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A’s down Blue Jays 5-2; Oakland avoids getting swept by Toronto

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Oakland Athletics’ Kevin Smith hits a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Thu Sep 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Oakland A’s beat the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday afternoon 5-2 to avoid being swept by the Jays. The A’s starter, JP Sears, earned his fourth win of the year. It took work to defeat a very good Blue Jay team. The Jays are in contention to make the playoffs in the American League.

Their starter, lefty Hyan Jin Ryu, baffled the A’s for the game’s first four innings. Ryu used various low curves, changeups, cutters, and four-seam fastballs to keep the A’s offense off balance. The curves came in around 62 miles per hour, and the changeups were in the 70 miles per hour category, the cutters in the eighties, and his fastball was timed at 91 miles per hour.

Also a lefty, Sears held the powerful Blue Jay lineup to four hits and one run in five innings. Sears made it through the Jays’ lineup three times and allowed only one run.

Toronto scored the first run of the game in the top of the second. Jays’ right-fielder Cavan Biggio led off the inning with a double. Sears retired Santiago Espinal for the first out. Shortstop Ernie Clement singled to drive in Biggio. Clement went to second on the throw to the plate. Sears was able to get out of the inning without any further damage. The Jays lead 1-0 midway through the second.

The A’s took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. A’s left-fielder Brent Rooker led off with a double. Rooker was thrown out at third, attempting to advance on Ryan Noda’s grounder to first. Jay’s first baseman, Vladamir Guerrero, Jr.’s throw to third nailed Rooker for the first out.

Rya retired Jordan Diaz for the second out. A’s catcher Carlos Ruiz sent Ryu’s 90 mph four-seam fastball into the seats near the foul pole in left field. The A’s lead 2-1 after four.

The A’s put three runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh. Trevor Richards was now pitching for Toronto. The first two hitters Richards faced, Jordan Diaz and Carlos Perez, singled. A’s third baseman homered for the fifth time this season to give the A’a a 5-1 lead after six.

With one out in the top of the eighth, Toronto’s second baseman Davis Schneider homered to make it a 5-2 game. A’s reliever Dany Jimenez regained his composure and retired the next two Toronto hitters to end the inning.

The A’s closer, Trevor May, held the Jays scoreless in the ninth to preserve the win for JP Sears. The A’s win 5-2.

Game Notes- With the win, the A’s improved to 43-97. The A’s are now 9-7 in their last sixteen games and are showing signs of improvement. The A’s finished the six-game homestand with a record of 4-2. The Blue Jays fall to 77-63.

The hitting stars for Oakland were catcher Carlos Perez and Kevin Smith. Perez’s two-run blast in the fourth gave the A’s the lead. Smith’s three-run Earl Weaver special in the sixth gave the A’s an unsurmountable advantage.

Mark Kotsay used four relievers Wednesday afternoon. Mason Miller returned to action after a long layoff on the IL. Miller pitched two innings and did not allow a hit. Dany Jimenez pitched the eighth and gave up a solo home run to Toronto’s Davis Schneider. Trevor May earned his 18th save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning.

The A’s are off on Thursday. Oakland will face the Rangers on Friday in Arlington, Texas. Paul Blackburn (4-4 ERA 3.81) will be on the mound, hoping to win his fifth of the year. The Rangers have yet to announce their starter.

The time of the game was two hours and nineteen minutes. There were 3,871 fans in attendance.

Giants Unload On Padres 7-2; SF’s Yastrzemski slugs a HR with two RBIs

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San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski, right, celebrates with third base coach Mark Hallberg after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (70-64) took on the San Diego Padres (62-73) Thursday night starting a four game series and having had some successful games they kept it going with a 7-2 win at Petco Park in San Diego.

The Giants have a lot on their plate right now. While they are in second place in the NL West and trail the Los Angels Dodgers by 14 games, the Dodgers are not their problem right now. It’s more like the Phillies, the Cubs, the Reds , the Marlins and the Diamondbacks.

Six contenders all vying for a wild card spot. San Francisco has been struggling for awhile now. It wasn’t really that long ago that the Giants trailed the Dodgers by a single game. So the Giants have some work to do and it needs to happen sooner rather than later with roughly 29 games left in the regular season.

Thursday game recap: San Francisco went into this game with purpose and determination. Neither team scored in the first two innings but the Giants were first up on the board in the third inning scoring not only early but often. When the dust had settled San Francisco had a 6-0 lead. The Giants hit a slew of singles in the inning.

