Category: MLB

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Olympics Cuban National Baseball Team Fails to Qualify More Defections

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Cuban pitcher Lazaro Blanco joined teammate Carlos Juan Vera and team psychologist Jorge Sile Figueroa in Miami as they defected on Fri Jun 4, 2021 (photo from SwingCompleto)

Olympics: Cuban National Baseball Team Fails to Qualify: More Defections

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

For the first time since 1984 (first time since baseball became an Olympic sport) Cuba will not be sending a team to the Tokyo Olympics. The Cuban national team lost its first two games to Venezuela and then to Canada, during the pre-olympics in Florida.

The Cubans made all five Olympic baseball medal finals before baseball was removed from the Olympics after 2008. With Cuba out, the US ranked No 2 in the world behind Japan, Canada, Venezuela and one of the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua or Puerto Rico will advance to the final round of the qualifier.

After their #1 player, César Prieto defected last week; two more Cuban players and one team psychologist defected. Cuban pitchers Lázaro Blanco and Carlos Juan Vera did not showed up to the airport in Miami. They were to fly to México to join baseball teams in the Mexican Professional League.

Jorge Sile Figueroa a 33-year old Cuban psychologist for the Cuban team also defected, Pitcher Lázaro Blanco said to Telemundo CH 51 in Miami “I am here because I want to play baseball and make a team in the US, it was a tough decision because I am leaving my family behind”.

These defections are not good for the Cuban government propaganda machine. It is palpable proof that even in Cuba a country crazy for baseball, Freedom ranks above the game.

Stay well

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

Giants hit four home runs in win 8-5 over Cubs

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The San Francisco Giants LaMonte Wade (31) is congratulated by third base coach Ron Wotus after hitting a fourth inning solo home run against pitcher Jake Arrieta and the Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco Fri Jun 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

After falling behind to the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants came back to take a lead that they would never relinquish.

Steven Duggar hit a two-run home run and then Alex Dickerson would add a three-run home run in a six-run second inning, as the Giants made it two in a row with a 8-5 victory over the Cubs at Oracle Park.

Duggar gave the Giants the lead for good in that six-run inning, as he hit tied his career high with his fourth home run of the season for the Giants, as he gave them a 3-2 lead. Jake Arrieta then allowed a single to Donovan Solano and then walked, and Arrieta got the next two batters, Dickerson launched a full count Arrieta offering onto the arcade to give the Giants a big six-run inning.

“We’re competitive. We believe that we can really push and win the (NL) West,” Dickerson said. “That’s been our goal from the start and we never thought it was ridiculous to say that. We plan on being there all year.”

The Cubs took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as Kris Bryant hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, as he hit his 13th home run of the season.

“When you go down 2-0 against a team like the Cubs you know it’s going to be a bit of a fight, you know you’re going to have to score some runs,” said Gabe Kapler. “We’ve been stinging together good at-bats up and down the lineup for some time now.”

Scott Kazmir, who made his return to the starting rotation after being out due to a personal matter allowed the two-run home run to Bryant.

Kazmir was making his third start of the season after being out of major league baseball for the past few years, and went two innings, allowing two runs on three hits, not allowing a walk and striking out three.

After the Giants would take that 6-2 lead, former Los Angeles Dodgers infielder/outfielder Joc Pederson, who grew up in Palo Alto continues to be an enemy of the Giants and their fans, as he hit a two-run home run to cut the Giants lead down to 6-4 in the top of the fourth inning.

That would be the score for a half-inning, as Jason Vosler, who was drafted by the Cubs came back to haunt his former organization, as he hit his second home run of his short career and hit first pinch-hit home run to give the Giants a 7-4 lead. Arrieta then gave his fourth home run of the game, as LaMonte Wade, Jr., made it back-to-back home runs for the Giants, who have now won two in a row and eight out of their last 10.

This was the fourth time this season that the Giants have hit four home runs, as they continue to lead the National League West by one game over the San Diego Padres and two over the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Not only due to the Giants continue to be the surprise of the major leagues, as they have the best record in the major leagues at the present time.

On the other side of things, the Cubs continue to lead the National League Central and lost back-to-back games for the first time since May 9-12 when they lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians.

Conor Menez, the third of five Giants relievers who would go to the mound picked up his first win of the season, as he went two perfect innings to get the win. Tyler Rogers came out of the bullpen as the closer, as he pitched the ninth inning to secure his seventh save of the season.

