Category: MLB

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cabera and Tigers take frustrations out on A’s in 8-6 win

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Oakland A’s pitcher Frankie Montas (47) will get the start against the Detroit Tigers Thu Sep 2, 2021 at Comerica Park in Detroit (sfgate.com file photo)

#1 The Detroit Tigers (63-71) Miguel Cabrera who became baseball’s 28th player to reach the 500 home run list hit his 502nd home run on Wednesday night at Comerica Park Cabrera a worthy opponent. Cabrera’s homer help lend to the Tigers victory over the A’s on Wednesday night 8-6.

#2 Jerry, how important is it for the A’s to have called up Khris Davis from Triple A Las Vegas who joins the team who hit .157 with the Texas Rangers before joining the A’s farm team in Vegas?

#3 Davis struggled quite bit as you recall last season when he was with the A’s and hit .157 with the Rangers do you see a big difference at the Triple A level for Davis and when he was hitting with the Rangers.

#4 Davis if things work out as the A’s plan could be a shot in the arm for the A’s offensively and their looking for Davis to add punch in the middle of the line up.

#5 The A’s will be going with starter Frankie Montas (10-9 ERA) and for the Tigers Matt Manning (3-5 ERA 5.46) for the conclusion this three game series this morning.

Join Jerry for the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants lose again to the Brewers, 5-2, fall behind the Dodgers in the NL West

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–After 115 days, the Giants are looking up.

A fourth, consecutive loss on Wednesday night allowed the Dodgers to pass the Giants in the NL West standings, just one game prior to the final meeting between the rivals in 2021.

With the additional drama of determining the division winner, the series takes on even more importance. But first, the Giants get one more opportunity to figure out the Brewers.

“Any time you have a little losing streak, it’s not fun,” catcher Buster Posey said. “This group’s shown an ability to bounce back throughout the year and that’s just what you have to believe you’re going to do.”

MIlwaukee jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second on Lorenzo Cain’s RBI hit that scored a pair of runs. Then with the score tied 2-2, the Brewers took advantage of the Giants’ bullpen with a run in the seventh, and two more in the ninth. Dominic Leone, who has been dynamite for the Giants pitching in setup roles, allowed a walk and an infield single in the seventh inning and took the loss.

The Giants’ offense managed eight hits–four of them doubles, two of those from Kris Bryant–but couldn’t come up with the big hit at any juncture along the way. They finished 2 of 14 with runners in scoring position, and also saw Lamonte Wade Jr. crush a ball in the eighth that looked like a game-tying home run but fell short for a table-setting double. Reliever Jake Cousins escaped damage when with two runners on, he struck out Austin Slater and got Thairo Estrada to ground out to end the inning.

Starter Kevin Gausman was effective, departing in a 2-2 tie after five innings. Gausman allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out seven. Five relievers followed Gausman, with Leone the tough-luck loser, and John Brebbia the only one of the quintet that got roughed up. Brebbia pitched the ninth, allowing Cain’s lead-extending home run, and Wily Adames’ RBI double.

While the Giants have slumped, the Brewers have soared, moving 30 games above .500 for the first time in more than 10 seasons. Milwaukee has a huge lead over Cincinnati in the NL Central, and is on track to best their franchise record with 99 wins on the season. They also are a dark horse candidate to sneak in and steal the NL’s best record from the Giants and Dodgers, which would put a new spin on the post season matchups.

The Giants have been hit hard in this stretch by injuries with Evan Longoria again out with a hand issue, and Johnny Cueto–Tuesday’s starter–back on the injury list for the third time. Also, Tommy La Stella is unavailable, and Wilmer Flores departed Wednesday’s game with a left hamstring injury.

Regardless, the Giants will have to answer the questions. In their most critical stretch of the season–10 games against the Brewers, Braves and Dodgers, they’re 1-5 against three teams that will undoubtedly comprise their two post-season opponents prior to the World Series if they get that far.

“I think now is the right time to really show a sense of urgency, continue to dig in on our process, but also not to have any panic,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “There’s no need for that.”

