 he finished with a 3-8 record and 6.80 era in 20 games started.

After a clean inning from Blackburn the A’s got runners on early as Esteury Ruiz singled and then stole second. JJ Bleday got him home with a triple and Seth Brown would single to get Bleday across home plate making it 2-0.

The A’s extended their lead in the third with Ruiz getting a triple this time and reaching home off a single by Bleday.

Blackburn in this one turned in a truly dominant outing pitching seven innings and giving up no runs while striking out three.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for the A’s relief pitching as Lucas Erceg came in for Blackburn in the eighth inning and gave up a run as Estevan Flores got home off a ground out from Gabriel Arias.

Austin Adams then came in with a runner on first and two outs. José Ramírez then got on thanks to a fielding error by Nick Allen which also got Andrés Giménez home cutting the A’s lead to 3-2. The tying run was then tacked on by Josh Naylor who singled to get Ramírez home.

Adams then hit Will Brennan with a pitch but was able to get out of the inning as he struck out Ramón Laureano.

Oakland would call on Dany Jiménez to close things out and his outing was not much smoother. It was kicked off by walking Bo Naylor walking and then Estevan Florial reaching on a fielders choice. Naylor on the play was also able to reach third on an error by Zack Gelof.

Shea Langeliers though was able to make a huge play picking off Naylor on third and then Arias popped out. The A’s had one more scare as Jiménez attempted to pick off the runner on second but threw it to the outfield meaning there was now runners on second and third. Giménez ended up grounding out though as Jiménez was able to get out of the jam.

The Guardians left in Scott Barlow to close out the ninth but he gave up a walk to Ryan Noda and single to J.D. Davis quickly getting the A’s two base runners. Lawrence Butler then singled juicing the bases with not a single out. Cleveland made a pitching change taking out Barlow and replacing him with Eli Morgan to try and salvage the game.

In response Abraham Toro came in to pinch-hit and drew a walk ending the game on a walk-off walk 4-3.

Jiménez gets credited with the win while Scott Barlow takes the loss for Cleveland.

The top of the lineup today was clicking for Oakland as Ruiz and Bleday combined for four hits with Bleday registering two RBIs.

The A’s avoid the sweep with the win and will look to keep the good times rolling against Boston tomorrow. The announced starters in that one are right-hander Joe Boyle for Oakland and right-hander Tanner Houck for the Red Sox. That game will be at 6:40 p.m. in Oakland.

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Brewers Hoskins inflames Mets in bench emptying jawing; Yanks LeMahieu out for with fractured foot; plus more news

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Milwaukee Brewers Rhys Hoskins yells at the New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil after the two got into it when Hoskins slid hard at second base in the top of the eighth both benches emptied on Fri Mar 29, 2024 at Citi Field in New York (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The sparks were flying as the Milwaukee Brewers Rhys Hoskins drove in four runs but has a history with the New York Mets when he used to play for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hoskins slide hard into the Mets Jeff McNeil and Mets pitcher Yohan Ramirez threw behind Hoskins and the two players started jawing at each other. The Brewers came away with a 7-6 win.

#2 The New York Yankees concerns grew a little more when an MRI showed that DJ LeMahieu he had a fracture in his right foot after fouling a ball off it. There was no structural damage. LeMahieu’s foot will be reimaged but Yankees manager Aaron Boone would not give a timeline when LeMahieu will return.

#3 The Minnesota Twins infielder Royce Lewis was put on the disabled list with severe quad strain and the Twins announced they’ll be without Lewis for a month. Also pitcher Anthony DeScalfani had surgery to repair a flexor tendon. DeScalfani was expected to be back after suffering before they discovered the right flexor strain. DeScalfani is expected to be out for 60 days.

#4 The New York Yankees had pitcher Gerrit Cole is out on the 60 day IL with nerve inflammation and edema in Cole’s right elbow. If Cole got the start this would have been his fifth straight opening day start but the string was broken and the former Cy Young pitcher will be out until the end of May.

#5 Charlie the Oakland A’s took another walloping from the Cleveland Guardians this time 12-3 at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday. The A’s on opening night on Thursday night they got shutout and clobbered 8-0 and on lost 6-4 on Friday night after the A’s JD Davis hit two runs.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: A’s meet with Coliseum Joint Authority Apr 2; City and A’s looking at $97 million 5 year deal for Coliseum extension

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaking at the Oakland A’s fan reverse boycott at the Oakland Coliseum on Jun 13, 2023. Thao and the City of Oakland are willing to approve a three year lease extension to the A’s if they are willing to give up their team colors and history plus get an expansion team. Both the A’s brass and the City meet on Apr 2, 2024 to discuss a lease extension. (City of Oakland photo)

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg:

#1 Augie the Oakland A’s brass will be meeting with the Oakland Coliseum Joint Powers Authority on Tue April 2nd to discuss the A’s trying to extend their lease. They met one time before and it’s the A’s hope they can get a deal with the City of Oakland so they can play their final three years at the Coliseum.