Arrieta fell to 5-6 on the season, as he gave up six runs and six hits in two innings, as he walked two and struck out one and gave up two home runs.

NOTES: To make room for Kazmir on the roster, Nick Tropeano, who optioned to Sacramento after Thursday nights win was designated for assignment to clear room for Kazmir.

Brandon Crawford played his 1,324th career game at shortstop, coming within two of passing Travis Jackson for the most games ever by a shortstop in Giants history.

UP NEXT: Kevin Gausman looks for his seventh win of the season, as he takes the mound for the Giants on Saturday afternoon, while Kole Stewart makes the start for the Cubs.

Offensive Fireworks By Oakland Beats Colorado 9-5

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The Oakland A’s rallied for four runs in the top of the third inning to defeat the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Fri Jun 4, 2021 in Denver (@Athletics photo)

Offensive Fireworks By Oakland Beats Colorado 9-5

By Barbara Mason

After some offensive struggles the Oakland A’s (34-25) finished up their last series against the Seattle Mariners with not only some great defensive play but getting back on track offensively winning the series after dropping the first of the three game series.

Tonight the A’s were back on the field in a three game series against the Colorado Rockies (23-35) looking for more great offensive play. Frankie Montas was on the mound for Oakland and Jon Gray for the Rockies. The A’s offense went to work once again with a four run rally in the top of the third inning as the A’s defeated the Colorado Rockies to open the series 9-5 at Coors Field.

The A’s did not waste any time scoring in the first inning. Matt Olson hit a double and Mark Canha who was on second scored for the early 1-0 lead.

Oakland extended their lead in the second inning when Sean Murphy hit his 6th home run of the season for a 2-0 lead.

The A’s Mark Canha would hit a home run in the third inning, his 11th of the season. The offense was on fire and showed no signs of letting down. Matt Olson would single, Brown walked, Lowrie singled scoring Brown. Matt Chapman would sacrifice and drive in Lowrie.

The A’s had 4 runs, 4 hits and a 6-0 lead. The Rockies would have a nice third inning scoring two runs off of hits by Tapia, Daza and Fuentes. The score after three innings was 6-2 in favor of the A’s.

The Rockies would score a run in the fourth inning . It was a quiet fifth inning for both teams going three up three out.

Oakland got something going in the sixth inning. Mark Canha would hit a double bringing in Matt Chapman who had singled. The A’s now led by the score of 7-3 after six innings.

This was offense at it’s finest for Oakland. Sean Murphy hit a double in the seventh inning bringing in Jed Lowrie and now the score stood at 8-3 for the A’s.

The Rockies did rally a number of times but Oakland was able to hang onto the lead. The A’s would finish off the game with a double play. The final score was 9-5. Oakland had scored in six of the nine innings in this game. First pitch in tomorrow’s game will be at 6:10 PM

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants hitters do some handy work against one of the best teams Cubs

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San Francisco Giants Steven Duggar connects for an RBI single in the second inning against Chicago Cubs pitcher Zach Davies at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Jun 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The San Francisco Giants (35-21) opened the four game series on Thursday night with a rather decided win over visiting Chicago Cubs (32-24) at Oracle Park 7-2 as the Giants gets some timely hitting and solid pitching.

#2 Giants pitcher Anthony DeScalfani pitched for six innings giving up four hits and two runs except for the two run third DeScalfani looked like he could have thrown a complete game.

#3 The Giants chalked up some run production in the bottom of the second inning with Steven Duggar who singled in a run and in the fifth inning the Giants added three runs and wound up with a five run win over one of the best teams in the National League.

#4 Usually to beat your opponent your try and put some runs up on the board early but the Cubs struck first with two runs in the third but DeScalfani with some good pitching held the Cubs back and the Giants were able to win their seventh in ten games.

#5 Next up for Friday night’s game the Cubs will start Jake Arrietta (5-5 ERA 4.41) the Giants were going to go with Logan Webb (4-3) but he has a recurring shoulder injury and will sit out tonight’s game. Giants manager as of Friday morning has not announced who will start.