The good news? The Giants’ battle back up in the standings has an obvious path with Logan Webb–arguably the hottest pitcher in the National League–due to start Thursday afternoon against the Brewers. Webb has captured seven, consecutive decisions and allowed just six earned runs in his six starts in August.

And the pressure? If Webb falters, the Giants fall back to Anthony DeSclafani in the opener of the Dodgers’ series on Friday, and DeSclafani has had no success against the Dodgers this year, losing three decisions and allowing 22 earned runs in the process. Consecutive losses would put the Giants two games back with 27 remaining, increasing the doubt and the urgency.

On Thursday, Webb will be opposed by Milwaukee’s Eric Lauer, who has a 4-5 record with a 3.61 ERA.

Tigers clobber three home runs in come back beat A’s 8-6 at Comerica

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The Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera watches the flight of his 502nd career home run in the bottom of the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit against the Oakland A’s on Wed Sep 2, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

There was good and bad news in Wednesday night’s game between the Oakland A’s and the Detroit Tigers (63-71). The good news was the As’ offense produced ten hits and six runs. The bad news was the Tigers pounded out ten hits, including three home runs, to beat the A’s 8-6.

The Tigers’ starter Wily Peralta lasted four innings. The A’s scored an unearned run in the first inning and two more in the fourth to chase Peralta.

Starling Marte led off the fourth with his tenth dinger of the year. Matt Olson walked and scored on Jed Lowrie’s double to give the A’s the lead 3-1 midway through the fourth. The A’s starter James Kapielian went four-plus innings.

The Tigers tied the game 3-3 when they put two on the board in the third. Kaprielian walked Ronnie Grossman leading off in the bottom of the fourth. Kaprielian had to face future Hall of Fame player Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera showed the A’s his greatness when he sent a hanging changeup into the seats into the left-field seats to tie the game. It was Cabrera’s 502nd career home run and 2962nd hit.

The A’s regained the lead in the top of the fifth. Josh Harrison and Starling Marte singled to put two men on with no out. Matt Olson doubled to deep center-field to drive in both. Matt Chapman was retired for the first out.

A’s DH Jed Lowrie, one of the best hitters in baseball with men in scoring position, doubled to drive in Olson with the A’s third run of the inning. The A’s led 6-3.

The Tigers got one back in their half of the fifth. The Tigers’ left-fielder, Akil Baddoo, sent one of Kaprielian’s pitches into the right-field seats to make it 6-4. A’s manager, Bob Melvin, brought in Yusmeiro Petit to pitch. Petit retired the next three Tiger hitters. The A’s led 6-4 after five complete. 

The Tiger bullpen held the A’s to one hit and no runs over the last four innings of the game. The A’s bullpen could not hold the Tigers down. They scored one in the sixth, two in the seventh, and one more in the eighth. The Tigers win 8-6.

Game Notes and stats: The A’s are now 73-60 for the year. They remain five games behind the Houston Astros in the race for first place in the American League West. The Seattle Mariners beat Houston 1-0. The A’s now trail the Boston Red Sox by two games for the second Wild Card in the American League. The Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Wednesday.

The hitting stars for Oakland were Josh Harrison, Starling Marte, Jed Lowrie, and Matt Olson. Harrison had a double and two singles. He has six hits in the first two games of the series. Starling Marte had a home run and a single. Jed Lowries had two doubles and two RBIs. A’s reliever A.J. Puk was the losing pitcher. 

The hitting stars for Detroit were Akil Baddoo, Miguel Cabrera, and Harold Castro. Baddoo was two for four with a home run and a single. Cabrera, as mentioned above, had two hits. Cabrera hit his 502nd of his illustrious career to go along with a single.

He has 2963 hits and needs 37 to reach the 3000 for his career. Cabrera is 28th on the all-time home run list. He needs three to pass Eddie Murray. Tigers’ reliever Joe Jimenez received credit for the win. He is 5-1 for the year. Tiger closer Gregory Soto earned his 17th save when he set the A’s down in order in the ninth.

The teams will play the rubber game Thursday. The game will start at 10:10 am. The A’s will send Frankie Montas (10-9, 3.66 ERA) to the hill as Detroit will counter with Matt Manning (3-5, 5.46 ERA).

