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Good pitching, Timely hitting, give A’s 2-1 win over Twins at Target Field

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Oakland A’s starter Ken Waldichuk will duel against the Los Angeles Angels on Fri Sep 29, 2023 at the Big A in Anaheim. This will be the last series of the 2023 season for Oakland. (photo from White Cleat Beat)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, behind Luis Medina’s best performance of the year and timely hitting by the A’s offense, gave the A’s a 2-1 win over the Central Division champions, the Minnesota Twins. It was Medina’s last start in 2023, and he made it a good one. The young man from the Dominican Republic can go home knowing how well he pitched Thursday afternoon.

The Twins did score a run off Medina in the bottom of the sixth. However, relievers Lucas Erceg, Dany Jimenez, and Trevor May pitched a scoreless seventh, eighth, and ninth inning to secure the win for the Green and Gold.

The A’s were facing their former teammate Sonny Gray in the final game of the three-game series. Gray had been a first-round pick of the A’s in the 2011 Amateur Draft. Gray had been a standout pitcher at Vanderbilt University. The Twins’ manager, Rocco Baldelli, planned to have Gray pitch four innings as he will pitch the second game of the AL Wildcard series slated to start next Tuesday.

The A’s scored the game’s first run in the top of the second inning. With one out, JJ Bleday, recently activated from the IL, singled. Bleday went to second base on Aledmys Diaz’s ground out. A’s shortstop Nick Allen singled to drive in Bleday.

The Twins tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Willie Castro, playing third base for the Twins, laid down a perfect drag bunt to reach safely. Former San Francisco Giant Donovan Solano singled, sending Castro to second.

Medina hit Alex Kiriloff with a pitch to load the bases with no out. The next hitter, Matt Wallner, who hit a grand slam Tuesday night, hit into a 4-6-3 double play. Castro scored to tie the game. Medina retired Ryan Jeffers for the final out.

The Twins threatened to break the game open in the bottom of the seventh. A’s reliever Lucas Erceg walked Trevor Larnach to start the inning. Erceg retired the next two hitters. Erceg suddenly could not find the strike zone. He walked Edouard Julien and Willie Castro to load the bases.

The next hitter was the ever-dangerous hit machine, Donovan Solano. It was quite a battle. It took 12 pitches as Erceg struck out Solano with a 99-mile-per-hour fastball that ended the inning.

The Twins brought Kenta Maeda to relieve Sonny Gray in the fifth inning. Maeda held the A’s hitless for three innings. The game-winning hit came in the top of the eighth. A’s rookie first baseman Ryan Noda blasted his 16th home run of the year into the right field seats to give the A’s a 2-1 advantage.

Dany Jimenez gave up a one-out double to Matt Wallner. The Twins needed a hit to tie the game. Jimenez retired Ryan Jeffers on a fly ball to left and Trevor Larnach on a ground out to first baseman Ryan Noda. Trevor May, a former member of the Minnesota Twins, retired his former 1-2-3 in the ninth. The A’s win 2-1.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s are 49-110. It was the A’s third win in their 14 games. The winning pitcher was Lucas Erceg. The Twins dropped to 85-74. The losing pitcher was Kenta Maeda.

The line for Oakland was two runs, four hits, and no errors.
The line for the Twins was one run, four hits, and no errors.

The line for Luis Medina was six innings pitched, allowing one run, four hits, walking three, and striking out four. Medina threw 93 pitches, 55 for strikes. It was his best performance of the year.

The A’s play the season’s final three games with the Los Angeles Angels. Both teams have had a dismal season. The A’s set an Oakland record with 110 losses. The Angels lost their two All-Stars to injury. Mike Trout broke his hamate bone last July and did not fully recover.

Shohei Ohtani had UCL surgery and is out until next year. The big question in Anaheim is whether the players will wear an Angel uniform next year. Ohtani is a free agent and will be a hot property on the market. The big-money teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, or Mets will be trying to sign Ohtani.

The A’s will send lefty Ken Waldichuk to the hill Friday night to face the Angels. Waldichuk will be trying to win his fifth game of the year. Chase Silseth will pitch for LA.

For this writer, this will be my final A’s game summary for 2023. It has been difficult to watch the A’s lose so many games. However, as dismal as it has been, there are some bright spots. First, I would like to commend A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, for the job he did in such unfortunate circumstances.

Kotsay made sure his players gave 100% every day. They may not have produced better results, but it was not for lack of effort. The guys were all grinders. They did not lay down. The A’s have some young talent that may change their fortunes. Second baseman Zack Geldof has shown he is a big-league talent.

In the coming seasons, Ryan Noda, Esteury Ruiz, and Shea Langeliers will all be building blocks. The A’s need to improve the starting rotation. The only pitcher with five wins was Shintaro Fujinami. The A’s traded Fuji to Baltimore, and the young pitcher from Japan will be in the playoffs.

Starting pitcher for Oakland to open the three game series in Anaheim Friday night for the A’s Ken Waldichuk (4-8 ERA 5.29) for the Los Angeles Angels Chase Silseth (4-1 ERA 4.10) a 6:38pm PT first pitch.

Let me finish by saying adios to the Green and Gold. Let’s hope next year will be better.

