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Padres clobber Giants 13-4 split series in San Diego

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

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Petco Park

San Diego, California

San Francisco Giants 4 (2-2)

San Diego Padres 13 (3-3)

Win: Pedro Avila (1-0)

Loss: Daulton Jefferies (0-1)

Time: 2:43

Attendance: 34,499

By Stephen Ruderman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News and Notes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Barracuda shoot down Wranglers 4-1 win to split weekend series

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Calgary Wranglers forward Adam Klapka (#43) looks for the puck as he positioned himself near San Jose Barracuda goalie (#31) Georgi Romanov during the Barracuda’s 4-1 win at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday MAR 31, 2024. (Calgary Wranglers)

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda had goals from four different goal scorers as they defeated the Calgary Wranglers in 4-1 victory on Sunday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

San Jose earned its 21st win as they split the weekend series with the Wranglers and won the season series 5-3. Despite the loss, Calgary has clinched a playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

San Jose (21-32-9-2-53 points) drew first blood with an even strength goal early in the first period. Joe Carrol found Ethan Cardwell inside their own zone. Cardwell skated in along the left wing and beat Wranglers goalie Oscar Dansk for his team-leading 20th goal of the season at the 6:56 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead with a four-on-four goal just under five minutes later. Jack Studnicka began a counterattack as he found Danil Gushchin in the neutral zone. Gushchin skated near the left boards before sending a backhand pass down to a trailing Jack Thompson. The recently acquired defenseman’s wrist shot deflected off Yan Kuznetsov’s stick to the far side post and into the back of the net for his first goal in a ‘Cuda uniform and sixth overall of the season at the 11:11 mark.

Calgary (34-24-5-3-76 points) did not manage much offense in the opening period as they only had nine shots on goal compared to San Jose’s 14.

San Jose scored its third unanswered goal of the game at the halfway through the second period. Ethan Frisch sent a long pass out to Danil Gushchin in the neutral zone. Gushchin skated past a Wranglers defender before beating Dansk with a wrist shot through the five-hole for his 16th goal of the season at the 9:48 mark.

That would end the afternoon for Dansk (11-11-3) as head coach Trent Cull he replaced Dansk in the net with Connor Murphy, who made the start on Friday. Dank gave up three goals on 22 shots.

The Wranglers got on the scoreboard early in the third period with an even strength goal. Adam Klapka centered a pass from the left board over to a wide-open Sam Morton who beat ‘Cuda goalie Georgi Romanov with a wrist shot to the right corner for his third goal of the season at the 3:40 mark.

Nathan Todd concluded the scoring with an empty net goal late in the final frame when Jordan Oesterle misplayed the puck along the end boards. Todd collected the puck from behind the net and wrapped around the puck into the net for an unassisted goal, his 18th of the season at the 16:22 mark.

Romanov (8-8-7) finished the game stopping 30 of the 31 shots he faced to earn his eighth victory of the season. Murphy stopped all 10 shots he faced in mop up duty.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-1 on the power play. Calgary went 0-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Gushchin 2) Thompson 3) Romanov.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues its five-game road trip on Wednesday 4/3 as they take on the San Diego Gulls at 7:00pm at Pechanga Arena at San Diego.

Wranglers quick start doom Barracuda in 4-2 win

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Calgary Wranglers Defenseman Jonathan Aspriot (#48) tries to jam home the puck past San Jose Barracuda goalie Magnus Chrona during the Wranglers 4-2 win at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday MAR 29, 2024. (Calgary Wranglers)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Calgary Wranglers scored three unanswered goals to defeat the San Jose Barracuda 4-2 on Friday evening at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

San Jose has dropped three out of its past four games as it anchors the Pacific Division. Calgary won its second game in a row and is 5-3-1-1 in its last 10 games.

Calgary (34-23-5-3-76 points) needed just 49 seconds into the first period to draw first blood. Clark Bishop caromed the puck off of the boards to Rory Kerins who then banked the puck off of ‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona into the back of the net for his 13th goal of the season.

It was Kerins’ first goal in his last eight games.

The Wranglers doubled its lead late in the opening frame with a power play goal. William Stromgren sent a pass back up to the point and Jeremie Poirier quick one-timer went off the glove of Chrona for a fluky goal, Poirier’s third goal of the season at the 17:12 mark.

Ben Jones scored the Wranglers’ third unanswered goal early in the second period. Mitch McLain skated down the right wing before finding Jones with a backdoor pass as the Calgary center buried the puck into an empty net for his 21st goal of the season at the 5:48 mark.

