Category: Uncategorized

By Jeremy Kahn

In one of the most bizarre ways to lose a game it happened to the San Francisco Giants in the second game of their four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sterling Marte tripled off the right field wall, Hunter Pence got the ball into Ehire Adrianza, who in turn threw to Pablo Sandoval; however the throw form Adrianza got by Sandoval and Marte attempted to score from third base.

Originally, Marte was called out by home plate umpire Quinn Walcott; however after the play was reviewed via instant replay, the call was reversed and the Pirates ended up winning the game 2-1 at PNC Park.

Adrianza was charged with a throwing error on the play that got by Sandoval.

The win ended the Giants six-game winning streak, their longest win streak of the short 2014 season and it also gave Tim Hudson probably one of the hardest losses of his major league career.

Hudson went 8.2 innings, allowing two runs (one of them earned), walked one and struck out five, as he saw his record fall to 4-2 on the season.

Adrianza gave the Giants a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, as he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Brandon Belt from third base.

That would be the lead for all of one-half inning, as Tony Sanchez grounded out to third base that scored Marte from third base.

Charlie Morton pitched an outstanding game for the Pirates, as he went eight innings, allowing one run on just three hits, walking one and striking out three; however he did not fare in the decision.

Tony Watson pitched one inning of two hit ball, also struck out a batter and upped his record to 3-0 on the 2014 season.

By George Devine, Sr.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a couple of things going in their favor for the first game of Round 2 in the NBA playoffs. For one thing, they were on paper a stronger team than the Los Angeles Clippers. For another, they had home court advantage. But the Clippers dominated throughout the evening — at one point in the second quarter leading by 24 — and won 122-105.

In the visitors’ favor was their gritty capture of Round 1 in seven games, all but one of them close, against the Golden State Warriors. In addition, they had faced and moved on from the controversies surrounding embattled team owner Donald Sterling. Moreover, they responded positively to the singular leadership skills of coach Doc Rivers.

Chris Paul led the scoring for Los Angeles, with 32 points including 8 treys, a career record. In addition, he contributed 10 assists. Blake Griffin was good for 25 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Jamal Crawford had 17 points and J.J. Redick 12. The Clips shot 54.9% and were 51.7% on three-pointers. Their free throw percentage was well below NBA standards, at 56.7%, and they made 9 turnovers, half as many as the home team. 23 of L.A.’s points were from the 18 turnovers by the Thunder.

Russell Westbrook scored 29 points for OKC, but committed 6 of the turnovers. He also had 4 boards and 4 assists. Kevin Durant scored 25 and also had 4 rebounds and 4 assists, but committed 3 of his team’s turnovers. Serge Ibaka was good for 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Game 2 in the series, also at Oklahoma City, is set for 6:30 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, May 7.

By Jeremy Kahn

Brandon Crawford entered Sunday afternoon’s game for the San Francisco Giants with just one home run, and when the game was over, his day ended with three home runs.

Crawford, for the first time in his major league career hit two home runs, as the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-1 at Turner Field.

With the victory, the Giants won for the fifth consecutive game and completed their first three-game sweep against the Braves in Atlanta since 1988.

Madison Bumgarner won for the first time since April 11, as he went six solid innings, allowing an unearned run, three hits and struck out nine, as he evened his record at 3-3 on the season.

Closer Sergio Romo was given the day off after saving the first two games of the series, and Santiago Casilla was able to notch his first save of the season.

Crawford gave the Giants the lead for good in the top of the fourth inning, as he hit a solo home run off of Braves starter Alex Wood. Crawford added a two-run home run off of reliever Jordan Walden in the top of the eighth inning.

It was the fourth straight loss for Wood, who gave up two runs on seven hits, allowing a walk in five innings of work, as the Braves lost for the sixth straight game, their longest losing streak since losing eight in a row in May of 2012.

Once again, the Giants got on the board in the top of the first inning, as Hunter Pence doubled with one out, advanced to third on a Wood wild pitch and scored the initial run of the game on a Buster Posey groundout.

Originally on the Posey groundout, Even Gattis was charged with catcher’s interference, and Pence was forcedd to return to third base; however Giants manager Bruce Bochy look to Rule 6.08c, which allows a manager to take the live play instead of the interference ruling.

Jason Heyward drove in the Braves only run of the game, as he hit a sacrifice fly to tie up the game in the bottom of the third inning.