Giants lose 6-2, lead in NL West down to a half-game

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Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Lorenzo Cain reaches up for a San Francisco Giants Brandon Belt home run ball which cleared his glove and the fence in the bottom of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Aug 31, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-It seems like the San Francisco Giants went into a rut at the wrong time, especially with the National League Central leading Milwaukee Brewers still in town for the second game of the four-game series.

Helped out by three hits and two runs in the first inning, the National League Central leading Brewers made it two in a row with a 6-2 over the Giants before a crowd of 20,897 at Oracle Park.

This was the third loss in a row for the Giants, their first losing streak of three games or more since they lost four in a row June 27-July 1.

With the loss, coupled with the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium, the Giants lead over the Dodgers in the NL West drops to a half-game, the smallest lead for the Giants since it was a half-game on July 6.

Omar Navarez drove in the only run that the Brewers would need, as he singled off of Cueto to Willy Adames, who singled off of Cueto with one out in the inning. Christian Yelich then followed Adames with a single of his own, and the Brewers second run of the inning, came when Avisail Garcia grounded out for the second out of the inning to score Yelich from third base.

The first hard hit ball of the game came when Lorenzo Cain launched a solo home run into the left field bleachers, when he led off the top of the second inning, it was the sixth home run of the season for Cain.

Rowdy Tellez got in on the RBI parade in the top of the third inning, as he tripled to the opposite field over the head of Alex Dickerson to score Garcia, who was hit by a Cueto pitch with two outs in the inning.

Cueto then walked Jace Peterson, and then Cain made it two RBIs in as many at-bats, when he singled to score Tellez easily from third base.

It looked like Cueto was going to settle down in the top of the fourth inning, especially after he retired the first two batters of the inning; however, Yelich picked up his second hit of the night and then scored all the way from first base on a Navraez single (his second of the night) and moved to second, when Cuetos throw went by Brandon Belt at first base.

Garcia then singled to third base, and was able to reach safely and that was the end of the line for Cueto. Jose Quintana then made his Giants debut in an inauspicious way, as he threw a wild pitch that allowed Garcia to reach second base. Quintana then got out of the jam unscathed, as he got Tellez to ground out to end the inning.

Brandon Woodruff was outstanding for the Brewers, as he went six innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking three and striking out eight on his way to his ninth win of the season against seven losses.

Cueto ended up going 3.2 innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits, walking two and striking out one, as he saw his record fall to 7-7 on the season.

After replacing Cueto, Quintana went 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out six and picked up an opposite field single.

LaMonte Wade, Jr., led off the bottom of the first inning with a double off of Woodruff, and asides from three walks between the first and sixth innings, the Giants next hit came with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Quintana singled to right field.

Brandon Belt got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning, when he hit his 20th home run of the season and it was the 198th home run of the season for the Giants, who continue to lead the Major Leagues in home runs.

Belt joins Mike Yastrzemski as the two players who have topped the 20-home run plateau, as Yastrzemski leads the team with 21. Between the Chicago Cubs and the Giants, Kris Bryant has a total of 24; however, only six have come as a member of the Giants.

The Giants put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh inning Dickerson struck out to lead off the inning against Jake Cousins, who then walked both pinch-hitter Austin Slater and Wade; however, he got Belt to strikeout for the second out of the inning and then got out of the jam, when got Buster Posey to strikeout for the final out of the inning.

Posey went 0-for-4 on the night, striking out three times and over his 10 last games, Posey is 4-for-34, a .111 batting average.

Wilmer Flores tried to make a little bit more interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he led off the inning by hitting a solo home run into the left field seats. It was the 17th home run of the season for Flores.

NOTES: Quintana was claimed off of waivers from the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, was activated prior to the game and Cueto was activated from the 10-day injured list.

To make room for Quintana and Cueto on the active roster, both pitcher John Brebbia and infielder Jason Vosler were optioned to Sacramento.

In their City Connect jerseys, the Giants lost for the first time and are 6-1 in the jerseys since they debuted them against the Washington Nationals on July 9.