San Jose (20-32-9-2-51 points) finally broke through with 21 seconds left in the middle frame with a power play goal. Cole Cassels was in the right place at the right time. A pass over to Kyle Rau bounced off of him and right over to Cassles who beat Wranglers goalie Connor Murphy for his 10th goal of the season.

With Chrona pulled for an extra attacker late in the third period, Adam Klapka ended any comeback attempt by San Jose when he scored an empty net goal, his 20th of the season at the 17:51 mark.

Brandon Coe completed the scoring with 12th goal with 1:03 remaining in the game. Ethan Cardwell and Jack Studnicka recorded assists on Coe’s fourth goal in his last five games.

Murphy (3-2-2-1) finished the night stopping 27 of the 29 shots he faced to earn back-to-back victories for the first time this season. Chrona (5-16-4) made 28 saves on 31 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-3 on the power play. Calgary was also 1-for-3.

San Jose is now 4-2 against Calgary in the season series.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Poirier 2) Kerins 3) Murphy.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Calgary conclude their two-game weekend series on Sunday 3/31 at 12:00pm at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Ward’s late goal propels Reign with 3-2 win over Barracuda

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San Jose Barracuda defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin (#85) dives to the ice to swipe the puck away from Ontario Reign forward Colton Young during the Reign’s 3-2 victory at Tech CU Arena on Wednesday MAR 27, 2024. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Taylor Ward scored the game winning goal for the Ontario Reign in the third period as they defeated the San Jose Barracuda 3-2 on Wednesday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost two out of its last three as it finished 2-2 on its homestand. Ontario has won four games in a row. The Reign are tied with the Tucson Roadrunners for second place in the Pacific Division with 77 points.

San Jose (20-31-9-2-51 points) drew first blood on the opening shift of the game. Danil Gushchin threaded a pass between two Reign defenders over to Brandon Coe and the ‘Cuda winger beat former San Jose Sharks goalie Aaron Dell with a wrist shot top shelf to the far side for his 11th goal of the season 15 seconds into the first period.

The Barracuda doubled its lead late in the opening frame. Cole Cassels used a backhand pass from the behind the net to center the puck out to Nathan Todd who made one move inside before sliding the puck past the five-hole of Dell for his 17th goal of the season at the 13:04 mark.

Ontario (35-21-3-4-77 points) cut the lead in half early in the second period with an even strength goal. Tyler Madden sent a pass up to the Barracuda blue line over to Charles Hudon. The Reign forward made a touch pass over to Akil Thomas who skated in an beat ‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona with a wrist shot top shelf for his 22nd goal of the season at the 6:44 mark.

San Jose had a two-man advantage for 1:16 just past the halfway mark of the middle frame when Madden and Brandt Clarke went to the sinbin for hooking but Ontario was successful in killing off both penalties.

The Reign evened the score with a power play goal late in the second period. TJ Tynan intercepted a clearing attempt by Jack Thompson along the left boards. Tynan centered a pass over to a trailing Hudon who blasted a one-timer past Chrona for his 20th goal of the season at the 18:53 mark.

“They (Ontario) are a good second period team. We haven’t been as of late. We’ve looked at it, we’ve talked about it, and we out and did it again. And it cost us the game,” ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy said.

Ontario gained its only lead of the game late in the third period thanks to a turnover by the Barracuda in the neutral zone. Martin Chromiak led the counterattack as he sent a cross ice pass over to Ward who rifled in a one-timer from just outside the faceoff circle past Chrona for his eighth goal of the season at the 16:22 mark.

“They’re an opportunistic team. They got some guys that can score. So, we can’t spot them grade-A chances and unfortunately, we did, and it ended up in our net,” McCarthy said.

Dell (6-3-1-1) finished the game stopping 32 of the 34 shots he faced as he kept San Jose off the scoreboard in the final two periods to earn his sixth win of the season. Chrona (5-15-4) made 24 saves on 27 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-3 on the power play. Ontario was also 1-for-2.

‘Cuda right winger Akim Aliu has a chance to play on this upcoming road trip as his conditioning is ramping up for his return to the ice according to McCarthy. “Obviously it’s been a while since he’s played. We’re kind of slow playing it as far as getting his conditioning back up. We’re looking at the (upcoming) road trip, probably not the beginning part of it, but we’ll see where were at (with Aliu).”

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Ward 2) Coe 3) Hudon.