By Jeremy Kahn

Once again, like in the opener of the three-game series against the Atlanta Braves, the San Francisco Giants were backed up by the long ball and a starting pitcher that wants to make to a statement.

Brandon Belt, Michael Morse and Buster Posey each hit solo home runs, while Ryan Vogelsong pitched his second consecutive strong game and the Giants defeated the Braves 3-1 at Turner Field.

The Giants have won four in a row, and eight out of their last nine, while their opponents, the Braves, who are the reigning National League Eastern Division Champions have lost five in a row, their longest losing streak in two seasons.

By hitting three more home runs in the game, the Giants have now hit home runs in 10 straight games, their longest such streak in nearly four years.

Vogelsong allowed just one run in six innings of work, while giving up five hits, walking four and striking out six, as he won for the first time this season.

A trio of relievers helped nail the victory for the Giants, as Jeremy Affeldt allowed one walk in one inning, Jean Machi pitched a perfect eighth inning and Sergio Romo picked up his ninth save in nine opportunities this season.

Julio Teheran allowed a season-high three runs on just four hits on the evening for the Braves, but unfortunately three of those hits were home runs by Belt, Morse and Posey.

After Belt gave the Giants the lead in the top of the second inning, B.J. Upton doubled the Braves lone run of the night that scored Jason Heyward in the bottom of the third inning.

Posey then led off of the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run which proved to the game-winner, as he is now
6-for-8 versus Teheran in his career.

Morse put the finishing touches on the scoring, as he hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning.

By Jeremy Kahn

Michael Morse and Angel Pagan helped get the San Francisco Giants 10-game road trip off to a great start with two swings of the bat.

Pagan led off the game for the second time this week with a home run, and Morse added a solo blast to the opposite field in the top of the sixth inning and the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 2-1 at Turner Field.

With the victory, the Giants have won seven out of their last eight and increase their lead in the National League West to two games over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lost to the Miami Marlins at Marlins Ballpark by the final score of 6-3.

Tim Lincecum won his second game of the season, as he went six innings, allowing one run on three walks and striking out four.

The win by the Giants spoiled the season debut of Mike Minor, who missed the first month of the season with tendinitis in his left (pitching) shoulder.

Minor allowed both home runs to Morse and Pagan, gave up seven hits, did not walk a batter and struck out four in six innings of work.

Lincecum gave up his only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning after he walked Gerald Laird, went to second on a Jason Heyward single and then scored on a Freddie Freeman RBI single.

Once again, it was the Giants bullpen that huge in the end, as Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo closed out the victory and continued to lead the majors in earned run average with a 1.98 ERA.

Casilla was able to get Chris Johnson to strikeout to end the seventh inning with runners on first and second base, and then retired the Braves in order to end the eighth.

Romo came on in the bottom of the ninth, as he got Evan Gattis and Heyward on groundouts to start the inning, but then B.J. Upton singled and Freddie Freeman walked.

However Romo was able to get out of the jam, as he struck out Justin Upton looking to end the game and pickup his eighth save in as many opportunities this season.

By Jeremy Harness

Bay Area sports fans still have at least one playoff game to look forward to.

A night after the Sharks were bounced out of the NHL playoffs in Game 7, the Warriors are going to play a deciding game of their own Saturday night, as they edged past the Los Angeles Clippers, 100-99, Thursday night at Oracle Arena.

The Warriors led for much of the second half and just held on down the stretch, withstanding a frantic flurry by the Clippers in the final 20 seconds

In the timespan, while the Warriors led by four, Clippers guard Darren Collison missed a layup and also missed a 3-pointer after the Clippers secured the rebound, while Jamal Crawford missed another 3-pointer, before Matt Barnes made an off-balance 3-ball with 1.1 seconds left.

The Clippers fouled Stephen Curry, who missed the first free throw, and then missed the second one purposely to run out the clock and send the series to Staples Center for a winner-take-all tilt for the right to go the second round.

This was a game where the Warriors didn’t shoot the ball very well but grinded out a playoff-style victory when they needed it the most.

Curry scored 24 points but made only nine of his 24 shots. However, he turned the ball over only twice while handing out nine assists, two nights after committing eight turnovers.

Meanwhile, the Warriors turned the ball over only eight times, which certainly made up for the subpar shooting.

They also drew key fouls down the stretch against the Clippers’ impact players. Andre Iguodala made a 3-pointer while drawing a foul on Blake Griffin to extend the Warriors’ lead to 96-89 with 2:31 left, which was Griffin’s sixth foul.