Oakland A’s preview: A’s open up three game series against Twins Tuesday night

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Oakland Athletics’ Ryan Noda reacts after striking out against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Sep 25, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s are off on Monday. On a sour note, they finished the final home game of the season at the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday. The A’s lost to the Tigers 4-1, which was the 108th of the year. The 108 losses tied the A’s 1979 team, which also lost 108 games.

The A’s start the final six-game road trip of the year starting on Tuesday with three games against the Minnesota Twins. Neither team has anything to achieve. The Twins are the champions of the Central Division and will be the number three seed in the American League playoffs.

The A’s will finish the season with the worst record in baseball. They will likely only win some of the six games on the trip and will set a new A’s team record for most losses in a season.

The Twins were fortunate to be in the Central Division. If they were in the AL West or Al East, the Twins would be in the race for the last Wild Card slot. The Twins are the only team in the Central Division with a winning record, 83-73.

That is the seventh-best record in the league. Toronto, Texas, Houston, and Seattle all have a better record. In the AL West, it will be a dogfight until the final day of the season. The Rangers play three against the Angels starting on Monday, then four against the Seattle Mariners starting on Thursday.

The Mariners trail the Rangers by three games, but Houston could sneak in as Division Champs if they can sweep the Rangers. Houston plays Seattle for three games, starting Tuesday, and finishes the season against the Arizona D-Backs. Seattle has seven games against the two teams ahead of them in the standings. Seattle still has a chance to make the playoffs.

If the playoffs were to start today, The Orioles and Rangers would have byes. The Twins would be playing the Astros, and the Tampa Bay Rays, with the second-best record in the AL, would face off against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card round. The Rays’ record is seven and 1/2 games better than the Twins, 95-62 compared to the Twins 83-73.

While the A’s don’t have anything to achieve, A’s skipper Mark Kotsay wants to have his team continue to give a total effort. Many of the young A’s players want to show they are in the team’s plans for 2024.

The bright spots for Oakland are players like second baseman Zack Gelof, right fielder Brent Rooker, outfielders Esteury Ruiz and Lawrence Butler. The A’s need to rebuild their starting rotation. The bullpen did okay. Trevor May had almost 30 saves.

The Twins may want to keep their starting position players on the field or let them rest before the playoffs. Many people feel the regulars should continue playing in order not to let rust set in. Other people contend that the regulars should rest to avoid getting injured.

In any case, the A’s have three games to play. The Twins have a solid solid starting rotation. The A’s will see Bailey Ober on Tuesday night, Pablo Lopez on Wednesday, and former A’s starter Sonny Gray on Thursday. The A’s Paul Blackburn will pitch on Tuesday against the Twins. The A’s have not announced their starter for the two other games.

The Twins have only two players with more than 20 home runs. Outfielder Michael Taylor has twenty, and Max Kepler has twenty-three. The Twins will feature Alex Kiriloff at first base, Jorge Polanco at second, Carlos Correa at short, and Kyle Farmer or Polanco at third base.

Royce Lewis is out until October 1st. Willi Castro, Michael Taylor, and Max Kepler will be the outfielders. Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo will be available on September 26th. Both players have spent time on the IL.

The Twins have a solid bullpen. The setup guy is Griffin Jax and the closer is Jhoan Duran. Duran has 27 saves and has blown five saves this year. Other relievers include Caleb Thielbar, Emilio Pagan, Dylan Floro, Chris Paddack, Kody Funderbunk, Dallas Keuchel, and Louie Varland.

The A’s will be playing for pride. The Twins want to win to show the league that they are worthy of being in the playoffs.

The game will start at 4:40 p.m.

Air Force Beats San Jose State 45-20

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The Air Force Falcons running back Lee Eldridge (24) takes a leap over the San Jose State University Spartans linebacker Taniela Latu (41) at Spartan Stadium in San Jose on Fri Sep 22, 2023 (@AF_Football photo)

Friday, September 22nd, 2023 

By Troy Ewers

 San Jose, CA – CEFCU Stadium was the location for this Mountain West conference duel between the San Jose State Spartans and Air Force Falcons. This Friday night battle may have felt like being in high school and watching a game at your school, but the energy and competition was way more intense with more at stake. Air Force handled the San Jose State with a 45-20 win.

Spartans QB Chevan Cordeiro had his hands full against Air Force considering going into this game the Falcons with a conference leading defense. Air Force’s defense ranked first in the conference in seven categories (scoring defense, passing defense, rushing defense, total defense, opposing first downs, third down defense, and sacks for).

Air Force also was the conference leader in six offensive categories (pass yards/completions, rushing offense, passing efficiency, third down %, sacks against, and time of possession). How would SJSU head coach Brent Brennan prepare for this top ranked squad?

San Jose State’s opening drive showed that coach Brennan was very prepared for the Falcons. The first drive for the Spartans went 75 yards in eight plays and took only 4:17 off the clock, this efficient drive didn’t showcase Cordeiro’s efficiency with the offense, but he was able to score on his feet with a 10 yard run to give the Spartans the lead to start the game, but the extra point was missed, 6-0.