UP NEXT: San Jose starts a five-game road trip on Friday 3/29 as the take on the Calgary Wranglers at 12:00pm at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Warriors get much needed win beat Heat 113-92; Thompson with 28 pts in win

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Guard Klay Thompson (11) takes a lay up to the hoop for the Golden State Warriors against the Miami Heat’s guard Patty Mills (88) at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Tue Mar 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (37-34) got a much-needed win Tuesday night, beating the Miami Heat (39-33) 113-92. The Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, inserted Klay Thompson back into the Warriors’ starting lineup.

Thompson had played well coming off the bench. Kerr knew the Heat had several key players unavailable for Tuesday’s game. Jimmy Butler was out with an illness. The Heat’s best three-point shooter, Duncan Robinson, could not play due to a back problem. Tyler Herro and Kevin Love were sidelined due to foot injuries.

The Heat used a full-court press to slow down the Warrior’s offense. Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis did not play as he was not feeling well. Kerr had Kevon Looney replace Trayce in the second unit. Looney tallied seven points and pulled six rebounds in 18 minutes of playing time.

The Warriors knew the keys to the game were playing well on defense, not committing fouls, and not turning the ball over. The Warriors accomplished all three tasks.

The Warriors had an early eight-point lead in the first quarter, 20-12. The Heat’s Bam Abedayo made three consecutive two-point buckets to make it 20-18. The Heat finished the quarter leading 26-24. Each team scored 29 points in the second quarter.

Abedayo and Haywood Highsmith paced the Heat’s offense. Each player tallied 13 points in the first half. Klay Thompson, with 15, was the only Warrior in double figures in the first half. Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins each had seven. Jonathan Kuminga added eight. The Warriors trailed by two, 55-53, after two periods of play.

The Warriors came to play in the second half. Golden State won the third quarter 32-20. Thompson, Wiggins, and Curry were the players who took the Warriors to a ten-point lead, 95-85, at the end of the third quarter. Kuminga added to the Warriors’ offense in the fourth quarter.

Kuminga went high over the rim to score a basket after a three-point shot bounced high. The Warrior bench could not believe Kuminga’s athleticism on the play. The Warriors outscored the Heat 28-17 in the fourth quarter to win 113-92. 

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors are 37-34. The Heat fell to 39-33.

As a team, The Warriors shot 55% from the floor. The Warriors made 13 threes in 38 tries. The Heat was eight for thirty-three from downtown. The Warriors’ defense held the Heat to 41% from the floor. The Warriors had six steals and five blocks.

Golden State committed ten turnovers, and the Heat only made ten of 13 free throws. The defense held the Heat to 37 points in the second half. Kerr’s game plan worked to perfection. 

The Warriors won their 19th road game and avoided a fourth-quarter collapse. They had lost eleven times after leading by ten or more points after the third quarter.

Thompson led the Warriors with 28 points, connecting on six threes. Kuminga had 18 points and seven rebounds. Wiggins had 17 points and seven boards, and Curry also had 17 points and six assists.

The Heat had six players in double figures: Abedayo had 24, Terry Rozier and Haywood Highsmith had 15, Nikola Jovic had 11, Jaime Kaquez had 12, and Caleb Martin had 10.

The Warriors play again Wednesday night in Orlando. The Magic lead the Southeast Division with a record of 42-29. The Warriors need to be at their best to get a win. The game will start at 4 pm.

Barracuda power play shoots down Roadrunners in 4-0 shutout win, split series

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San Jose Barracuda forwards Cole Cassles (#60) and Nathan Todd (#45) celebrate Cassels goal in the second period during the Barracuda’s 4-0 win at Tech CU Arena on Sunday MAR 24, 2024. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda scored three power play goals and goalie Eetu Makiniemi stopped all 27 shots he faced in a 4-0 shutout victory over the Tucson Roadrunners on Sunday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose split their weekend series with its second win in three games. Tucson fell back down to earth as they have lost two of their last three games. It was only the third time the Roadrunners have been shutout this season.

The Barracuda (20-30-9-2) drew first blood late in the first period with its first power play goal of the game. Kyle Rau threw the puck in front of the crease as the puck laid loose in front of a sea of traffic. Danil Gushchin dug out the puck and buried it into the back of the net for his 15th goal of the season at the 18:36 mark.

Tucson (36-21-3-2) only generated six shots in the opening frame that was dominated by San Jos who outshot them by eight with a 14-6 margin.