Ron Wotus, the longest-tenured coach in Giants history and current third base coach announced prior to the game that he will be stepping from coaching at the end of the season. This is the 34th season for Wotus in the Giants organization.

I love this game. I love this team. I love the organization, Wotus said. Im grateful that Im in a position to do this. I’m going to miss it. It was not an easy decision by no means, but I just feel its time for me.

Wotus joined the big club in 1998, when he was hired by then manager Dusty Baker to be his third base coach and then moved to be the bench coach under Baker, Felipe Alou and Bruce Bochy from 1999-2017 before he moved back to being the third base coach in 2018. He was the only holdover when Gabe Kapler replaced Bochy after he retired in 2019.

UP NEXT: Kevin Gausman goes for his 13th win of the season on Wednesday night, as he takes the mound for the Giants, while Brett Anderson goes to the mound for the Brewers, as he looks for his fifth win of the season.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall Fame September Inductions

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The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame will be inducting on Sat Sep 11th at Progressive Field, Cleveland, Candido (Candy) Maldonado, Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga. On Sunday Sep 19th at Fenway Park in Boston Juan Santiago former Red Sox pitcher all players were born in Puerto Rico (logo image from hhbmhof.com)

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame: September Inductions

By Amaury Pi-González

September is Hispanic Heritage month as designated officially by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30 day period starting September 15 and ending October 15. Originally the observation started under President Lyndon Johnson and was later extended by Reagan. The Hispanic or Latino population, which includes people of any race, was 62.1 million in 2020.

The Hispanic or Latino population grew 23%, the largest ethnic minority in the country. Many publications have emphasized that there are at least 11 to 15 million Hispanics who are undocumented, today in the country. For obvious reasons, if those numbers are accurate, they were not included in the recent US Census.

The official US Government Census only uses Hispanic or Latino, not LATINX to classify the largest minority. The term LATINX, is used mostly by academia and activists.

The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame, founded in 1999 as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization in San Francisco, announces inductions in the month of September. The following players will be inducted this September.

Saturday, September 11 at Progressive Field, Cleveland. Candido (Candy) Maldonado, Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga

Sunday, September 19 at Fenway Park, Boston. José Santiago. All these inductees were born in Puerto Rico.

The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame have 78 members which include the above inductees. http://www.hhbmhof.com

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Chapman’s two home runs help propel A’s 9-3 win over Tigers at Comerica Park

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Oakland A’s Matt Chapman hits a top of the third inning home run against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit in the first of a three game series on Tue Aug 31, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (73-59) started a six-game road trip beating the Detroit Tigers (62-71) at Comerica Park in Detroit 9-3. The A’s swept the Tigers four straight when they met in Oakland in April. The Tigers started the season 8-19. A.J.Hinch, who won a World Series title in 2017 with Houston, helped turn the Tigers’ ship around.

The Tigers, entering Tuesday night’s game, were 54-51 since the slow start. The A’s knew the Tigers would love nothing better than upsetting the A’s applecart. 

The A’s won their last two games against the Yankees over the weekend. The offense was still in the doldrums, but they were able to eke out two wins. They beat the Yanks 3-2 on Saturday and 3-1 on Sunday.

Oakland’s skipper Bob Melvin was hoping the offense would come to life against Detroit. He got his wish as the A’s offense produce nine runs and 12 hits. Three of the hits were home runs.

The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Robbie Grossman, who was with Oakland the previous two seasons, slammed his 20th big fly of the year to give the Tigers the advantage. Grossman set a career-high with the blast. 

The A’s put three runs on the board in the top of the third. With one out, Starling Marte doubled to right field. Matt Olson followed with a double to drive in Marte with Oakland’s first run. Tiger starter, Tarik Skubal, retired Yan Gomes for the second out.

A’s third baseman Matt Chapman sent Skubal’s pitch over the fence in left field to give the A’s a 3-1 lead. It was Chappie’s 22nd homer of the year.

In the fifth, the A’s put three more on the board. Singles by Marte and Olson put men on at first and third with no out. Yan Gomes drove in Marte with Oakland’s fourth run on a sacrifice fly. Mark Canha hit an opposite-field dinger to put the A’s in the driver’s seat 6-1.