Join Michael Fridays for the Giants podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s just above water with one game lead over Houston

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The Oakland A’s Mitch Mooreland gets congratulations in the dugout on Wed Jun 2, 2021 in Seattle after hitting a two run home run against the Seattle Mariners at T Mobile Park. Mooreland and the A’s will face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field Fri Jun 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, a little something different for the Oakland A’s (33-25) as they head into Denver to play the Colorado Rockies (23-34). The A’s will be playing in National League park no designated hitter how much of a pitching advantage will that be for the Rockies?

#2 The Rockies are in fourth in the National League West and have a good home record at 18-12 could that mean an interesting series in Denver?

#3 The A’s have an upper hand they have a good road record at 16-8 and could a park like Coors Field be used to their advantage as the A’s need wins in this series to catch up with the Astros who are right behind them in the standings.

#4 A recent article was written about the disadvantages of broadcasting games remotely. You don’t get to see some of the things you might catch when your at the ball park broadcasting since Covid how has this impacted radio coverage in baseball?

#5 Jeremiah talk about the pitching match ups for tonight’s game in Denver starting for the A’s Frankie Montas (5-5 ERA 4.45) and for the Rockies Jon Gray (4-2 ERA 4.45)

Join Jeremiah for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hard-hitting Giants get the jump on the Cubs in 7-2 win

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Half full COVID restricted ballparks translate to fully-audible bat swing contact, and that couldn’t haven’t been more apparent at Oracle Park on Thursday night.

With balls being whipped around the park from the game’s initial pitch, fans were treated to an audible fireworks show from both teams. Joc Pedersen started it with a rocket that was caught spectacularly by Steven Duggar at the wall on the game’s first pitch. Kris Bryant got his lick in with a ringing double as the game’s second batter, and Pedersen doubled down with a 427-foot splash hit that had kayaks in the cove scrambling in the third.

But the night’s loudest smack belonged to the Giants’ Brandon Crawford swinging on a 3-0 pitch in the fifth that became a decisive three-run homer that propelled the Giants to a 7-2 win in the opener of a four-game series.

“We had the go-ahead run at second base against a hard-throwing lefty,” Crawford said. “It was three sliders in a row and then a fastball over the plate.”

“He knew he was going to get a fastball from Brothers and he was ready for it,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “The ball wasn’t carrying tonight and that ball was hit very well.”

In the absence of Evan Longoria, Mike Yastrzemski, Darin Ruf and Brandon Belt–all dealing with injuries–Crawford’s contribution was essential to getting past the Cubs, winners of 15 of 19 coming in, and far healthier than the host Giants. With the game tied 2-2 the Giants were getting their first look at the Chicago bullpen after starter Zach Davies departed with an elevated pitch count, and allowing the first three hitters in the inning to reach.

Reliever Rex Brothers fell behind Crawford 3-0, and wasn’t afforded a get-across pitch as the host’s leading home run hitter was granted the green light. Brothers’ first fastball provided the speed, and Crawford the heft, on the biggest pitch of the night.

The home run capped Crawford’s big night which started with an RBI single in the second and a bare-handed catch-and-throw in the third to retire Kris Bryant in the third.

The Giants have won five of six and improved to an NL-best 35-21 on the season.

Anthony DeSclafani may have allowed some loud contact early, but he was the winner in the end, pitching six innings, allowing four hits and two runs. DeSclafani also aided his cause with his first hit of the season, an RBI double that tied the game in the fourth. Ironically, the pitcher had gone 40 official at-bats without a hit and suffered a feeble strike out with the bases loaded to end the second inning.

The Giants get a second shot at the Cubs on Friday with familiar face Jake Arrieta pitching for Chicago and the Giants’ pitcher unannounced.

Preview of the A’s three-game series against the Colorado Rockies

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Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin seen here in Seattle against the Seattle Mariners on Wed Jun 2, 2021 will lead the A’s against the Colorado Rockies on Fri Jun 4, 2021 at Coors Field in Denver (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (33-25) will be in Denver to play a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies (22-34) starting Friday night. The A’s own a modest two-game winning streak and are hoping to extend the streak to five. Things will be slightly different for Oakland as they are playing in a National League park, and the A’s will not be able to use the Designated Hitter. The A’s pitchers will be taking batting practice as they will have to go to the plate and be ready to hit.

The Rockies are currently in fourth place in the National League West. The Rockies’ record for the season is 22-34. That will change as they are playing the Texas Rangers on Thursday. The Rockies are very good at home as they are 18-12. On the road, it’s a different story. Their road record is underwhelming as they have won four and lost twenty-two. The A’s, on the other hand, are great on the road. They are 16-8, while their home record is just 17-17.