San Jose doubled its lead with its second power play goal late in the second period. Gushchin led a rush up the ice and sent a pass far side over to Cole Cassels along the right slot. Cassels wrist shot deflected off a Roadrunner defender through the five-hole of Roadrunners goalie of Dylan Wells for his ninth goal of the season at the 17:35 mark.

Oskar Lindblom scored the ‘Cuda’s third unanswered goal, an even strength one, just before the halfway mark of the third period. Shakir Mukhamadullin centered a pass through the crease as Lindblom’s first attempt was saved by Wells. The veteran forward cleaned up his own rebound for his eighth goal of the season at the 8:47 mark.

Tucson was never able to establish any offensive rhythm as they were busy going to the sinbin throughout the game as they took nine penalties, most of them undisciplined, that allowed San Jose to have a sustained forecheck.

Ethan Cardwell got back on the scoring sheet with San Jose’s third power play goal of the game just under three minutes later. Tristen Robbins sent a no look rink wide pass over to Cardwell who blasted a one-timer past Wells for his team-leading 19th goal of the season at the 11:37 mark. Cardwell has goals four of his past five games.

Things became chippy in the final two minutes of the game with two fights and a total of nine players between both teams given 10-minute misconducts with 1:53 remaining. There was a total of 148 combined penalty minutes between the two teams.

Makiniemi (8-8-0-3) had a relatively easy afternoon as he earned his third shutout of the season with his 27 saves. Wells (8-5-2-1) made 36 saves on 40 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 3-for 9 on the power play. Tucson was 0-for-5.

San Jose is now 2-4 against Tucson in the season series.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Gushchin 2) Mukhamadullin 3) Makiniemi.

Who let the dogs out? The Barracuda had their annual Pucks and Paws Day as 3,982 showed up with their canine friends.

UP NEXT: San Jose concludes their four-game homestand when they host the Ontario Reign on Wednesday 3/27 at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Ebobisse’s late goal heroics give Earthquakes first win of the season 3-2 over Sounders

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San Jose Earthquakes players celebrate a goal scored by Cristian Espinoza during their 3-2 victory over the Seattle Sounders at Pay Pal Park on Saturday MAR 23, 2024. (San Jose Earthquakes)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Something had to give on a cloudy night in Silicon Valley.

On a night when both teams were looking to put a one in the win column, Jeremy Ebobisse scored the game winning goal in the 82nd minute as the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Seattle Sounders 3-2 on a rainy Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park in the 16th edition of the Heritage Cup.

San Jose earned its first win of the season after beginning the season losing its first four matches. Seattle has lost two of their first four matches.

“It felt great, especially for the players,” said Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez. “The players have been fantastic in terms of trying to get better. We obviously have been disappointed with the results. We know that it hasn’t bounced our way, but we saw early in the week in competing and with their energy and in their belief. Together they showed that determination.”

Gonzalez made major lineup changes for the first time this season as he replaced his starting midfield with Alfred Morales, Jackson Yueill and Niko Tsakiris. Preston Judd replaced Ebobisse in the starting lineup at striker and William Yarbrough got his first start of the season in goal replacing Daniel in his Earthquakes debut.

San Jose (1-4-0) drew first blood in the 42nd minute. Yueill centered a ball into the box that hit off the head of defender Bruno Wilson over to a crashing Vitor Costa who slid kicking the ball into the net past Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei for his team-leading second goal of the season.

“It’s something we’ve been working, more so crashing the box. We want to be visible in the box. We want to be optimistic that the ball is going to bounce there. It wasn’t exactly the ball I was trying to put there but it was a good moment for him (Costa) to score and be in that position,” Yueill said.

The Earthquakes needed just a minute later to double its lead. Judd dribbled in from the left wing, hesitated, then shot the ball on Frei. The Sounders’ captain initial save bounced out to the middle where Cristian Espinoza cleaned up the rebound into an empty net for his first goal of the season.

The ‘Quakes had all the momentum in their favor as they controlled the possession for the majority of the first half and were rewarded late with the two goals as they headed into the intermission riding high.

Seattle (0-1-2) cut the lead in half when they were awarded a penalty in the 70th minute by referee Gabriele Ciampi when he called Paul Marie for a foul inside the box when he pushed down Yéimar Gómez from behind. Two minutes later Raúl Ruidíaz finished off the penalty by getting Yarbrough to go down before chipping the ball into the middle of the net for his team-leading second goal of the season.

The Sounders scored the equalizer in the 81st minute. Cody Baker centered a ball from the right sideline deep into the box where an unmarked Danny Musovski headed the ball into the back post for his first goal of the season.