Air Force this season had only allowed seven points in the first half and SJSU had already done better essentially in the first quarter. Air Force’s opening drive wasn’t a quiet in and out drive, they went 62 yards, but could only collect three points off the field goal from Matthew Dapore. 6-3 game at this point in the first quarter. The Spartans next drive went nowhere as they were forced to punt and it was a better example of the Falcons defense that was advertised. 

The second quarter started with Air Force with the ball around midfield and the rushing offense of the Falcons displayed why they were the leaders of the Mountain West. Not only did they control the pace of the game, but after going 65 yards on the drive, a rush by Emmanuel Michel for 17 yards through the defense into the end zone, the Falcons were able to take the lead including adding an extra point, 10-6 Air Force.

The shootout continued with SJSU moving the chains for a 60 yard drive and the exclamation point on the drive was a 29 yard touchdown run by Kairee Robinson, breaking tackles and finding holes, showing off great field vision and putting the Spartans over 13-10.

The momentum swayed largely in San Jose State’s favor after they completely stuffed Air Force as the Falcons tried to rush the ball and went absolutely nowhere and forced a punt. This was SJSU’s opportunity to possibly extend their lead going into halftime.

Cordeiro and this offense took full advantage of this opportunity and in four plays went 64 yards and pounded the ball into the end zone with another Robinson TD for SJSU. Cordeiro at this point in the game was throwing a perfect 11/11 so far as the Spartans were up 20-10.

Air Force’s response as the second quarter winded down was to go 75 yards and run the ball in for TD, but the attack was more balanced as Falcons QB Zac Larrier founds holes in the Spartans defense that made their attack feel easy and as the half ended the score was close, 20-17 with SJSU up. 

The second half started with Air Force having the ball and their game plan was to take over possession time with their nation leading running game. Coming into the second half with 199 rushing yards, Air Force added 75 yards on that stat with a long drive that went 15 plays and took more than half of the quarter to execute, but they executed to perfection with a rushing touchdown by John Lee Eldridge III and on that drive it felt like every running back on Air Force’s roster touched the ball and the Falcons took the lead, 24-20.

Cordeiro’s first incompletion came in the first play of the opening drive for SJSU in the second half and he followed it up with a second incomplete and an eight yard run, but no first down and with 5:28 left in the third, the game was coming down to who can stick to their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

Air Force’s run game was hitting on all cylinders. So far this season they average 320 yards a game and this game was no different for the Falcons as they hit 333 yards when the whistle blew for the end of the third quarter. 

With the ball to start the fourth quarter and red zone field possession, Air Force had a chance to extend the lead the only way they knew how and they did exactly that. Converting on a fourth down for a touchdown, Michel jammed in a one yard run in the end zone and took an 11 point lead to start the final quarter, 31-20.

A real shift in momentum came when SJSU tried to convert on fourth down to mount a comeback, but that attempt failed as they were stuffed by the Air Force D-Line and the possession would change hands. The Spartans had been scoreless in the second half at this point and with Air Force having the ball after that turnover on downs, it was clear who had everything in their favor the second half.

The proverbial nail in the coffin for SJSU came when Eldrige III broke tackles and hurdled falling Spartans for a 34 yard TD, 38-20 Air Force. After that TD the fans were filing out to beat the traffic. Both Michel and Eldrige III had 100+ yards rushing and the total rushing yards at this point for Air Force were 380, upholding their average on the season.

Cordeiro would throw an interception to Air Force’s Trey Taylor in a routine pop up pick and by this point in the game, all Air Force had to do was run this clock down to zero. Air Force while running down this clock would score again, 45-20, but the damage was not only done, but the 16,124 in attendance dwindled to around 2,000 people with two minutes left. 

When the final whistle blew it was clear who had won this game and it was clear Air Force was just as dominant as they were advertised. On defense they were a force and on offense they used a ground game that was classic old school smash mouth football.

For SJSU there’s a lot to learn from this game and with a bye week next week, they have time to reflect and learn from this game. Their next game would be in Idaho against Boise State on October 7th.

Timbers edge Earthquakes 2-1 climb up to 8th in Western Conference

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Portland Timbers foward Cristhian Paredes battles San Jose Earthquakes defender Tanner Beason for a loose ball at Providence Park on Wednesday SEP 20, 2023. (Portland Timbers)

by Marko Ukalovic @MarkoUkalovic

Providence Park continues to be a house of horrors for the San Jose Earthquakes.

The Portland Timbers continued its dominance on their home turf against the ‘Quakes as they held on for a thrilling 2-1 victory on Wednesday evening.

Portland has won three matches in a row and are on a five-match point streak (4-0-1). San Jose had its three-match point streak snapped with the loss. The Timbers climbed up to eight place in the Western Conference with 39 points, one point behind the ‘Quakes who currently are in seventh place.

San Jose still has not been able to break the Providence Park curse as they have not won in 17 straight MLS matches in Portland with a record of 0-13-4.

Portland (10-11-9-39 points) controlled the majority of the possession in the first half as they spent the first half inside the San Jose’s zone generating quality scoring chances.

Late in the first half, San Jose (10-10-10-40 points) finally gained possession inside Portland’s zone attempting to take momentum away with a goal before halftime.