Frankie Monras will go for Oakland Friday night. Montas is 5-5 with an ERA of 4.45. Montas has lost his last three starts but has pitched well, posting an ERA of 3.24. Montas is 0-2 in two starts against Colorado. Rockies’ manager Bud Black will send righty Jon Gray to face the A’s. Gray is 4-2 with an ERA of 4.45.

On Saturday lefty Cole Irvin will be on the mound for the A’s. Irvin has not done well in his last three starts. The lefty has allowed at least four earned runs in each start. Lefty Kyle Freeland (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will go for the Rocks. On Sunday, James Kaprelian will be on the hill for the A’s. Kaprielian is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.95. In his last start against Seattle, Kaprielian went three and 2/3rds innings and was tagged for four runs. The Rockies will counter with German Marquez (3-5, 4.13 ERA).

The Rockies traded their best player, Nolan Arenado, to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2021 season. There are rumors that their star shortstop, Trevor Story, will be traded before or at the trading deadline. Currently, on the 10-day IL, Story will be a free agent at the end of the year.

The Rockies still have players that the A’s will have to handle. Rockies’ right fielder, Charlie Blackmon, is having a down year. Blackmon, a career .300 hitter, is hitting .250 with three home runs and 26 RBIs. The A’s pitchers will be hoping that Blackmon doesn’t find his stroke in the series.

Another player the A’s are familiar with is first baseman C.J.Cron. The A’s faced Cron many times when he was with the LA Angels. Cron is hitting .275 with five dingers and 18 RBIs. Their new third baseman, Ryan McMahon, is making a name for himself. His batting average is .259, and he has 13 homers and 32 RBI’s to his credit.

The A’s offense woke up in the last two games against the Mariners. The A’s had 23 hits in the last two games and scored 18 runs. A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, is hitting over .300 for the last three weeks. Tony Kemp had five RBIs in Tuesday’s game in Seattle. Matt Chapman, struggling at the plate, had two hits Wednesday night. Matt Olson had three. Mitch Morland blasted a 444-foot monster home run Wednesday night.

The A’s lead in the West is precarious. The Houston Astros are just 1/2 game the A’s in the race for first place in the AL West. The Astros have won four in a row. They have won the last three against the Boston Red Sox and will be going for a sweep of the four-game set Thursday afternoon. A Houston win will tie the A’s for first place. A loss will put them a game behind Oakland.

The A’s will be ready for the Rockies as they have an off-day on Thursday after playing 17 consecutive days. Oakland will need their starters to pitch well. The Rockies would love nothing more than to upset the A’s plans. The series starts Friday night at Coors Field at 5:40 pm.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s showing improvements Manaea throws 6-0 shutout

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Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea in the process of throwing a four hit complete game shutout against the Seattle Mariners is seen here pitching in the fifth inning on Wed Jun 2, 2021 at T Mobile Center in Seattle (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, Sean Manaea has had some tough outings his last few times out but that all seemed to change on Wednesday night when he threw a complete game four hit shutout.

#2 Manaea struck out eight hitters and kept the Mariners off balance all night.

#3 Previous to Tuesday night’s game which the A’s won the A’s had lost four of five games to the Mariners and they knew they had to come back and they have showed some improvement over these last two games.

#4 Like Tuesday night when the A’s rallied for six runs in the seventh inning on Wednesday night the A’s rallied in the top of the third inning getting five runs and getting solid pitching from Manaea the A’s capped off the three game series taking two out of three from the Mariners in Seattle.

#5 The A’s open up a three game series against the Colorado Rockies starting on Friday night the A’s pitcher Frankie Montas gets the start (5-5 ERA 4.45) will be matched up against the Rockies Jon Gray (4-5 ERA 3.71)

#6 Lastly the Oakland A’s minor league system says that the food served to the players have been an embarrassment and it was widely reported on Wednesday that the A’s have served the players either a slice of cheese with a slice of tomato between two slices of white bread or a tortilla with a little chicken and bell pepper. A’s president Dave Kaval apologized for the fare that was photographed and made the rounds on social media and said we have to do better and put the blame on the caterer saying they will redouble their efforts at serving better options.

