Category: MLB

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Harper, Phils call it a season, eliminated at Nats Park; Giants finish up their regular season; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: wtop.com

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 How ironic is it that last meeting between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies in Washington against the Nationals turned out to be a loss that mathematically eliminated the Phillies in Washington DC? The Nats fans found that to be poetic justice.

#2 The San Francisco Giants end their 2019 homestand and regular season this week as they opened a three-game series with Colorado. The Giants have some young prospects and veteran players who are looking to come back next season so everyone will play hard to the final game on Sunday.

#3 The Giants’ Bruce Bochy set to retire, Pablo Sandoval out with an injury for the rest of the season and Madison Bumgarner may not be back all have been a direct force in the Giants’ more successful days.

#4 The Oakland A’s are holding a 1/2 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL wild card race. The A’s are finishing up their regular season on the road against the Angels and Mariners. Can they pull it off?

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes, who won two out of their last seven games, faceoff against Philadelphia on Wednesday night, and on Friday, they host the Seattle Sounders. This is their best chance to put together a couple wins at home.

London does Headline Sports each Wednesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Blackmon, Rockies win it in the 16th with a three-run home run 8-5

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from sfgate.com: Colorado Rockies’ Jeff Hoffman leaves a baseball game on a cart with a leg injury after being hit by a ball batted by San Francisco Giants’ Alex Dickerson during the fourth inning Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, in San Francisco.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Charlie Blackmon ended this long game with one swing of the bat.

Blackmon hit a three-run home run in the top of the 16th inning, helping the Colorado Rockies to an 8-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants before a crowd of 27,870 at Oracle Park.

The Blackmon home run was the latest by a Rockies player since Nolan Arenado hit a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the 16th inning at Dodger Stadium on September 15, 2015.

Dereck Rodriguez was able to get Trevor Story to strikeout for the first out of the inning, but then Garrett Hampson and Arenado each singled prior to the Blackmon three-run home run.

Longoria tied up the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he took a Carlos Estevez pitch and hit it into the netting over the center field wall.

It was the 20th home run of the season, and his first 20 home run as a member of the Giants and first since the 2017 season, when he 20 in his last season with the Tampa Bay Rays.

While with the Rays, Longoria hit 20 or more home runs nine times out of his 10 years there. Longoria hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2009.

Garrett Hampson gave the Rockies a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth inning, as he took a Jandel Gustave over the wall. It was the second home run of the game for Hampson, who also hit a solo home run off of Giants starter Madison Bumgarner in the top of the first inning.

It was the first multi-home run game of Hampsons big league career.

Buster Posey gave the Giants the lead in the bottom of the first inning as he hit just his seventh home run of the season and first at Oracle Park. Mike Yastrzemski walked to lead off to the inning for the Giants.

Bumgarner helped out his own cause in the bottom of the third inning, as he hit his second home run of the season.

This was the first time since June 2, 2016 that Bumgarner and Posey each hit home runs in the same game. It was the third time that the two have hit home runs in the same game.

Ian Desmond tied up the game in the top of the fourth inning, as he smashed a Bumgarner offering and put into the netting over The Garden in right-center field.

There was a scary moment in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Alex Dickerson smashed a line drive up the middle off of Rockies starter Jeff Hoffmans leg.

Hoffman, who attempted to walk around eventually fell to the ground, where both the training staff and manager Bud Black came out to check on the right-hander, who was eventually carted off the field.

The right-hander left the game with a right knee contusion.

The right-hander went 3.1 innings, allowing three run on three hits, walking three and striking out three.

Bumgarner went seven innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walking two and striking out nine.

The Rockies retook the lead in the top of the fifth inning, as Trevor Story his 34th home run of the season.

Story has homered in a record six consecutive games vs. the Giants, setting the mark with a solo shot in the fifth inning. He surpassed Mike Schmidt (1979) and Rogers Hornsby (1922), who both homered in five straight vs. the Giants.

Evan Longoria tied up the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, as his sacrifice fly scored Posey from third base.

Posey singled with one out and then advanced to third on a Brandon Belt, and then scored on the Longoria sacrifice fly, as the throw by Desmond was cut off by Nolan Arenado at third base.

NOTES: Yastrzemski is only the fifth rookie in Giants history to have a 20 home run, 20 double season and the first since Orlando Cepeda in 1958.

He joins Bobby Thomson (26 2B, 29 HR) in 1947, Willie Mays (22 2B, 20 HR) in 1951, Bill White (23 2B, 22 HR) in 1956, Cepeda and Yastrzemski.