However, an errant pass led to a quick counterattack by the Timbers. Bryan Acosta got loose down the right wing before he centered a pass over to Cristhian Paredes who beat ‘Quakes goalkeeper Daniel to the far side with a sliding one-timer for his second goal of the season in the third minute of stoppage time right before halftime.

Portland doubled its lead in the 58th minute when Evander found himself at the right place at the right time. Sebastian Blanco’s shot attempted pinballed off two ‘Quakes defenders inside the box right over to Evander and the Brazilian midfielder chipped the ball over Daniel into the back of the net for his team leading ninth goal of the season.

‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez immediately brought in Cade Cowell and Nico Tsakiris to bring in some fresh legs and energy to the offensive attack.

San Jose cut the deficit in half two minutes later when Jeremy Ebobisse lofted a pass from left to right over to Cristian Espinoza. The Argentine striker’s one-timer was saved by Timber’s goalkeeper David Bingham but the subsequent rebound was buried home by Matthew Hoppe for his first career MLS goal and first in a ‘Quakes kit.

Hoppe, who made his first start for San Jose, was moved to central midfielder when the Cowell and Tsakiris were subbed in as wingers, a position he grew up playing up until he was a teenager.

“Growing up my whole life, I played midfielder up until the age of 16 or 17 (years old),” said Hoppe after the match. “Then I moved on up to the striker role. So, I’m comfortable in the middle and I told Luchi (Gonzalez) that. There was some good takeaways from today and you just have to build it towards the next game.”

Despite the offensive push from San Jose late in the match, Portland was able to hold down the fort and escape with three points in a crowded race for the top nine in the Western Conference.

“We knew it was going to be difficult, this is a hard place to get points. We knew that coming in. We embraced it in our prep. We talked about enjoying it. Enjoying this environment and the pressure of these last games. I thought we could be better in the attacking third. We scored a rebound goal. We need more of those and a little bit more determination and final action that I know we have in us,” Gonzalez said.

Bingham finished the match with one save on two shots on net to earn the win. Daniel made four saves, including a diving one off of a free kick by Evander from just outside the box in the 25th minute to keep the game scoreless at the time, on six shots on goal in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with five corner kicks. Portland had six.

Portland leads the overall series 17-6-10.

Cowell became the youngest player in MLS history to earn 100 MLS appearances.

Out of the 10 wins by Portland, eight of them have come at home.

The announced crowd at Providence Park was 21,518.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts Nashville SC on Saturday 9/23 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

M’s Woo blanks A’s 5-0 to open three game series at Coliseum

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Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo works against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Sep 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

Seattle (82-68). 0101 201 001 – 5. 9. 0

Oakland (46-104). 000 000 000 – 0. 5 0

Time:2:41

Attendance: 4,972

Monday, September 18, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Oakland born Bryan Woo returned this evening to the town where his eyes first saw the light of day. The 26 year old righty, who was on the injured list from August 8 to 22 with an inflamed right forearm, started for the Seattle Mariners against the A’s, bringing a record of 3-4, 4.36 with him.

One of those victories came at the Athletics’ expense, when, on August 28, he shut them out for six innings on three hits in a game that the Mariners won, 5-0.

In spite of some difficulties in the first and fourth frames, Woo was pretty much lights out for the five innings he was in the game. He allowed three hits, all singles, struck out six, but issued four bases on balls. Still, he didn’t allow any runs. He threw 86 pitches, 53 for strikes and with the win improved his record to 3-4, 3.90.

Although the outcome of the game, a 5-0 whitewash of the hapless A’s, had no effect on the Athletics’ dismal place in the MLB standings, it was an important win for the visitors, who, once the final out was recorded, stood at 82-68, two games behind the Astros for first place in the AL West and a half a game out of the last wild card position.

The A’s sent sophomore southpaw JP Sears and his 5-11, 4.45 record against the M’s. In spite of his unsightly numbers Sears has shown signs of being a front line starter for some future team that the A’s will either trade him to or pack up and go to Las Vegas with. He toed the mound at 6:41 with a 2-0, 0.67 career mark against Seattle over five games, four as a starter.

Sears had problems with his control in the top of the first, loading the bases on two walks and a hit batter, but somehow managed to wiggle out of it unscathed. His control was better in the second, but Sam Haggerty led off with a single, advanced to second on José Caballero’s weak grounder to short, on which Nick Allen made a pretty pickup and throw, and then scored on a perfect piece of opposite field hitting, JP Crawford’s two single to right.

Sears managed to avoid serious damage in the second and third, but Seattle put another two runs on the board in the fourth on Dylan Moore’s solid single to center and José Caballero’s no doubt about it 437 foot blast into the left field seats, his eighth round tripper of the year.

Oakland’s starter recovered to pitch a perfect fifth, but a Caballero single and steal of second, followed by a double by Luis Torrens in the sixth brought in Seattle’s fourth run and sent Sears to the showers. Kyle Muller relieved him with two outs and ended the inning. He stayed on and shut out the M’s until faltering in the ninth and surrendering the visitors’ fifth and final tally.

Sears had lasted 5-2/3 frames, in which he threw 89 pitches, 53 for strikes. The four runs he allowed were earned and came on six hits, four balls, and a hit batter. The loss left him at 5-12, 4.52. Tayler Salcedo pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth in relief of Woo, and Justin Topa put the A’s down in order in the seventh and gave way to Trent Thornton.