Joc Pederson singled LaMonte Wade Jr. home for the first run of the inning taking a 1-0 lead and the hits just kept on coming. Mike Yastrzemski singled Thairo Estrada home. Joc Pederson scored on a Padre error followed by another single, a bunt single off the bat of Wade Meckler and Yastrzemski scored.

Blake Sabol got another run on the board when he doubled and J.D. Davis scored. They would finish off the inning when Casey Schmitt sacrificed and Meckler scored for an amazing offensive inning leading 6-0. San Francisco would add one more run when Mike Yastrzemski homered in the fifth inning, a solo shot and a 7-0 Giants lead.

Through four innings the Padres were looking for their first hit. Starting pitcher for San Francisco Jakob Junis went four innings not allowing a single hit with three strikeouts. Sean Manea would relieve Junis in the fifth inning.

Through six innings the Padres had only managed two hits. Manea did get into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the sixth loading the bases. Manea made the pitches when he needed to striking out Garrett Cooper for the third out of the inning and it was on to the seventh inning.

The Padres got a couple of base runners in the bottom of the eighth inning threatening to deny the shut out. San Diego did get on the board in the inning, a single run. Garrett Cooper doubled and Juan Soto scored for a 7-1 Giants lead.

Scott Alexander came to the mound to try and close out this game. The Padres were able to score one run but that would be all they got. San Francisco will be back on the field in game two Friday night with first pitch at 6:40 PM.

Starting pitchers for San Francisco TBA and for San Diego Michael Wacha (10-2 ERA 2.84) first pitch 6:40pm PT.

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s open series against Los Angeles Angels at Coliseum Friday night

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Oakland Athletics starting pitcher JP Sears will get the start against the Los Angeles Angels on Fri Sep 1, 2023 at the Oakland Coliseum (AP News file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s returned home from a seven-game road trip to Chicago and Seattle. The A’s won three and lost four. They split the four-game set with a Chicago White Sox team in turmoil. The Sox fired their team’s president and general manager.

The A’s lost two games to the red-hot Seattle Mariners. Two of the games were very competitive. The A’s won 3-1 on Tuesday and lost 5-4 on Wednesday. The A’s will host another troubled franchise, the Los Angeles Angels, for three games starting Friday night.

The Angels had high hopes at the start of the season. Their roster includes two superstars, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Trout, a three-time AL MVP, has lost playing time the last couple of years due to injury. Trout, again his year, has been hit with another injury.

Trout suffered a broken hamate bone and has not fully recovered. He is due back on September 15th. Shohei Ohtani, the most remarkable player in baseball, also suffered an injury. Ohtani is both a pitcher and a designated hitter.

Ohtani is in line for another AL MVP and Cy Young awards. However, it is unlikely that Ohtani will win the Cy Young trophy as he suffered an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament, and he will not pitch again this year.

Ohtani, as a designated hitter, leads the American League with 44 home runs and has driven in 95. Ohtani had Tommy John surgery a few years ago, and no decision has been made regarding a second surgery.

The Angels made news yesterday as they placed six players on waivers. Two of the six came to the Angels at the trade deadline. It was clear that these moves were a salary dump. Five of the six players were claimed by other teams.

The Cleveland Guardians claimed pitchers Lucas Giolito, Matt Moore, and Reynaldo Lopez. Giolito came to the Angels from the White Sox at the trade deadline. The Cincinnati Reds claimed outfielder Hunter Renfroe. The other player placed on waivers, Randal Grichuk, was not selected by another team and remains with the Angels.

The A’s are 2-5 against the Angels this year. The A’s met the Angels in the opening series of the 2023 season. The teams have yet to meet since April 27th. A lot of things have happened to both teams in that interval.

The A’s are in the midst of a rebuild. Their starting rotation is a work in progress. The A’s have used Kyle Muller, Hohan Harris, and Mason Miller in the rotation. Muller has been with the A’s and the Tripe-A LAs Vegas Aviators this year.

The same goes for Harris. Miller was injured and may return to the club in September. The current rotation of Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk, J.P. Sears, Paul Blackburn, and Zach Neal is a study of mediocrity. Neal is the only pitcher with a winning record. 1-0. Hardly sensational.

The A’s bullpen is also a work in progress. A’s closer, Trevor May, has been reliable. Austin Pruitt did a good job but is out for the season with an injury.