The two teams combined to use a major-league record 25 players, breaking the record of 24 set by the Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 16, 2015, also a 16-inning game.

Both teams combined for eight home runs to break an Oracle Park record. There were four games of seven home runs, September 5, 2000 versus Philadelphia, June 18, 2004 versus Boston, June 15, 2009 versus Los Angeles (AL) and August 24, 2010 versus Cincinnati.

As a team, the Giants used a team record 29 players, breaking their record of 25 that set on September 17, 2019 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija will make his final start of the 2019 season for the Giants, while Tim Melville will take the ball for the Rockies one last time in 2019.

A’s fall to Angels 3-2 as race for Wild Card spots tightens up

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s fell to the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium. The A’s needed the win to keep the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians from closing in on a playoff berth. With the loss and wins by the Rays and the Indians, the A’s find themselves just a 1/2 game ahead of the Rays for the first Wild Card and one game ahead of the Indians for the second Wild Card. The Angels, playing the role of spoilers, scored three runs in the fifth inning to down the A’s 3-2.

The A’s put two on the board in the top of the fourth. With two out, right fielder Ramon Laureano beat out a slow roller for an infield hit. A’s DH Khris Davis blasted his 23rd homer of the year to left center field to give the team a 2-0 lead.

The Angels plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Taylor Ward and Matt Thais singled to put runners on at first and second with no out. A’s starter Homer Bailey struck out Caleb Cowart for the first out. Angels shortstop David Fletcher singled to drive in Ward with the Angels’ first run. Brian Goodwin, filling in for the injured Mike Trout, blooped a double just over the outstretched glove of A’s third baseman Matt Chapman for a double. Thais scored on the play. Bailey retired future Hall of Fame player Albert Pujols on a fly ball to left field. The ball was hit deep enough that allowed Fletcher to tag up and score the winning run.

The Angels’ bullpen shut down the A’s offense to secure the win for Los Angeles.

Game Notes: Homer Bailey lost for the first time in his last eight starts. Bailey’s record dropped to 13-9. He went five innings and allowed eight hits and three runs. Lefty Dillon Peters was the winning pitcher and improved to 4-3 for the year.

The A’s line was two runs, six hits, and no errors. The Angels’ line was three runs, 10 hits and no errors.

The A’s are now 94-63 for the year. Tampa improved to 94-64 with a 2-1 win in eleven innings over the New York Yankees. The Yankees needed the win as they trail the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League. The Indians beat the White Sox 11-0 and are now 93-64.

Up Next: The A’s hope to get back on the winning track Wednesday night. They will send Frankie Montas to the hill. Montas has a record of 9-2 and will be making his first start since being suspended for 80 games for using an illegal substance. Lefty Andrew Heaney will go for the Angels.

The A’s have an 11-7 record against LA and cannot afford any losses in the next five games. They do not want to fly east to face Tampa in the Wild Card game. They do not want to be tied with Cleveland for the second Wild Card. Each game is important and they have to play as if it were an elimination game. They have the talent to win. All they have to do is go out and win.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Lynn’s command a big factor in keeping runs down against A’s

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: beyondtheboxscore.com

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 On Sunday, it was too much Lance Lynn of the Texas Rangers. Lynn struck out 12 A’s hitters, walked one and allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work as the Rangers avoided getting swept at the Oakland Coliseum.

#2 Seth Brown and Khris Davis’ hitting in the five and six holes combined for seven strikeouts,.Davis was able to get a double in the eighth off the Rangers.

#3 Attendance is up for the A’s at home. The A’s increased their attendance by 88,595. They drew 38,453 to boost their season home total to 1,662,211.

#4 The Texas Rangers’ Shin-Soo Choo tied the Rangers’ all-time record for leadoff home runs matching Ian Kinsler. The Rangers had five homers off the A’s on Sunday.

#5 The A’s are in Anaheim and they’ll be starting Homer Bailey (13-8). The A’s heavily depend on Bailey as every win counts at this juncture of the season.

Charlie does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Bochy, and possibly Bumgarner reach the end of the line with the Giants

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

Photo credit: redbirdrants.com

By Morris Phillips

Sunday’s season finale against the Dodgers will be manager Bruce Bochy’s last game as a Giant. Will it also be Madison Bumgarner’s last game as well?

The Giants are guaranteed to be interested in resigning their staff ace especially after he regained his form and health in 2019. But he won’t be their only priority, and the Giants won’t be Bumgarner’s only suitor. The price will have to be right for the soon-to-be 31-year old pitcher to return.