The A’s couldn’t score on him either, but Esteury Ruiz, who had pinch hit for Seth Brown in the sixth, did manage to single and then steals of second and third, bringing his season’s pilferage total to 61.

Isaiah Campbell mopped up for Seattle with a scoreless ninth.

Tuesday, at 6:40pm PT the gang from the Puget Sound will start Luis Castillo (13-7, 3.08) against the East Bay’s Paul Blackburn (4-5 ERA 4.14).

Giants Head to Arizona For a Date With the Diamondbacks

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San Francisco Giants third base coach Mark Hallberg, left, and Brandon Crawford celebrate a home run in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver on Sun Sep 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Time is running out on the 2023 MLB season. With 12 games left in the season now is the time for the San Francisco Giants to step up and they have to do it Tuesday as they take on the Diamondbacks for a short two-game series.

Arizona is 2 1/2 games ahead of the Giants in the Wild Card race and San Francisco remains in the sixth spot two games back of the Wild Card. Losing the first three games of the series with the Colorado Rockies this past weekend did the Giants no favors.

They are now facing some very challenging series to finish up the season which includes two series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s a close and crowded field this year in the NL with six teams five games apart in the Wild Card race.

The Giants cannot afford any more lapses; they have to finish the final lap on a winning note. San Francisco is not the only a Wild Card contender that have tough final series coming up. The Phillies, Marlins, Cubs, Reds and Diamondbacks all have upcoming series that will challenge them. It just comes down to who wants it more.

Tuesday the Giants (76-74) will take on the Diamondbacks (79-72) in Arizona. This series is a short one with only two games before heading to Los Angeles for a date with the Dodgers, a four game series. While the Giants cannot control what the aforementioned teams will do, they can control their own destiny and it all begins Tuesday night in Arizona.

After three straight losses to the Colorado Rockies in their last series, the Giants got back on track winning game four Sunday 11-10. San Francisco very nearly gave up another walk-off to the Rockies.

The Giants led 9-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. San Francisco allowed five runs in the sixth inning and another four runs in the ninth inning barely winning the game. Of course there are two ways to look at this game. It’s a good thing that they were able to hang onto the lead however letting the Rockies offense explode and very nearly take the game was not encouraging.

Tuesday, the Giants take the first step in game 1 of the Diamondback series. Probable starting pitcher for San Francisco will be Alex Cobb with a 7-6 win/loss record and a 3.62 ERA. The Giants offense will face Zac Gallen with an impressive 15-8 win/loss record and a 3.50 ERA.

Arizona has some heavy hitters in Christian Walker with 30 homers and 93 RBIs and Corbin Carroll with a .279 batting average. The Giants also have an impressive roster with standouts Wilmer Flores, Thairo Flores and J.D. Davis. The final leg of this seemingly endless journey begins Tuesday night at Chase Field.

49ers grind out impressive 30-23 win over Rams to start 2-0

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San Francisco 49ers defensive back Deommodore Lenoir intercepts a pass in the second half in his team’s 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday SEP 17, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic @MarkoUkalovic

Ownage is ownage no matter how pretty or how ugly it gets.

The San Francisco 49ers defense stepped up to the plate in the second half as they defeated the Los Angeles Rams for the ninth straight time in the regular season in a 30-23 victory on Sunday afternoon at a pro-49er crowd at SoFi Stadium.

San Francisco continued its dominance over the Los Angeles down in “South San Francisco” with their second consecutive win. Los Angles dropped to .500 after stunning Seattle last week.

The 49ers (2-0) began the game with a methodical 11 play 75-yard drive on its opening possession that resulted in a 14-yard rushing touchdown by running back Christian McCaffery. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who had two catches on the drive, was injured but was able to return and finish the game.

Los Angeles (1-1) has surrounded veteran quarterback Matt Stafford with an arsenal of young weapons with running back Kyren Williams and wide receivers Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell. All three had good games against one of the NFL’s best defenses.

After trading field goals early in the first half, the Rams evened the score on its second possession. The drive began with good field position when 49ers rookie kicker Jake Moody kicked the ball out of bounds on a kickoff after his 27-yard field goal.

Stafford found Williams on the outside with a screen pass and Williams motored into the endzone for his first career receiving touchdown with 9:49 left in the second quarter.

The Rams gained its first and only lead of the game when they marched down the field on a 11 play 88-yard drive that was finished off when Williams rumbled his way into the end zone from the 49ers four-yard line with 1:45 remaining.

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy needed just seven plays to march his offense down the field to even the score with his one-yard quarterback sneak as time expired in the first half.

The 49ers defense, which looked suspect in the first half, dominated the second half as they only allowed two field goals, one at the end of the game with the outcome already in hand, to Los Angeles as they began to pressure Stafford and kept Williams ground attack in check.

“Trying to get more stickier in coverage, pressure Stafford a little more. Trying to eliminate the run game… We had to tighten things up on the back end try to make it a little bit harder on Stafford,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said.

Purdy didn’t have his sharpen game in a 49ers uniform as he missed three wide open throws that would have been for big gains if not touchdown receptions.