#2 Sacramento has been reportedly the number two settling spot for interim for the A’s if an Oakland Coliseum deal can’t be worked out. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has said he would welcome the A’s and that Sacramento is ready to be a big league city.

#3 The A’s are hoping to make the Coliseum their final stomping grounds the A’s TV contract with NBC Sports California pays a very generous $70 million a season as long as the Athletics play in Oakland. We know that this is their first choice.

#4 The City of Oakland is making a big ask in order to allow the A’s to finish up at the Oakland Coliseum between 2025-27. The want the team colors and all the A’s history and they want an expansion team when the A’s leave two huge asks that most likely won’t be filled.

#5 The A’s best chance for staying in Oakland may rest with Schools over Stadiums a Nevada group who is trying to appeal to get a petition drive going needing some 102,000 signatures to get an initiative on the Nov 2024 ballot in Nevada to stop the public funding for the A’s Tropicana ballpark does that seem the only window that could stop the A’s from leaving Oakland.

Augie Mesenburg is a MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com/Augie is a reporter for KHAI 103.2 FM Honolulu.

Hicks solid in first start, and Giants explode late to win 9-1 slugfest over Padres

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Saturday, March 30, 2024

Petco Park

San Diego, California

San Francisco Giants 9 (2-1)

San Diego Padres 1 (2-3)

Win: Jordan Hicks (1-0)

Loss: Dylan Cease (0-1)

Time: 3:04

Attendance: 37,104

By Stephen Ruderman

Jordan Hicks pitched five solid innings in his first start as a Giant, as the Giants exploded for six runs in the eighth inning to blow the game open, and the Padres scored five in the bottom of the ninth to turn it into a slugfest, but the Giants held on to win a wild one 9-6.

The Giants won their first game of the season last night behind a strong start by Kyle Harrison, and a big night by Matt Chapman. Tonight, the Giants looked to get over .500 for the first time this season, as they sent Jordan Hicks to the mound for his first start as a Giant.

The Giants signed Hicks, a right-handed flame-throwing reliever, over the off-season to convert him into a starter. Hicks had a 2.65 ERA over five starts in Spring Training, and he accumulated 28 strikeouts over 17 innings pitched. Hicks ended his spring with five no-hit innings against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum Monday night.

Opposing Hicks was Dylan Cease, who was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Padres during the spring.

With rain in the San Diego area, there was a question of whether this game would start on time, or even be played at all, but the rain moved out in the afternoon, thus the game was able to start on time, and both pitchers threw 1-2-3 innings in the first.

Matt Chapman struck out on a foul tip to start the top of the second, but Wilmer Flores walked, and Michael Conforto doubled Flores to third base. Thairo Estrada came up, and hit a sacrifice fly to center field to put the Giants on the board first. Tom Murphy, the Giants’ new backup catcher, who got the start today, lined a double to the wall in left to score Conforto and make it 2-0.

Hicks retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the second, but he hit Jurickson Profar, and walked Tyler Wade. Hicks then fell behind 3-1 to Jackson Merrill, and was a ball away from loading the bases, but Hicks came back to strike out Merrill to end the inning.

Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the third, and Cease threw a 1-2-3 top of the fourth.

Hicks ran into trouble again in the bottom of the fourth. Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado singled to start the inning, and put runners at first and second with nobody out. Ha-seong Kim popped out to first on an infield fly, but Profar singled to right to load the bases with one out.

However, just like in the second inning, Hicks was able to settle down and escape trouble in the fourth, as he struck out Tyler Wade, and he got Merrill to line out to short to end the inning unscathed.

Hicks’ escape from trouble in the bottom of the fourth gave the Giants a shot in the arm going into the fifth. Murphy walked with one out, and Nick Ahmed reached on an error by Fernando Tatis Jr. out in right, which put runners at second and third for the Giants with one away. That brought up Jung-hoo Lee, who hit a sac fly to right to score Murphy, and that extended the Giants’ lead to 3-0.

Hicks then came back out, and threw a 1-2-3 shutdown bottom of the fifth. That would do it for Hicks, who gave up just three hits, and struck out six over five shutout innings.

The Padres got a brief reprieve, as Jhony Brito, who came in for Brito after Lee’s sac fly in the top of the fifth, threw a 1-2-3 top of the sixth. The lefty, Taylor Rogers, came in for the Giants in the bottom of the sixth, and surrendered a leadoff single to Cronenworth. Machado struck out swinging for the first out, and Kim popped out to first for the second out. However, Profar pulled a ball past Chapman at third, and down the left field line for a double to score Cronenworth, and put the Padres on the board to make it 3-1.

Brito and Rogers each threw 1-2-3 innings in the seventh, and Tom Cosgrove came in for Brito in the eighth. Ahmed was called out on striked, but Lee pulled a sweeper on the inside corner from Cosgrove, and hit his first big league home run to right to make it 4-1.