Ebobisse, who came into the game as a substitution five minutes earlier, set up his own heroics as he sent out a pass over to Jack Skahan along the right flank. Skahan went around a Sounders defender before centering the ball into the box where a sliding Ebobisse buried into the net for his first goal of the season.

“We all want to be on the field, and we are going to make the most of it when we are on it. It does not mean you don’t have each other’s backs. The situation on the field is for one striker. Even if you want to be the best for yourself, you have to acknowledge when things are going right,” Ebobisse said.

Yarbrough finished the match with five saves on seven shots to earn his first victory in a Quakes kit. Frei made four saves on seven shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with two corner kicks. Seattle had eight.

The Quakes and Sounders FC, both founded in 1974 and originally members of the North American Soccer League (NASL), are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this season.

San Jose is now 15-15-9 all time against Seattle and is undefeated in their last four matches.

The Quakes’ first two goals happened 1:36 apart, which is the quickest span in MLS this season, eclipsing the previous mark of 2:02 by Austin FC against Philadelphia Union on March 16.

Attendance for the match was 16,109.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns to the road when they take on the Houston Dynamo on Saturday 3/30 at 5:30pm at Shell Energy Stadium.

Roadrunners third period offense enough in 3-1 win over Barracuda

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San Jose forward Tanner Kaspick (#41) pinned Tucson Roadrunners defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok up against the boards during the Roadrunners 3-1 win at Tech CU Arena on Saturday MAR 23, 2022. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Tucson Roadrunners scored three unanswered goals in the final 21 minutes to defeat the San Jose Barracuda 3-1 on Saturday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost four of its past five games. Tucson has won five of its past six games.

San Jose (19-30-9-2-47 points) drew first blood 48 seconds to start the game. Danil Gushchin picked up his own rebound before centering the puck into the middle where Brandon Coe beat Roadrunners goalie Matthew Villalta with a low wrist shot for his 10th goal of the season.

It was the quickest San Jose has scored a goal to open a game.

Tucson (36-20-3-2-77 points) despite having two power plays could not put a dent in the scoreboard even though they outshot San Jose 16-12 in the first period.

‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona, who made his first since being sent back down to the Barracuda, made two big saves in the first five minutes of the opening frame, including robbing Milos Kelemen of a point-blank chance right in front of the crease.

The second period featured a couple of close calls. First, Cole Cassels muffed on an empty net bid where the puck ended up in the glove of Villalta five and half minutes into the second period. Then Ben McCartney breakaway attempt hit off the post at the halfway mark.

San Jose weren’t able to capitalize on 64 seconds of a 5-on-3 power play opportunity with under six minutes remaining in the middle frame as Tucson’s penalty kill were able to kill off both penalties.

Tuscon evened the score with a power play goal late in the period. Jan Jenik skated between two ‘Cuda defenders before finding Josh Doan in the left slot and Doan roofed home a wrist shot past Chrona for his team leading 26th goal of the season at the 19:36 mark. It was Doan’s 10th power play goal, which leads all rookies in the AHL.

The Roadrunners gained its first lead of the game early in the third period. Jenik cruised down the left side boards as he left a drop pass for Colin Theisen who skated in a beat Chrona with a wrist shot top shelf for his sixth goal of the season at the 5:10 mark.

Kolyachonok iced the game for Tucson with an empty net goal from inside his own blueline 1:27 remaining in the game for his eighth goal of the season.

Villalta (26-15-3-3) finished the game stopping 32 of the 33 shots he faced to earn his 26th win of the season. Chrona (5-14-4) made 35 saves on 37 in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-3 on the power play. Tucson was 1-for-3.

San Jose is 1-4 in the season series with Tucson.

Ethan Cardwell had his three-game goal streak snapped.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Doan 2) Coe 3) Villalta.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Tucson conclude their two-game weekend series on Sunday 3/24 at 3:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Headline Sports podcast with Augie Mesenburg: Ohtani’s interpreter under investigation for theft

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (left) and his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara (right) will no longer be working together as Mizuhara was accused of massive theft of Ohtani’s funds that he allegedly used for gambling. The Dodgers fired Mizuhara on Wed Mar 20, 2024. (AP file photo)

On Ohtani’s interpreter under investigation for theft podcast with Augie:

#1 Representatives of Los Angeles Dodger designated hitter Shohei Ohtani accused Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of stealing from Ohtani and using the money for gambling.

#2 The Feds are now investigating. It was reported that Ohtani also covered Muzuhara’s gambling debts in the neighborhood of $4 million.