The Clippers quickly cut it to two, before Harrison Barnes drew a blocking foul on sharpshooter J.J Redick, which fouled him out of the game as well.

by George Devine, Sr.

The San Francisco Giants are now 17-11, and in first place in the NL West, after a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres in the final game of their second homestand to close out April. The month also saw them notch 34 homers. In the half-dozen games against Cleveland and San Diego, only one was a loss (to San Diego, 6-4, April 28).

The team now leaves AT&T Park for a 10-game road trip which will take in Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

Pitching probables for the Atlanta series are RHP Tim Lincecum (1-1, 5.96) facing LHP Mike Minor, who will make his season debut, on Friday, May 3; Ryan Vogelsong (0-1, 5.40) vs. fellow RHP Julio Teheran (2-1, 1.47) on Saturday, May 3; and Madison Bumgarner (2-3, 3.74) against fellow lefty Alex Wood (2-4, 2.93) on Sunday, May 4. All games in the series will be shown on CSN Bay Area.

On Monday, May 5, when the Giants open in Pittsburgh, Matt Cain is expected to return to the team. LHP David Huff will remain on the disabled list until May 7, having been placed on the 15-day DL as of April 21 due to a left quad strain.

The Giants will return to McCovey Cove on Monday, May 12 for a three-game series against the Braves and four games hosting the Marlins.

By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, May 1, 2014

Oakland’s A.J. Griffin, a right-handed starting pitcher for the Athletics, underwent successful “Tommy John” reconstructive surgery Wednesday morning to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the A’s reported.

Griffin, who has not pitched this season for Oakland, had sought a second opinion from Dr. Thomas Mehlhoff, who evaluated the pitcher and performed the surgery at Texas Orthopedic Hospital in Houston.

Griffin had been placed on the 15-day disabled list at the end of spring training and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2014 season.

The 26-year-old Griffin posted a 14-10 record and a 3.83 earned run average in 32 starts in 2013. He also allowed 171 hits while logging 171 strikeouts and issuing 54 walks in a team-leading 200 innings. Elbow tendonitis kept Griffin from pitching in the 2013 American League Division Series.

Meanwhile, the Athletics had the day off Thursday before traveling to Boston for a three-game weekend series at Fenway Park against the Red Sox. Then, the A’s return home for a three-day, four-game series against Seattle, including an old-fashioned doubleheader on May 7, starting at 12:15 p.m.

By Jeremy Harness

 

SAN FRANCISCO – Tim Hudson gave Bay Area fans at least one thing to cheer about Wednesday night.

 

While the San Jose Sharks were completing their NHL playoff meltdown by blowing a 3-0 series lead and falling in Game 7 at home to the Los Angeles Kings, Hudson masterfully guided the Giants to a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres at AT&T Park.

 

Hudson had one heck of a first month for the Giants, and he capped it off with one of his better performances in stifling the Padres. The 38-year-old righty gave up only five hits and did not walk anyone while striking out six.

 

He was on his way to a complete game, as he just needed one more strike to finish the thing off. However, he left a fastball in the heart of the plate, and Yasmani Grandal deposited it into McCovey Cove to narrow the Giants’ lead to just one.

 

Giants skipper Bruce Bochy took no more chances and went to closer Sergio Romo, who got Chris Denorfia to ground out and give Hudson (4-1) the win.

 

He even contributed at the plate with a single in his first at-bat of the game while dropping down a nice sacrifice bunt in the seventh to move a runner over and contribute to a much-needed insurance run.

 

In fact, the only real downer to his night came when he was unable to make contact in the fourth inning with one out and a runner on third, after Brandon Crawford had led off the inning with a triple.

 

Crawford did not score in the inning, but the Giants still had the two-run lead.

 

Michael Morse hit a two-out rocket off the brick wall in right field against Padres starter Robbie Erlin to bring in Hunter Pence and give the Giants a 1-0 lead.

 

The next mistake that Erlin made was to second baseman Brandon Hicks, as he left one out over the plate and watched as Hicks hammered it the other way into the right-field arcade.

 

The Giants added to their lead in the seventh, as they got Erlin out of the game and tore into the Padres’ bullpen. Pence got a two-out single that kept the inning going before Buster Posey’s two-out hit up the middle scored Joaquin Arias to provide the slight cushion that the Giants would need.