Cole Irvin ran into difficulty in the bottom of the fifth. Tigers’ catcher, Dustin Garneau, another former Athletic, led off the frame with his first homer of the season. Cole retired shortstop Zack Short for the first out. Tiger centerfielder Derek Hill homered to make it 6-3.

Cole retired Jonathan Schoop for the second out. Cole gave up a single to Grossman and walked Miguel Cabrera. Bob Melvin had seen enough. He brought in Deolis Guerra to pitch. Guerra retired Jeimer Candelario for the third out. 

The A’s added two more in the eighth. Chad Pinder started the frame with a single. Elvis Andrus’ double sent Pinder to third. Josh Harrison’s third hit of the night plated both of them. In the ninth, Matt Chapman sent Tigers’ reliever Derek Holland’s pitch over the wall in centerfield with two out. The A’s led 9-3.

The A’s bullpen of Guerra, Yusmeiro Petit, Andrew Chafin, and A.J. Puk gave up four hits and no runs to secure the win for Oakland.

Game Notes and stats: The A’s are now 73-59 for the year with the win. They picked a game on the Boston Red Sox as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Sox 8-5. The A’s are now one game behind Boston in the race for the second American League Wild Card slot. The Tigers are 62-71 for 2021.

The hitting stars for Oakland were Josh Harrison with a double, two singles, and two RBIs. Starling Marte had a double and a single. Matt Olson also had a double, single, and an RBI. Matt Chapman had two hits, both home runs. He drove in three with the two bombs. Chappie has 23 for the year. Mark Canha hit his 13th of the year and drove in two.

Cole Irvin went four and 2/3rds innings. He gave up seven hits and three runs. The Tigers hit three solo homers. Cole did not go the necessary five innings to get the win. Deolis Guerra was the winning pitcher. He went one and innings.

Derek Hill led the Tiger attack with three hits. He was three-for-five with a home run, double, and single. Former A’s players Robbie Grossman and Dustin Garneau each homered to torment their former mates. 

The A’s brought up Skye Bolt from Las Vegas to replace Mitch Moreland on the roster. Moreland is out with a sore wrist.

The second game of the series will start at 4:10 pm. The A’s will send righty, James Kaprielian, to the hill. Wily Peralta will pitch for Detroit.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: A’s need to get hot to catch Yanks and Sox in AL Wild Card; Giants Covid problems continue Wood positive, Cueto flu symptoms

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Oakland A’s Mark Canha was dropped from the leadoff spot to the seventh position of the A’s line up after hitting for a .151 average after the New York Yankees series over last weekend (San Francisco Chronicle file photo)

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, how much work do the Oakland A’s have in front of them after splitting the four game series with the New York Yankees over the weekend in their bid to sniff post season.

#2 The A’s are 5 1/2 games behind first place Houston Astros in the AL West and in the AL Wild Card they are 2 1/2 game back behind the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees with a month left in the regular season the A’s have a huge task in front of them if they plan to get back into post season hunt.

#3 A’s leftfielder Mark Canha has been moved from the leadoff spot to the seven hole of the line up because his numbers have dwindled Canha is hitting .151 and said that when he’s off and getting o-fers it’s not a fun place to be. Canha said he needs to relax a little bit easier mentally.

#4 On other baseball news the San Francisco Giants had to switch out pitchers Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto Monday night because it was revealed that Wood had come down positive with Covid 19 and Cueto has the flu symptoms. Giants Donavon Solano and hitting coach Justin Viele are still back in a New York hotel quarantined after testing positive for Coronavirus.

#5 Cueto was scheduled to pitch on Monday against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and with Wood out for Tuesday. Giants pitcher Jose Alvarez started on Monday for the Giants a big task after the Giants lost last Sunday in Atlanta 9-0 and opening up for four home games against another first place team like the Brewers.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s lead Spanish play by play announcer on flagship station 1010 KIQI La Grande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants’ bats silent in 3-1 loss to the Brewers

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The playoff atmosphere was present at Oracle Park on Monday night, but the Giants were minus a few, key pieces.