The Giants could find themselves intrigued by bigger ticket items like Gerrit Cole and J.D. Martinez if the slugger opts out of his deal with the Red Sox. One thing’s obvious: the Giants have multiple needs and targets commiserate with where they are coming off a third, consecutive losing season and where they want to be, running with the Dodgers and attempting to end their streak of NL West titles, now sitting on seven.

“It’s not so much, ‘Hey, do you have the money for Player X or the money for Player Y?’ Or, ‘How much does ownership want to spend?’ It’s more how does Farhan and the staff want to bake the cake?” club president Larry Baer said in a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Giants have upgrades in Kevin Pillar, Mike Yasztremski and Alex Dickerson.  Younger players Mauricio Dubon and Joey Bart could be ready for starting assignments at the major league level. But the organization is also hamstrung by the big contracts previously given to Brandon Belt, Buster Posey, Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto. Who to keep, who, if any, can be moved, and who to trust as centerpieces going forward are among the questions GM Farhan Zaidi and his staff must answer.

Those won’t be easy answers to obtain. And once Zaidi hones in on the personnel decisions, will they also address the issues the current team has had winning at Oracle Park. Other than Pillar, most of the Giants’ offensive performers have fared far better on the road than at home.

Preview of the A’s final week of the season in LA and Seattle

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

By Jerry Feitelberg

Here we are. The A’s have just six games left in the regular season. They had an off-day on Monday as they traveled to Los Angeles to face the Angels. They have two games left with LA and then fly to Seattle to play four with the Mariners to end the season. The A’s own a record of 94-62 and lead the Tampa Bay Rays by 1 1/2 games for the first Wild Card. The Rays beat Boston on Monday to pick up 1/2 game on the A’s. The Rays play the next two games at home against the AL East champs, the New York Yankees. New York could help the A’s bt sweeping the series. The Rays then go to Toronto for three.

The A’s have to continue winning. They cannot let up as both Tampa and Cleveland have a chance to make the playoffs. The Angel and Mariners would love nothing better than upsetting the A’s applecart. The Angels and M’s will finish in fourth and fifth places in the AL West. Each team has had a season of adversity. The Angels have had to deal with the loss of Tyler Skaggs. Skaggs’ death put the Angels in a season-long funk. Also, their start centerfielder, Mike Trout, is out for the rest of the season with a foot injury. The Angels have been devastated by injury and are limping to the finish. The Mariners got off to a good start. They have traded away many of their star players as they are in rebuild mode. The A’s cannot afford to take them lightly.

The A’s Will send Homer Bailey to the hill Tuesday night in Anaheim. Bailey is 13-8 with an ERA of 4.55. The Angels will counter with lefty Dillon Peters. Peters is 3-3 with an ERA of 4.81. Peters will be making his first start ever against the A’s. This is a situation where the A’s cannot afford to relax. They will be going against a pitcher they have never seen. The A’s cannot afford to lose this game. It could happen, but it will be up to manager Bob Melvin to figure out the matchups. On Wednesday, it will be a battle of lefties. Brett Anderson will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Andrew Heaney. Anderson is 12-9 with an ERA of 4.00. Heaney is 4-6 and has an ERA of 5.10. The last time Heaney faced the A’s, he went six innings and gave up five runs.

The A’s finish with four against the Mariners. On Thursday Mike Fiers (15-4, ERA 3.91) will handle the pitching chores for Oakland. The M’s will counter with the veteran righty, Felix Hernandez. King Felix is nearing the end of his illustrious career. Hernandez has beaten the A’s many times over the years, but these days, he is a shadow of his former self. His record is 1-7, and his ERA is 6.51. He would like nothing better than handing the A’s a loss. Lefty Sean Manaea (3-0, 1.14ERA) will make his fifth start of the year, and lefty Justus Sheffield (0-1, 5.81 ERA) will go for Seattle. Saturday will feature Tanner Roark and the M’s Marco Gonzalez. The Rangers sent Roark to an early shower last Sunday. Roark gave up at least four home runs early in the game, and the A’s could not recover. His opponent, lefty Marco Gonzalez, the M’s best pitcher with a record of 16-12 and 4.09 ERA) has given the A’s a tough time all season long. The final game of the year will see Homer Bailey going for Oakland and Justin Dunn pitching for Seattle. Dunn will be making his third start of the year.