“Couple opportunities that I missed in terms of the deep ball but we found a way to win…I just overthrew them. One to BA (Aiyuk), to Deebo (Samuel), JJ (Jauan Jennings) on 3rd down. Those are on me. I’ve got to be better, I’ve got to hit ‘em in stride & not overthrow them. Simple as that,” Purdy said.

The momentum changing moment in the game came when Isaiah Oliver intercepted Stafford with 4:10 left in the third quarter when the ball intended for Williams bounced off the running back hands and into Oliver’s who returned it three yards.

“I think what sealed it and allowed separate ourselves was the two turnovers, we got” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. “One Demmo (Deommodore Lenoir) with the awesome job jumping that and then Isaiah (Oliver) with the tip. I was just pumped with the way we finished (the game).”

San Francisco cashed in on the turnover as Moody converted a 57-yard field goal to give the 49ers back the lead at 20-17.

The 49ers put the game away early in the fourth quarter after forcing the Rams on a three and out on offense. Deebo Samuel finished off a seven play 74-yard drive when he took a pitch from Purdy and ran down the left sideline and back into the middle of the field breaking a tackle along the way for a 11-yard rushing touchdown, his first overall touchdown of the season.

“(The corner) He shots his guns but luckily, he shot at my foot & I was able to break the tackle & just get in the end zone. You can just see all the guys how determined they were to get me in the end zone w/all the blocking,” Samuel said.

Once again, the 49ers’ defensive ability to get pressure on Stafford forced a turnover as Los Angeles was trying to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Lenoir stepped in front of a pass intended for Van Jefferson for his first interception on the season, Stafford’s second, with 4:48 left in the fourth quarter to seal the win for San Francisco.

Purdy finished 17 of 25 for 206 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. McCaffery led all rushers with 116 yards on 20 carries, including a 51-yarder that set up Moody’s first field goal. It is McCaffery’s second consecutive game with a 100-yard plus rushing game. Samuel led the 49ers in receiving with six catches for 63 yards.

Stafford went 34 of 55 for 307 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Williams paced the Rams rushing attack with 52 yards on 14 carries. Nacua led all receivers with 15 catches for 147 yards. Atwell chipped in seven catches for 77 yards.

Nacua became the first player in NFL history to have 10 plus catches for 100 plus yards in each of his first two games to start a season.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 2-for-9 on third down conversions. Los Angeles was 7-for-14.

McCaffery has scored a touchdown in 11 consecutive games.

49ers tight end George Kittle, who had three catches for 30 yards, recorded his 400th reception on his second reception of the game. Kittle reached the mark in the fewest amount of games in franchise history (84 games). It is also the NFL’s fourth fewest amount of games by a tight end.

UP NEXT: San Francisco has a short week as they host the New York Giants in their home opener on Thursday 9/21 at 5:15pm at Levi’s Stadium.

Cal Scores 31 Unanswered Points To Beat Idaho 31-17

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Congratulations all around as the Cal Bears defeated the Idaho Vandals for their second win at Cal Memorial in Berkeley on Sat Sep 16, 2023 (@CalFootball photo)

Saturday, September 16th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Berkeley, CA – At Cal Memorial Stadium, the University of Cal Bears host the Idaho Vandals in their third game of the season, and the Bears come into this game 1-1 and coming off a loss last week to Auburn. The defense of Cal has only allowed 14 points in the last six quarters and that was all in the Auburn game. Cal dominated on offense coming away with their second win of the 2023 season defeating the Vandals 31-17.

The game started with Idaho receiving the ball and their first drive was a 12 play, 67 yard drive that resulted in a field goal, 3-0 Idaho, but the story here is Cal’s defense stopping the Vandals in the red zone and forcing them to have to settle for three points.

Quarterback Sam Jackson V leads the Cal offense and has been leading them as a scoring dynamo the last two games, but his first drive this game went three and out and was forced to punt. Idaho’s very next drive was complete domination on offense and was efficient with nine plays and 80 yards that ended with Vandals running back Anthony Woods running head first into the defense and into the end zone for a touchdown. 10-0 Idaho.

The first quarter was all Idaho, dominating the possession time, the yards, and the score. Idaho had a 10:40 possession time and 147 yards which was polar opposite to Cal’s 4:20 time of possession and 39 yards in the opening quarter and Cal needed to shake things up for the second quarter or the Vandals would run away with this game early. 

The domination didn’t slow down for Idaho in the second quarter as they stopped Cal in their tracks to start the quarter and then followed that stop with a nine play, 53 yard touchdown drive where they scored off a two yard run in the end zone for Idaho QB Gevani McCoy.

17-0 Idaho and the Bears were not only trailing, they allowed more points in one half then they did in the last six quarters of two games. Cal finally got on the board with a 20 yard TD pass from Sam Jackson V to Jeremiah Hunter and the energy in the stadium perked up. 17-7.

The first time Cal stopped Idaho for a turnover on downs was deep in the second quarter when cornerback Jeremiah Earby knocked down two big passes, one of them being on fourth down and this set up the Bears for the momentum shifter of the half.