There are some bright spots on the A’s roster. Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof has played well. Gelof has hit ten homers in his short time with the A’s. His average has dropped slightly, but he is a good hitter and has done well at second base.

Catcher Shea Langeliers does not hit for average, but he has hit four homers in his last six games. He is on track to finish the season with 20 or more home runs. First baseman Ryan Noda has a great eye at the plate. Noda is a leader in the league by drawing walks and has a good on-base percentage.

Outfielders Esteury Ruiz and Lawrence Butler have played well. Ruiz leads the AL in stolen bases. Ruiz stole two bases Wednesday against the Mariners. He has stolen 53 this season. Butler hit his second big league home run in the loss to Seattle on Wednesday.

Butler is 22 years -old and has a tremendous upside to his game. Third baseman Jordan Diaz is another player who looks to be with the A’s for a while. Outfielder Brent Rooker is having a career year, and the A’s will want to keep him on the roster.

The Angels will send Patrick Sandoval to the mound Friday night to face the A’s. Sandoval is 7-10 with a 3.95 ERA. The A’s will counter with J.P.Sears. Sears is having a tough season. His record is 2-11 and a 4.80 ERA. Sears has given up too many gopher balls this season. He is among the leaders in home runs allowed with 31. Sears pitches well for about three innings before the roof caves in on him.

Some Angel players who will perform this weekend were missing from the roster at the start of the season. Nolan Schanuel will be at first base. Schanuel has played ten games and is hitting. 324. Mike Moustakas will be at third base, filling in for the injured Anthony Rendon. Rendon, signed as a free agent after 2019, has been a disappointment.

It will be interesting to see if the A’s can win the series this weekend. The Angels are going to finish in fourth place in the AL West. The A’s will be in last place in the division. A’s skipper Mark Kotsay always has his team primed to play their best irrespective of the place in the standings. The Angels’ manager, Phil Nevin, also wants his players to give 100%. It will be interesting to see how the series goes this weekend.

Controversial penalty gives Galaxy 3-2 comeback win over Earthquakes in Classico

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San Jose Earthquakes forward Cristian Espinoza dribbles past Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Diego Fagundez at Pay Pal Park on Wednesday AUG 30, 2023. (Nico Burgueno-El Show International)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — A controversial penalty call spoiled an exciting game.

The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on two second half goals, including the penalty kick, in the 98th installment of the California Classico on Wednesday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose have lost two matches in a row since coming out of the League’s Cup match. Los Angeles are unbeaten in its past seven matches.

Los Angeles (7-10-7-28 points) drew first blood in the 16th minute. Raheem Edwards sent a long ball down the right wing where Tyler Boyd won the race to the ball. Boyd made a move around Jonathan Mensah before firing a shot from just inside the box past ‘Quakes goalkeeper Daniel for his team leading sixth goal of the season.

The Galaxy controlled the pace of play for the first 28 minutes of the match with an 80-20% advantage of possession as the Earthquakes played back on their heels. San Jose’s first shot attempt didn’t happen till the 28th minute.

The momentum of the match turned quickly just a minute later in San Jose’s favor. Off a corner kick Christian Espinoza had a give and go with Jamiro Monterio. Espinoza’s shot attempt deflected off of the head of Lucas Calegari and past Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond for an own goal.

San Jose (9-9-8-32 points) gained its first lead of the match two minutes later in the 31st minute. Monteiro got low inside the box before centering a feed into the middle where Jeremy Ebobisse chipped the ball high into the net from point-blank range for his eighth goal of the season.

It didn’t take long for Los Angeles to score the equalizer out of halftime. Riqui Puig made San Jose pay for falling asleep in its defensive zone. After receiving the ball from Edwin Cerillo, the Galaxy captain dribbled down the middle of the pitch unmarked before burying a right footed shot from just beyond the box past Daniel for his fifth goal of the season in the 50th minute.

San Jose conceded a penalty in the 58th minute when Edwards drew a penalty inside the box when he was knocked down by Miguel Trauco.

Dejan Joveljic converted the penalty in the 61st minute with a high shot into the middle of the net for his third goal of the season to give Los Angeles its second lead of the match.

The match was not one to write home about for referee Lukasz Szpala and his crew as there were numerous one-sided calls by Szpala that went against San Jose, especially in the second half.

San Jose thought they had tied the game in the 90th minute but the play was ruled offsides by the assistant official.