For the first time in 28 years, the Giants are exceptional, and so are their opponents. The Giants, Brewers and Dodgers are all more than 25 games above .500, setting up a week of playoff preview showdowns. Now, the dinged up Giants have to show they’re ready to answer the bell.

Instead of focusing in on the challenge of facing one of the NL’s premiere starters in Corbin Burnes, the Giants were preoccupied with making themselves whole heading up to the first pitch. Starting pitchers Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto were placed on the injured list with COVID complications, and both players saying they were likely experiencing effects from the virus. Reliever John Brebbia and Jason Vosler were recalled from Sacramento, and Jose Quintana, the 2016 All-Star with the Cubs was claimed off waivers from the Angels.

So for the second, straight game, the Giants were forced to turn to their bullpen from the start with Jose Alvarez as the starter, and Jarlin Garcia seeing the most activity. In all, seven Giants relievers took a turn and the Brewers essentially picked the group apart, scoring single runs in the first, second and eighth innings to pull out a 3-1 win.

Afterwards manager Gabe Kapler was philosophical, feeling that his bullpen group did what they could under difficult circumstances. He singled out Garcia, who went 3 2/3 innings, needing just 40 pitches to complete the stretch and keep the Giants within striking distance, down 2-0.

“It was a pretty impressive performance by Jarlin and the expectation is when he comes in after Alvarez, we need him to throw up zeroes,” Kapler said. “Alvarez, we expect him to throw up zeroes too. He wasn’t able to do that so you really need to stretch the next few guys in a bullpen game and Jarlin did just that for us.”

The Brewers won for the 80th time on the season, and the anticipation of what matchups may materialize in October were present in their minds throughout the evening.

“That was definitely a playoff atmosphere and something that could be foreshadowing of what we see in the postseason,” said Burnes, who cruised through six innings to pick up the win. “It’s always good to get the first one of the series. That was definitely a big one tonight.”

Burnes allowed just four hits and no walks. His first taste of adversity didn’t come until the seventh when he let the first two batters reach. But manager Craig Counsell turned to his bullpen and they shut the door after Brandon Crawford’s RBI single pulled the Giants within 2-1.

Josh Hader pitched a scoreless ninth and picked up his 28th save.

The Giants saw their cushion in the NL West shrink to 1 1/2 games as the Dodgers handled the Braves in Los Angeles. Also, it’s no longer a foregone conclusion that the Dodgers or Giants will finish with the NL’s best record, not with the Brewers in the mix, and holding a commanding lead in the NL Central. That possibility gives pause to the playoff matchups that seem to have the two West Coast rivals on a collision course for October.

On Tuesday, the Giants are hopeful they will have Cueto available to start in a matchup with Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff.

Brewers Burnes silences Giants bats in 3-1 win at Oracle

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Milwaukee Brewers starter Corbin Burnes throws to the San Francisco Giants line up in the bottom of the third inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The NL West first place San Francisco Giants (84-47) owners of the best record in baseball have been slowly in meltdown they lost two out of three in Atlanta and opened Monday’s four game series against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers (80-52) with a 3-1 loss at Oracle Park.

The Giants ran into Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes who pitched into the seventh inning and had a shutout going until Brandon Belt doubled and Kris Bryant hit a single to get the Giants on the scoreboard and Burnes was lifted for reliever Brad Boxberger. At the time the run cut the Brewers lead in half 2-1.

Boxberger gave up a double to Brandon Crawford in the bottom of the seventh inning but that would be all the scoring the Giants would get for the rest of the game. In the bottom of the ninth Bryant hit a double off Brewers closer Josh Hader who pitched for his tenth scoreless appearance and picked up is 28th save.

The Giants had to scramble before Monday’s game, scheduled starter Johnny Cueto was a scratch because of flu like symptoms. Jose Alvarez started for the Giants. Alvarez lasted only 1.2 innings four hits and two runs. Giants pitcher Alex Wood who says he was experiencing headaches and a sore throat tested positive for the Coronavirus with no need to be hospitalized.