#3 The Los Angeles offices of Berk Brettler said that Ohtani was the victim of massive theft the law firm turned over the case to the federal authorities.

#4 It as also reported that Mizuhara placed bets with a bookmaker. It’s a question whether Ohtani will press charges for the theft but it’s mostly unlikely as he considered Mizuhara like a brother. Ohtani will have to stay away from Mizuhara during the investigation.

#5 Apparently the scandal hasn’t disrupted Ohtani’s concentration on baseball as he hit an RBI single in the top of the eighth inning in the Dodgers four run rally against the San Diego Padres on opening day in Seoul Korea at the Korean Series.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com. Augie also is a reporter for KHAI 103.5FM in Honolulu

Barracuda shoot down Gulls 6-4 in a morning high scoring affair

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San Jose Barracuda defenseman Valtteri Pulli (#77) reacts to the puck being cleared out of his zone while San Diego Gulls forward Ben King (#14) looks on during the Barracuda’s 6-4 win at Tech CU Arena on Wednesday MAR 20, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda scored two goals in the third period to break a 4-4 tie en route to a 6-4 victory over the San Diego Gulls on Wednesday morning at Tech CU Arena.

Both teams played in front of a packed house, 3,983, as it was the annual ‘Cuda Kids Classroom Day at the arena where students from all over the area attended the game.

San Jose snapped its three-game losing streak. San Diego is 2-3 in their last five games as both teams anchor the Pacific Division.

San Diego (22-27-8-0) drew first blood with an even strength goal past the halfway mark of the first period. Nick Wolff sent in a long pass into the Barracuda zone. Brayden Tracey centered a backhand pass from behind the net out to Josh Lapina who beat ‘Cuda goalie Georgi Romanov for his 12th goal of the season at the 12:29 mark.

San Jose (19-29-9-2) answered back late in the opening frame with two goals in 39 second span. First Valtteri Pulli sent the puck back up to the point to Nikolai Knyzhov who blasted a slapshot past Gulls goalie Calle Clang for his third goal of the season at the 18:07 mark. Nathan Todd provided a good screen on Clang who never saw the shot.

Then the line of Danil Gushchin, Brandon Coe and Tristen Robins connected for a tic-tac-toe goal at the 18:46 mark. Gushchin led the rush up into the Gulls zone while dropping off the puck over to Robins along the left wing who then set up Coe who beat Clang with a wrist shot to the short side for his ninth goal of the season.

The Gulls responded back with the two goals early in the second period in less than a 90 second span. Trevor Carrick scored his seventh goal of the season on the power play at the 6:34 mark. Glenn Gawdin and Ben King recorded assists on the play.

Then at the 7:53 mark, former ‘Cuda captain Andrew Agozzino set up Nikita Nesterenko for the rookie forward’s 15th goal of the season with an even strength goal.

The Barracuda scored the equalizer at the 9:15 mark when Robins scored his fourth goal of the season. Both Knyzhov and Pulli recorded assists on Robin’s goal for their second points of the game.

It only took the Gulls 19 second to respond for its second lead of the game. Nathan Gaucher scored his seventh goal of the season on the very next shift. Tracey had his second assist of the game.

That ended the morning for Romanov as he was replaced by Eetu Makiniemi by ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy. Romanov gave up four goals on 11 shots.

Just like the in the first period, the ‘Cuda regained the lead late in the second period with an even strength goal. Rookie left winger Joe Carroll scored his 12th goal of the season at the 18:54 mark.

San Jose regained the lead early in the third period with an even strength goal. Shahir Mukhamadullin set up Ethan Cardwell with a centering pass and Cardwell tapped the puck home into an empty net for his team-leading 18th goal of the season at the 3:35 mark.

The ‘Cuda scored an insurance goal late in the final frame. Newly acquired defenseman Jack Thompson’s shot from the point was redirected by Mukhamadullin top shelf past Clang for his seventh goal of the season at the 13:19 mark.

Makiniemi (7-8-0-2) stepped up his game as he finished the afternoon stopping all 30 shots he faced to earn his seventh win of the season. Clang (9-12-4-0) gave up all six goals on 41 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-1 on the power play. San Diego was 1-for-1.

San Jose is 3-0 against San Diego in the season series.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Mukhamadullin 2) Coe 3) Knyzhov.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues its four-game homestand on Saturday 3/23 as they host the Tucson Roadrunners at 2:00pm at Tech CU Arena.