The Earthquakes had two back-to-back scoring chances in the first minute of stoppage time to score the equalizer, but Espinoza’s shot attempt from long range along the right corner hit off the crossbar and the subsequent rebound went just wide to the left side.

Bond made four saves on five shots on goal in earning the win. Daniel made two saves on four shots on target in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with 11 corner kicks. Los Angeles had seven.

The attendance for tonight’s match was 16,224.

The Galaxy lead the all-time series 43-33-18.

The Galaxy is unbeaten in its last four road matches versus San Jose, its longest unbeaten run in Classico.

Los Angeles is 5-1-4 in its last 10 matches.

Espinoza has scored eight of his 12 goals at home. Only LAFC’s Denis Bouanga has scored more goals (9) at home.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts Minnesota United on Saturday 9/2 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

Mariners’ two-run rally in seventh sends A’s down to another loss 4-3 at T Mobile

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Oakland Athletics’ Lawrence Butler rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run to score Jordan Diaz against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T Mobile Center in Seattle on Wed Aug 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s hoped to stop the powerful Seattle Mariner offense Wednesday afternoon. The A’s beat the M’s Tuesday night. The A’s pitchers held the Mariners to four hits. Could the A’s do it again? The Mariners did not have Julio Rodriguez in the lineup on Wednesday. The 22-year-old superstar was out with discomfort in his left foot.

The answer to the above question was no, and the A’s could not beat the M’s for a second straight game. Oakland tried hard as they went ahead 4-3 when they scored a run in the top of the seventh. Unfortunately for Oakland, the Mariners scored twice in their half of the seventh to go ahead 5-4. The Mariners bullpen held the A’s scoreless in the last two innings of the game to win 5-4.

The A’s plated three runs in the top of the second inning. A’s third baseman, Jordan Diaz, singled to get the rally going. Mariners’ starter, Bryce Miller, struck out catcher Carlos Perez for the first out. Miller was now pitching to centerfielder Lawrence Butler. Butler hit his second career home run.

There was no doubt about the ball going out of the park. The ball left the bat at 109 miles per hour and landed 431 feet away in the right-centerfield seats. The ninth hitter in the lineup, Esteury Ruiz singled. Ruiz stole his 52nd base of the season and went to third on M’s catcher Cal Raleigh’s throwing error. Ryan Noda doubled to drive in Ruiz with the A’s third run. Oakland leads 3-0 midway through the second inning.

The Mariners tied the game in the bottom of the third. A’s starter Zach Neal retired the first two hitters. Neal walked Eugenio Suarez. Cal Raleigh doubled to put men on at second and third. To get out of the jam, Neal would have to retire Teoscar Hernandez for the third out. That did not happen. With one swing of Hernandez’s bat, the game was tied. For Hernandez, it was his 23rd bomb of the season.

The A’s broke the tie in the top of the seventh. Justin Topa was now pitching for Seattle. With one out, back-to-back doubles by Aledmys Diaz and Esteury Ruiz produced Oakland’s fourth run. Ruiz stole third. Teoscar Hernandez caught Ryan Noda’s fly ball to shallow right field.

Ruiz tagged, and the play at home was close. The home plate umpire called Ruiz safe. The Mariners asked for a review, and the call was overturned. The A’s led 4-3 midway through the seventh.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay summoned lefty Kirby Snead to pitch the seventh. The first two Mariner hitters were left-handed hitters. The strategy failed. Dominic Canzone led off the inning with a double. M’s DH Mike Ford singled, sending Canzone to third.

Snead walked Dylan Moore to load the bases with no out. Snead struck out Josh Rojas for the first out. M’s shortstop J.P. Crawford singled to drive in Canzone and pinch-runner Jose Caballero to put Seattle ahead 5-4. Kotsay brought in Dany Jimenez to end the M’s rally. Seattle leads 5-4 after seven.

The Mariners’ Matt Brash held the A’s scoreless in the eighth, and closer Anders Munoz set the A’s down to secure the win for Seattle.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 39-95. The Mariners improved to 76-57. The Mariners record for August is 21-6. It is the first time in M’s franchise history that the team has won 21 games in a month. The Mariners needed the win as the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. The teams are in a virtual tie for first place in the AL West. The Texas Rangers lost to the New York Mets to fall one game behind the leaders.

 292,47 fans were in the park to watch the game. The attendance for the three-game series was over 110,000. When teams win, people will show up. Put a good product on the field, and the fans will come.