On the fourth play of the drive, Sam Jackson V threw a 36 yard TD pass to Trond Grizzell and the score being 17-14 now changed the environment and the energy in it. On what was supposed to be Idaho’s final drive before the half, they were about to enter the redzone, McCoy threw the ball and it was Nohl Williams for Cal who was there to pick it off and the Bears took over possession with 28 seconds left, but couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity. The first half ends with Idaho in the lead 17-14, but the momentum on the Bears side. 

The second half started with a major drive from Cal’s Sam Jackson V as he led the Bears 80 yards and scored  by running it in himself for a 27 yard TD, giving Cal their first lead of the game, 21-17 Cal. Idaho’s third quarter was vastly different than their entire first half.

Cal clearly made adjustments to the defense where this half Idaho couldn’t get anything going even though they were still dominating the time of possession. The offense though for Cal was in full gear during the quarter, collecting another TD, but this one on the ground when Isaiah Ifanse hammered in a one yard run after setting up the scoring play with an even better 17 yard run where dodged any defender who tried to wrap him up. 28-17 Cal. 

The fourth quarter started with a big run by McCoy for Idaho, but a penalty made them go back to their start point and then a fumble recovered by Raymond Woodie III gave the Bears the ball early in the fourth and with such a clear lead, this moment was theirs to seize and put a potential nail in the Vandals’ coffin.

A huge 41 yard run by Ashton Stredick put the Cal offense in the best position to hammer that nail in the coffin, but they had to settle for a field goal after a penalty and failed plays held them outside the red zone. With the score being 31-17 Cal, the Bears at this point had scored 31 unanswered points.

As we went in to the final three minutes of the game, Idaho needed to get back to the vibe they set in the first half, but after another turnover, a fumble recovered by Cal, it was clear that the Vandals might’ve hit their peak point too early and it was in the hands of the Bears as the clock winded down. 

The clock hit zero and the score was final with Cal winning 31-17 and now holding a 2-1 record. Cal’s next game will be against a Pac-12 foe, the #8 Washington Huskies in the University of Washington and the Bears want to take this momentum and type of game into their next game and even into the conference part of the season.

Troy Ewers is a Cal Bears beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Aiyuk’s big day has 49ers roll past Steelers 30-7 in season opener

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiuyk celebrates the first of his two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday SEP 10, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

For a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, it was a good start for the defending NFC West Champions.

Brandon Aiyuk had a career day as the San Francisco 49ers took care of business in a dominating 30-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium.

Aiuyk had eight catches for a career high 129 yards with two touchdowns as he led the crisp passing attack of San Francisco led by quarterback Brock Purdy, who was making his first career season opener start.

The 49ers defense set the tone from the opening drive as they forced a three and out on the Steelers’ opening possession as Drake Jackson sacked Kenny Picket on third down.

San Francisco marched down the field on its first possession against Pittsburgh defense that had no answer to try to stop Purdy and company.

49ers head coach decision to go for it on 4th and 1 paid off with George Kittle’s 11-yard reception to keep the drive alive. Purdy completed the seven plays 54-yard drive when he connected with Aiyuk on an eight-yard touchdown reception.

Pickett’s day didn’t get any better as he intercepted by Charvarius Ward on the Steelers next drive as Ward returned it 9 yards to Steelers 48.

Purdy led a methodical drive down the field as San Francisco cashed in on the turnover with Aiyuk’s second touchdown of the game. Purdy threaded a ball to Aiyuk down the right sideline with Patrick Peterson blanketed all over him for a 19-yard touchdown reception.

“I felt like right there in that moment, it was like ‘This is what we’re supposed to do. This is what we expect out of ourselves’ and once I hit that touchdown, I wasn’t thinking surgery or anything like that. It was ‘Man, we’re here to win. This is it. This is how we’re going to play.’ That’s where I was at mentally,” Purdy said.

San Francisco rookie kicker Jake Moody, who had struggled in the preseason, was perfect from the field as he made all three field goals and all three extra points in his 49ers debut.

The 49ers defense didn’t allow Pittsburgh’s offense their first 1st down until 1:16 left in the second quarter on its final drive of the first half after a 22-yard run by Najee Harris. The Steelers only 13 yards total offense before the run.

Pickett made the most of their drive before halftime. He led a 12 play 95-yard drive in just 1:25 that finished with a three-yard touchdown reception by tight end Pat Freiermuth to give the Steelers a sign of life as they headed into the second half.

San Francisco (1-0) opened the second half needing just two plays to regain its 20-point lead. Running back Christian McCaffery run for a 65-yard touchdown down the left sideline, his longest run in a 49ers uniform.

TJ Watt had a stripped sack of Purdy where he recovered the ball with 5:38 left in the third quarter.

Pittsburgh (0-1) wasn’t able to capitalize on the turnover as they turned the ball over on downs at the 49ers eight-yard line after an incompletion on 4th and 4.

San Francisco’s defense never allowed another point the final 30 minutes as they finished with with five sacks, three from Jackson, and two interceptions as they dominated the trenches from start to finish.

“I felt like during training camp we all bonded real well,” said Jackson about how well his team’s defense played. “I feel like that’s when we really started to gel well together. From there we just kept buiding on that. Getting (Nick) Bosa back was great for the (locker) room.