“We love watching him hit,” said Conforto. “Everybody is watching when he’s up there. Just his discipline, his eye at the plate, his ability to stay on pitches, stay through the middle of the field, and then obviously we saw a little bit of power, [and he has] a lot of power if he gets the right pitch. He’s been awesome. We’re just going to keep putting him at the top of the lineup, and let him set the tone for us.”

“It’s not about how I get evaluated, but back in the KBO, I had a lot of doubles and triples,” said Lee through his interpreter, Justin Han. “I’m putting the bat to the ball, and that’s what I’m thinking about now.”

The Giants were back up by three at 4-1, but they were not done. Jorge Soler reached on an infield hit to third; Austin Slater pinch-hit for LaMonte Wade Jr. and walked; and Chapman lined a single to left to load the bases. Flores then lined a base-hit to left to keep the line moving, as everyone moved up, and Soler scored to make it 5-1.

With the bases still loaded with one out, Michael Conforo came up, and hit a grand slam to right for his second home run of the year, and that blew the Giants’ lead wide open to 9-1. The Giants ended up scoring six runs in the top of the eighth.

“It was a cool at-bat to have with [the] bases loaded against that guy, he’s a good lefty,” said Conforto. “To battle and fight and kind of change my approach by the end of it, that felt really good.”

Conforto also discussed making a two-strike adjustment, something that has not been seen much in Baseball during the Three True Outcomes Era over the last six-to-eight years.

“[With two strikes], it’s time to fight and see it deep and shorten up the swing a little bit,” Conforto continued. “Kind of knew in the back of my mind at some point he would come back to the sinker and that ninth pitch he came back to it and I put a much better swing on it.”

Enyel De Los Santos came in for Cosgrove following Conforto’s grand slam, and gave up singles to Estrada and Ahmed, but escaped the inning without any further damage. Erik Miller, who threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth in his major league debut in the opener Thursday, came in and pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

The Giants went down 1-2-3 against Stephen Kolek in the top of the ninth, and Miller was back out for the Giants in the bottom of the ninth. Profar walked to start the inning, and Eguy Rosario hit a home run to left to make it 9-3. Jackson Merrill walked, and even though the Giants were up by six runs, the Padres’ offense was very much capable of making a big comeback, and Miller needed to bear down, which he did by striking out Kyle Higashioka.

Bob Melvin opted to bring in his closer, Camilo Doval, who had been warming up in the top of the ninth inning last night for a potential save situation, but after Matt Chapman hit his two-run bomb to give the Giants a five-run lead, Melvin went to Ryan Walker instead. Today, Doval was brought in to get some work, as he had yet to pitch in the Regular Season, but also out of respect for a powerful Padres offense.

Doval has been dominant as the Giants’ closers over the last two seasons, but he got off to rocky starts in each of the last two seasons. This season would be no different, as this game was about to get a lot more interesting. Doval walked Jose Azocar to put runners at first and second with one out; and then Graham Pauley came up, and hit a three-run home run to right to make it 9-6, as this game had suddenly turned into a slugfest

Once again, Doval had a rocky start to a season, but he settled down, as he got Cronenworth to ground out to second, and Manny Machado to ground out to third to end the game. What was a blowout turned into a very interesting game thanks to a five-run bottom of the ninth for the Padres, but the Giants ended up winning it 9-6.

In a big break from the majority of the last two seasons, the Giants’ offense has started out on fire. They are coming through in key RBI situations, and getting the big hits when needed.

The optimism within the Giants’ clubhouse during Spring Training has followed the team into the Regular Season.

“I feel like everything’s coming together at the right time, right at the beginning of the season,” said Conforto.

Through this wild game, Jordan Hicks got the win in the first start of his reliever-to-starter experiment, which has started out quite successfully, and Dylan Cease took the loss for the Padres

With this win, the Giants improve to 2-1, and are over .500 for the first time this season. The Giants can take the opening series with a win tomorrow afternoon. Even though there is more rain in the forecast for San Diego tomorrow morning, it will clear out well in time for the scheduled 1:10 first pitch.

News and Notes:

Daulton Jefferies will be called up to make the start tomorrow. The Giants signed Jefferies to a minor league deal over the off-season, and in five games and one start during Spring Training, he posted a 2.57 ERA over five innings.

Jefferies is not currently a member of the 40-man Roster, so a flurry of roster moves would be expected to be made tomorrow morning.

Camilo Doval once again has had a rocky start to a season. Like last year, Doval struggled with the Pitch Clock, as he had two pitch clock violations in his outing today. Bob Melvin said that he will have a talk with Doval about it.

Jung-hoo Lee expressed his gratitude for his fellow countryman, Ha-seong Kim. Lee said he believed that he would not have received his contract with the Giants if it was not for Kim. Lee also expressed hope that this will help bring more players from South Korea into Major League Baseball.