The A’s know that they cannot let up for one second. Even though they are playing teams with losing records., they must not take either team lightly. If they win four of the last six, that should be enough to give them the first Wild Card. They would then host the one-game playoff in Oakland. They would later play either the Yankees or the Houston Astros in the ALDS. The A’s won the season series from the Yanks 4 games to two. The Astros won the season series from Oakland 11-8. The A’s, however, won six of the last eight games from Houston. The Yanks and the Astros know that the A’s are a good team. The A’s have solidified their starting rotation with the addition Of Bailey and Roark. The bullpen will feature Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria, Jake Diekman, A.J.Puk, Jesus, Luzardo, Chris Bassitt, Blake Treinen, and closer, Liam Hendriks.

The A’s have power up and down the lineup. They have three infielders with 30 or more home runs. Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman, and Matt Olson all can change a ballgame with one swing of the bat. Outfielder Mark Canha had hit 26 bombs. Ramon Laureano is back, and he had 22 in the books before he was injured. Versatile Chad Pinder can also put the ball out of the park.  The A’s are excellent on defense, and they do not beat themselves. They have all the ingredients necessary to make a run to a championship. They can do it. No one knows what will happen. The Kansas City Royals won the 2014 Wild Card game against Oakland and went to the World Series. They won it all the following year. Anything can happen in baseball. They have to make the playoffs. Anything can happen. Baseball is unpredictable. The A’s are playing great baseball at this point in the season. They know they can win. They just have to do it.

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants finish season with winning road record; Webb has good pitching performance

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco Giants’ Logan Webb pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in Atlanta.

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 The Giants avoided getting swept by the Atlanta Braves in Cobb County Sunday with a 4-1 win. The Giants added two runs in the top of the sixth. Joey Rickard doubled on a line drive to Nick Markakis. Both Evan Longoria and Kevin Pillar scored on the play. San Francisco snatched a 3-0 lead.

#2 The Giants’ away record was better than their home record away they were 42-39 and home 33-42. The bulk of the Giants’ road success came after the July 31st trade deadline and in August when they hit a speed bump and lost momentum.

#3 For San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, it was his final road game managing.  Bochy notched his 2,000 win of his career when the Giants were in Boston prior to coming to play the Braves.

#4 One of the biggest highlights on the trip was the home run hit by Mike Yastrzemski in Boston Tuesday night, which drew a standing ovation from the Boston crowd — kind of like their own homage indirectly for Mike’s grandfather Carl.

#5 The Giants conclude the 2019 season at Oracle Park on the homestand. The Giants will open against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night for three games and finish the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers for three starting on Friday night. Starting for Colorado, Jeff Hoffman (2-6, 2.71 ERA), and for the Giants, Madison Bumgarner (9-9, 3.86 ERA).

Morris did the Giants podcasts each Monday during the 2019 Giants season and will begin Cal Bears podcasting next Monday, September 30th at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Coliseum turns into Rangers Home Run Alley, A’s lose regular season home finale 8-3

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — All the sections that don’t normally fill up during A’s games got populated on Sunday.

By A’s fans and Rangers’ home run balls.

For Oakland, that’s only half the battle as the A’s failed to climb closer to a postseason berth and home field advantage in AL Wild Card game. For Tanner Roark, it was a failed audition for a postseason rotation spot with plenty of openings for consistent performers that keep the ball within the park.

And for the Rangers, it was about time, after five consecutive, lopsided losses to the A’s and 13 losses to Oakland in the first 18 meetings of 2019. Moreover, the Rangers were tired of dropping road games. Texas finished the season 33-48 on the road for the second, straight season, and that’s just not good enough, not for a team that was in playoff contention through the season’s first 120 games.

“We’re disappointed that No. 81 didn’t mean something for the postseason,” Elvis Andrus said.  “We did not play well on the road this year. It something we have to improve.”

The Rangers avoided an eighth, consecutive loss and a winless road trip in an emphatic manner with leadoff man Shin-Soo Choo sending the first pitch of the ballgame deep into the centerfield bleachers, estimated at 461 feet from the plate. Willie Calhoun and Andrus also went deep in the Rangers’ four-run, first inning, and those homers weren’t cheap either.

Roark would allow a second homer to Calhoun, and five earned runs in three innings before he was lifted. The veteran acquired from the Reds hadn’t lost at the Coliseum since being acquired in July. That winning streak ended with a thud, but the impression’s been made, Roark will be in consideration for a start at home in Game 3 or 4 of an ALDS if the A’s get that far.

“Like we’ve done all year since I’ve been here, you move on. Nobody dwells on anything. You just get better,” Roark opined.

The A’s were 10-1 in their previous 11 games coming in, making their two-game lead over Tampa Bay seem insurmountable, which it isn’t. The Rays also lost on Sunday, but Cleveland won Sunday night to pull into a dead heat with the Rays. The A’s are wholly focused on not only qualifying for the postseason but hosting the Wild Card game, which didn’t go their way last year in the Bronx against the Yankees.