Defensive end Nick Bosa, who recently signed a five year 170-million-dollar contract just before the season opener, played limited snaps throughout the game and finished with one tackle and one quarterback hurry.

“You love to get a good start. We had five sacks today as a D-line, so Kris [Kocurek] was definitely happy. Drake broke out, which we were expecting. We just have so many players, and it’s fun to watch Aiyuk do his thing, and Purdy shut some haters up. Nice to be on a really good team,” Bosa said.

Bosa returned with two total tackles and a quarterback hit.

Purdy finished with 19/29 for 220 yards to go along with his two touchdowns and no interceptions. McCaffery led all rushers with his great day on the ground accumulating 152 yards on 22 carries. Deebo Samuel chipped in with five catches for 55 yards.

Pickett had a long afternoon as he went 31/46 for 232 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Allen Robinson led the Steelers in receiving with five catches for 64 yards. Harris had just 31 yards on six carries.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 6-for-13 on third down conversions. Pittsburgh was 5-for-15.

San Francisco has started the regular season 1-0 for the eighth time in the last 12 seasons.  

The 49ers have won back-to-back regular season games against Pittsburgh [W, 24-20 vs. Pit. (9/22/19)].  

The Niners improved to 13-10 all-time against Pittsburgh, including a 7-5 record on the road.  

Shanahan improved to 2-0 all-time vs. the Steelers and improved to 5-1, including two consecutive wins, against the AFC North as head coach of the 49ers. 

San Francisco’s 30-7 (+23) victory over the Steelers marked the worst home loss for Pittsburgh under Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and the worst home loss by the Steelers since 12/24/06 vs. Bal. (L, 7-31). 

UP NEXT: San Francisco travels down south to take on the Los Angeles Rams in a NFC West divisional showdown on Sunday 9/17 at 1:05pm at SoFi Stadium.

Short-handed Earthquakes earn a point in scoreless draw with DC United

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San Jose Earthquakes defender Rodriguez keeps the ball away from D.C. United forward Christian Benteke during the 0-0 match at Audi Field on Saturday SEP 9, 2023. (San Jose Earthquakes)

by Marko Ukalovic @MarkoUkalovic

The San Jose Earthquakes escaped the nation’s capital with a much-needed point.

Despite having a man advantage late in the match D.C United had to settle for a 0-0 draw with San Jose on Saturday evening at Audi Field.

D.C United has earned points in consecutive matches and remained in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. San Jose has drawn in two consecutive matches after failing to earn a point in the previous two and maintained seventh place in the Western Conference. They are one point ahead of Minnesota United, who lost 1-0 to New England.

DC United (9-12-7-34 points) enjoyed the final ten minutes up a man when Tannor Beason fouled Theodore Ku-DiPietro in the 88th minute. Initially ruled a yellow card by referee Tori Penso, Beason’s fouled was upgraded to a red card after a VAR review determined the foul was a clear path one.

Despite eight minutes of stoppage time Wayne Rooney’s squad weren’t able to take advantage as they missed out on an opportunity to climb the Eastern Conference standings.

“At this point in the season, every point matters. So, it would’ve been nice to leave here with three points, for sure,” Rooney said.

Defender Daniel Munie made his first start at left back for ‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez. Munie played all 90 minutes for San Jose and finished the match at center back.

“It was important to get that first start under my belt,” said Munie after the match. “I felt pretty good and felt confident after this whole time being out here and learning from these guys. The team having confidence in me helps me to go out there and perform to my best. I am getting better every day. It wasn’t perfect. I felt like it was a good performance. I’m going to keep working through this and get ready for whenever my name gets called next.”

D.C. United thought they had broken the deadlock in the 53rd minute when Steven Birnbaum slid a ball through the middle of the box over to Gabriel Pirani who made a nifty back tap with his left foot into the back of the net for his first MLS career goal. However, after a VAR review it was determined that Pirani was offsides cancelling out the goal.

The Earthquakes had two quality scoring chances just before halftime, but Cristian Espinoza and Jamiro Monteiro’s shot attempts missed the net.

“We had some challenges with player availability, with injuries and international callups. I am proud of our guys for adjusting to a different formation. Still, there are principles and concepts that we want to keep improving. I thought we had some good moments of building pressure and forcing turnovers, leading to good offensive transitions. I thought we rotated the ball quicker and with more simplicity. Credit to the guys, they put together a good effort,” Gonzalez said.

‘Quakes goalkeeper Daniel earned the Man of Match with his eight save performance as D.C United peppered him from inside and outside the box with shot attempts throughout the entire match. Daniel earned his fifth clean slate of the season as he tied his season-best for saves in a single match.

D.C United goalkeeper Alex Bono didn’t have as busy a night as Daniel did as he made two saves to earn his third clean sheet of the season.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with five corner kicks. D.C. United had seven.

The Quakes hold a 18-15-9 record against D.C. United, including a 9-10-2 record at home.

San Jose earned their eighth shutout of the season and have only lost one of their last four road matches.

Midfielder Jackson Yueill is now ranked fifth for most appearances in club history (172), passing Joe Cannon.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts Real Salt Lake on Saturday 9/16 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.