Starting pitchers for Tuesday night’s game for the Brewers Brandon Woodruff (8-7 ERA 2.38) and the Giants have have not announced a starter yet.

Preview: Oakland A’s vs. Detroit Tigers three game series starts Tuesday night

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Oakland A’s pitcher Cole Irvin is seen here on Aug 19, 2021 at Guarantee Rate Field Chicago throwing against the White Sox. Irvin will get the start on Tue Aug 31, 2021 at Comerica Park in Detroit against the Detroit Tigers in the first of a three games series. (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are heading to Detroit to start a three-game series with the Tigers (62-69) starting Tuesday night. The A’s had a must-win game Sunday afternoon against the red-hot New York Yankees. After losing the first two games of the series, the A’s, behind terrific performances by Frankie Montas, Paul Blackburn, and the bullpen, won the final two games by scores of 3-2 and 3-1.

The A’s are now 72-59 for the season. They trail Houston by five and 1/2games in the AL West. The A’s picked up a game on Boston and are now two and 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the second AL Wild Card quest. The Detroit Tigers, under manager A.J.Hinch, are at 62-69 for the year.

The Tigers are playing a makeup game Monday night against the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers got off to a slow start this year. They are playing better now and have a goal of finishing the season with a mark of .500 or better. The A’s beat the Tigers four straight in April during their 13-game win streak.

The A’s would love nothing better than sweeping the three-game set. The road to the playoffs doesn’t get any easier as the A’s meet the Blue Jays in Toronto for three games this weekend. The A’s split the four-game series with Toronto in Oakland.

The Blue Jays have a powerful lineup featuring Vladamir Guerrero, Jr., George Springer, Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Lourdes Guriel, Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, and former former former Oakland A’s shortstop Marcus Semien. The A’s return home to face the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox took three out of four from Oakland. If the A’s are to make the playoffs, how they do in the next nine games could make or break the season for the A’s.

The Detroit series’s pitching matchups will see Cole Irvin (9-12, 3.68 ERA) going for the A’s. The Tigers will counter with lefty Tarik Skubal, who is from the Bay Area. The A’s beat Skubal earlier this year. James Kaprielian pitches on Wednesday, and Willy Peralta will be on the Hill for Detroit. On Thursday, the A’s will send Sean Manaea to the hill, and his opponent will be Matt Manning.

Some of the key players for Detroit are first baseman/ Designated hitter Miguel Cabrera, first baseman/second baseman Jonathan Schoop, third baseman Jeimer Candelario, outfielders Robbie Grossman and Akil Baddoo. Miguel Cabrera, who is now 38 years old, is on his way to baseball’s Hall of Fame. Cabrera, this year, is hitting .251 with 14 homers and 58 RBIs.

For his career, Cabrera is a lifetime .311 hitter. He is the last player to win baseball’s Triple Crown. He has 501 home runs, 1787 RBIs, and 2961 hits in his illustrious career. He won a World Series championship with the Florid Marlins in 2003. He helped the Tigers win two American League pennants in 2006 and 2012. Jonathan Schoop has found a home with the Tigers.

Schoop is hitting .284 and has 18 dingers and 70 RBIs. Robbie Grossman, who played with the A’s for a couple of seasons, has hit 19 big flys and has 57 RBIs for the Tigers. Candelario is at .275 with ten dingers and has driven in 48. Baddoo’s numbers are .258, ten homers, and 45 ribbies.

Lefty Gregory Soto is the closer for the Tigers. He has recorded 16 saves this season. Other bullpen members that will see action in the series include former starter Michael Fulmer, Jose Cisneros, Kyle Funkhouser, Joe Jimenez, former SF Giant Derek Holland, Alex Lange, and Miguel del Pozo.

The A’s are in the homestretch. How they do in the next two weeks will determine their season. They need to get the offense going. A’s manager Bob Melvin can add two more players to the roster after September 1st. They will not be available for the playoffs.

The A’s are considering bringing back Khris Davis to Oakland. Currently, at Triple-A Las Vegas, Davis has hit nine home runs with the Aviators. The A’s need his bat in the lineup. They are hoping that there is still life in his bat. It should be interesting to see what happens.