The A’s are off on Thursday. Oakland will host the Los Angeles Angels for three games starting Friday night. Friday’s starting pitchers for the Angels Patrick Sandoval (7-4 ERA 3.95), starting for the A’s JP Sears (2-11 ERA 4.80) a 6:40pm PT first pitch at the Coliseum.

Mariners shut out A’s 7-0 win first game of the three-game series

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The Seattle Mariners Julio Rodriguez celebrate with the M’s trident after clouting a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning home run against the Oakland A’s at T Mobile in Seattle on Mon Aug 27, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Seattle Mariners continued mastery over the A’s for the eighth straight time this season. The Mariners, the hottest team in baseball, beat the A’s 7-0 Monday night at T-Mobile Field in Seattle. The Mariners improved to 20-5 in August. The M’s superstar centerfielder Julio Rodriguez had his fifth four-hit game this month. J-Rod had a home run, a double, and two singles.

For the third game in a row, the A’s offense was nowhere to be found. The A’s managed four hits, three of which were singles. Seth Brown’s double with two out in the ninth was the only extra-base hit for the A’s. The A’s have yet to beat Seattle this season.

The A’s starter, lefty Kyle Muller, had nothing going for him Monday night. The Mariners have averaged six runs a game since August 2nd. The M’s potent offense scored six runs in the first four innings. The Mariners pitchers have the best collective ERA in baseball.

With the win, the M’s remain one game ahead of the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros in the race for the best American League West Division record. The Rangers beat the Mets and the Astros trounced the Boston Red Sox to keep pace with the Mariners.

The Mariners sent righty Brian Woo to the hill Monday night. Woo, born in Oakland and a graduate of Alameda High School and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, dazzled the A’s in his six innings of work. The M’s had him penciled in for 80 pitches maximum. The 23-year-old righty went six innings and allowed three singles. He struck out five and walked one. He threw 69 pitches and earned his second win.

The Mariners’ shortstop, J.P. Crawford, sent Muller’s second pitch of the game over the wall for his 12th dinger of the year. Muller escaped the first inning with no further damage.

The A’s scored three times in the bottom of the third. Crawford singled, leading off the inning. J-Rod doubled to drive in Crawford with the M’s second run. The double extended J-Rod’s hitting streak to 13 games. J-Rod reached third on a passed ball. Muller walked third baseman Eugenio Suarez to put men at first and third with no out.

Teoscar Hernandez singled to drive in J-Rod. Ty France singled to load the bases. Dylan Moore grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Suarez scored on the play. The Mariners led 4-0 after three complete.
Muller walked the leadoff hitter, J.P. Crawford, in the bottom of the fourth. J-Rod blasted his 24th home run of the year to make it a 6-0 game.

The Mariners added a run in the sixth to finish scoring for the night. The M’s bullpen kept the A’s from scoring in the game’s last three innings. The M’s win 7-0.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s dropped to 38-94. The Mariners improved to 75-46.

The line score for Oakland was no runs, four hits, and no errors. Kyle Muller was the losing pitcher.

The line score for Seattle was seven runs, 14 hits, and no errors. Brian Woo was the winning pitcher.

J-Rod was the hitting star for Seattle. He had a home run, double, and two singles. J.P. Crawford had a home run and a single. Eugenio Suarez had two doubles. Teoscar Hernandez had two singles.

The A’s will send Ken Waldichuk to the mound Tuesday night. Waldichuk (2-7 ERA 6.05) for the year. The M’s George Kirby (10-8 ERA 3.28) will pitch for Seattle. The game will start at 6:40 p.m. PT.
34, 434 fans saw the home team send the A’s down to defeat.

Sporting KC dominate Earthquakes in 3-0 clean sheet

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Sporting Kansas City’s Johny Russell is mobbed by his teammates after his first half goal against the San Jose Earthquakes at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday AUG 26, 2023. (Sporting KC)

by Marko Ukalovic

Johnny Russell had himself a night.

Sporting Kansas City’s star forward recorded a goal and an assist in his team’s 3-0 commanding shutout victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at Children’s Mercy Park.

Sporting KC dominated from start to finish as it snapped its three-match pointless streak. San Jose had its four-match unbeaten streak end in its first MLS match back from an early exit in the League’s Cup.

It was another disappointing result for San Jose in their house of horrors. Their record in Kansas City is 1-16-3 dating back to 2004, including losing 10 straight from 2004-2014.