Jerry Feitelberg is an Oakland A’s beat writer and podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Thursday

Manaea pitches a gem shuts out Mariners 6-0 in complete game

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Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea throws to the Seattle Mariners line up in the fifth inning at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Wed Jun 2, 2021 in Seattle (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (33-25) met the Seattle Mariners (28-29) at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle Wednesday night. It was the inaugural Lou Gehrig Day. MLB had the day to recognize efforts to combat ALS. The A’s sent lefty Sean Manaea to the hill, hoping to get the win. The Mariners’ starter, Chris Flexen, an East Bay kid from Newark, Ca entered the game with a 5-2. Manaea wound up pitching a gem going the distance for a 6-0 victory over the Mariners.

The A’s had not given Manaea a lot of run support this year. The A’s scored three runs in Manaea’s last three starts. A’s manager Bob Melvin wanted Sean to cut down on his pitch count so that he could go deep into the game.

Manaea came through with one of his best performances ever as an Oakland Athletic. Manaea pitched a complete game. He allowed four hits and no runs. The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Manaea got the M’s shortstop, J.P.Crawford to end the inning by hitting into a ground out.

Chris Flexen retired the first six A’s hitters. Things went south for him in the top of the third as the A’s put five runs on the board. Matt Chapman walked to start the rally. Flexen retired Tony Kemp for the first out. The A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, lined a double down the left-field line, sending Chapman to third.

Mark Canha followed with a single to drive in Chapman and Andrus. A’s third-base coach, Mark Kotsay, threw up the stop sign, but Andrus ran through it and scored on the play. Flexen retired Jed Lowrie for the second out. Matt Olson singled and scored ahead of Mitch Moreland, who blasted a monster 444-foot blast to centerfield. It was Moreland’s fifth of the year.

The A’s added a run in the top of the ninth to win 6-0.

Game Notes and Stats- With the win, the A’s are 33-25 for the year. They remain 1/2 game ahead of the Houston Astros. Houston beat Boston for the third night in a row. The Mariners are 28-29.

Manaea improved to 4-2 for the season. His line was nine innings pitched, four hits, and no runs. He threw 111 pitches, walking two and striking out eight. The A’s line was six runs, ten hits, and one error.
Chris Flexen took the loss, and his record is now 5-3.

Matt Olson had three hits. Matt Chapman, still struggling at the plate, had a couple of hits. Hopefully, Matt will get his bat going again.

Olson made an unusual double play in the bottom of the eighth. With Jack Mayfield on first, Jake Fraley was thrown out 4-3. Olson noticed Mayfield round second and went a bit too far. Olson threw a strike to Matt Chapman that nailed Mayfield as he scrambled back to the base.

A’s manager Bob Melvin recorded his 800th win since taking over the helm in 2011.
The A’s have a day off Thursday. They went 17 days without a break. They meet the Colorado Rockies in Denver for three games starting Friday night. The game will start at 5:40 pm.

Giants will be first team to wear pride uniforms Saturday at Oracle Park

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Anthony DeScalfani gets the start against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Jun 3, 2021 (AP News photo 5-18-21 in Cincinnati)

By Jessica Kwong

The San Francisco Giants had Wednesday off after a disappointing 8-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.

San Francisco still sits at the top of the NL West rankings, above the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The MLB on Wednesday named Kevin Gausman the NL Pitcher of the month for May. Gausman stats are: 0.73 ERA, 37 IP, 49 K, 0.76 WHIP. He shares the recognition with Rich Hill of the Tampa Bay Rays whose stats are: 0.78 ERA, 34.2 IP, 36 Ks.

San Francisco starts a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday at Oracle Park. First pitch is at 6:45 p.m.

The Giants will be the first team to play in Pride uniforms when they face the Cubs on Saturday. Their caps will have the “SF” logo colored with the Progress Pride Flag. In addition, each jersey will have a patch on the right sleeve with that design.

Manager Gabe Kapler said he is “very proud that the San Francisco Giants are taking this step.”

“Very proud to be part of it,” Kapler said on Tuesday. “Looking forward to the impact and the support that we can provide for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Starting pitchers for Thursday’s game at Oracle Park the Chicago Cubs will start right hander Zach Davies (2-2 ERA 4.65) and for the San Francisco Giants Anthony DeScalfani (4-2 ERA 3.56) first pitch is at 6:45 pm PDT

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