With a week to go, the A’s would wish for one more thing. That the Rays and Indians finish in a dead heat, forcing them to play each other 24 hours prior to the winner traveling to Oakland. But with a week, and six games remaining, we digress.

The A’s rotation for the final week remains a mystery with Frankie Montas eligible to return from his 80-game suspension on Wednesday. Homer Bailey will start Tuesday in Anaheim, but little is set beyond that with the A’s wanting line up one of their starters–likely Mike Fiers or Sean Manaea for Tuesday’s Wild Card playoff.

If the chosen starter can’t cut it, the A’s have a deep bullpen with additions A.J. Puk, Jesus Luzardo and Chris Bassitt ready to take prominent roles.

The A’s drew 38,453 fans to the home finale, and saw their home season attendance improve better than 80,000 fans over what they drew in 2018. The A’s finished with a 52-29 record at the Coliseum.

Giants defeat the Braves 4-1 to avoid sweep

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Ana Kieu

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves to prevent a three-game sweep in the series between the two teams at SunTrust Park on Sunday.

 

After five scoreless innings, San Francisco finally got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. Evan Longoria doubled on a sharp line drive to Billy Hamilton. Austin Slater scored on the play. The Giants led 1-0.

The Giants added two runs in the top of the sixth. Joey Rickard doubled on a line drive to Nick Markakis. Both Evan Longoria and Kevin Pillar scored on the play. San Francisco snatched a 3-0 lead.

The Braves responded in the bottom of the sixth inning. Freddie Freeman grounded out, while Mauricio Dubon went to Austin Slater. Adeiny Hechavarria scored on the play. Atlanta pulled within two, but continued to trail 3-1.

The Giants tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Evan Longoria singled on a line drive to Billy Hamilton. Mauricio Dubon scored on the play. San Francisco took a 4-1 lead.

Giants right-hander Logan Webb enjoyed the best outing of his young career thus far. Webb threw a gem of six innings, two hits, one earned run, two walks and seven strikeouts. Webb improves to 2-2.

Braves left-hander Dallas Keuchel took the loss. Keuchel pitched six innings, three runs (two earned), two walks and four strikeouts. Keuchel falls to 8-7.

NOTES: Giants pitcher Sam Coonrod celebrated his 27th birthday.

Renel Brooks-Moon celebrated her 61st birthday. Brooks-Moon has been the Voice of the Oracle Park since 2000.

Jeffrey Leonard, also known as Hacman, celebrated his 64th birthday. Hacman played for the Giants from 1981 to 1988.

On this day in 1969, Willie Mays became only the second member of the 600 home run club.

UP NEXT: The Giants open their second to last series of the season versus the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park. The series opener will take place on Tuesday, September 24 at 6:45 p.m.

Oakland A’s podcast Joey Friedman: A’s keeping pace with Rays in AL Wild Card race; Road to the World Series goes through Houston and New York

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from sfgate.com: Oakland Athletics’ Chad Pinder, right, celebrates with Ramon Laureano (22) after hitting a three-run home run off Texas Rangers’ Mike Minor during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Oakland, Calif

On the A’s podcast with Joey Friedman:

#1 The A’s are keeping up with the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card race. The A’s are ahead of Tampa Bay by two games close out their series on Sunday with Texas and then the Rays host the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

#2 Is it true Joey that the A’s could stand in the way of the New York Yankees and Houston Astros dreams to get to the World Series? Either way, one of those three teams is the road to the World Series.

#3 Oakland A’s starter Mike Fiers has been the ace all season long on Friday night he went eight innings, two hits, and struck out five throwing 95 pitches and kept the visiting Texas Rangers off balance for the 8-0 win. Fiers has been doing it all season and improved his record to 15-4.

#4 Oakland A’s broadcaster Ken Korach, whose always been available to talk with his colleagues in the press, was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Korach has been broadcasting A’s baseball since 1996 amongst his highlights calling the Oakland A’s 2002 20 consecutive game win streak and he mentioned on the scoreboard vision Friday night during a pre game sit down that his biggest highlight of all-time came when Dallas Braden threw a no-hitter on Mother’s Day May 9th 2010 not only to call the game, but Ken said he got emotional remembering his late mother during the moment when Braden embraced his mother after the game.

#5 The A’s close out their regular home season schedule Sunday against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum. For the Rangers, Lance Lynn (14-11, 3.77 ERA), and for Oakland, Tanner Roark (10-8, 4.12 ERA).

Joey does the A’s podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com