Sporting KC (7-11-8-29 points) drew first blood three minutes into the match. Russell sailed in a cross over to a wide open Dániel Sallói who buried a point-blank chance past ‘Quakes goalkeeper Daniel for his sixth goal of the season.

Russell doubled the lead for the home team in the 42nd minute. Nemanja Radoja set up Russell inside the box and the Scottish striker deked out two ‘Quakes defenders before beating Daniel with a left footed shot for his fourth goal of the season.

San Jose (9-8-8-35 points) looked flat out of the gate and weren’t able to gain any momentum in the opening 45 minutes. Sporting KC controlled possession by a 57%-43% margin and had four shots on target to zero for the Earthquakes.

Forward Matthew Hoppe made his ‘Quakes debut to start the second half when head coach Luchi Gonzalez substituted in for Cade Cowell in the 46th minute. Hoppe, who the ‘Quakes acquired on load from English Championship club Middlesbrough, sent in a nice cross to Jack Skahan in the 86th minute but Skahan’s attempt missed wide left.

Sporting KC iced the game in the 69th minute with Erik Thommy’s fourth goal of the season. Radoja recorded his second assist on Thommy’s goal.

“We have to have more pride in having a more complete game, attacking and defending the boxes. We are very disappointed in the score. It wasn’t our night. It’s done. Let’s move on and respond to the next moment, it is what this team has been doing all season. I believe they will be ready to fight again,” Gonzalez said.

San Jose’s best attempt to avoid the shutout came in the first minute of stoppage when Skahan drew a penalty kick inside the box off a foul from Logan Ndenbe. However, Carlos Gruezo right footed shot was saved by Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia with a diving attempt.

Melia finished with two saves for the clean sheet. Daniel made three saves on six shots on goal.

GAME NOTES: Each team finished with five corner kicks in the match.

San Jose currently holds an 26-30-10 record against Kansas City, including an 8-23-2 record on the road.

Defender Paul Marie made his 100th career appearance for the Quakes, entering as a sub in the 67’ minute.  

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 98th edition of the California Classico on Wednesday 8/30 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

Giants find their offensive strength in late innings for 7-0 shutout of Rays

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San Francisco Giants’ Wade Meckler hits a single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Aug 15, 2023 (AP News photo)

Tampa Bay (72-50). 000 000 000 – 0. 3. 2

San Francisco (64-56). 000 003 22x.- 7 9 1

Time: 2:15

Attendance: 26,322

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants this evening once more used an opener to get them through the early going of the second of this three game transcontinental battle of the bays. The task fell to John Junis, who was 3-3, 4.36 when the day started although he’d allowed only three earned runs in his previous 13-1/3 innings.

Junis pitched four shutout innings in San Francisco’s overwhelming 7-0 triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays tonight. In that stint, Judis faced 16 batters and allowed two hits and one base on balls while striking out seven. This performance brought his ERA more than a quarter of a run to 4.10.

Zack Littell, who started for the visitors, has been both a Giant and an opener. He went 5-2, 4.68 for San Francisco in 2021-22. Although this was his seventh start and 20th appearance of the season, it was only his fifth traditional start of the year.

Littell had walked just one batter in his last 33 innings of work. He relies on a mix of fast balls and about, throwing one or another of them about 72% of the time. Tuesday night, in his first appearance against his old team, Littell pitched an excellent game until he didn’t.

Littell lasted 5-2/3 innings and gave up two runs, both earned although the second was posthumous, on three hits, one of them a homer. He struck out five and didn’t walk anyone. He threw 59 pitches, 52 for strikes and was tagged with the loss, ending the night with a record of 2-4, 3.99.

With the game still a scoreless tie after four innings of play, Sean Manaea entered the fray. He pitched brilliantly, yielding only one hit and two walks over 3-1/3 innings to earn his fourth win against three defeats and lower his earned run average to 4.89. He was relieved by Tyler, the right handed Rogers twin, with one out in the eighth.

Thairo Estrada broke that tie with his one out line drive home run into the left field bleachers, over the SF Nothing Like It sign in the bottom of the sixth.. The blast was the Giants’ second sacker’s tenth round tripper of the year and travelled 374 feet.

The crowd had more to cheer about two batters later when Wade Meckler got his first major league hit, a single to center. that drove Littell from the mound. The rookie got his second safety lone inning later, beating the throw on a grounder to second.

But that wasn’t all. Wilmer Flores took Kevin Kelly, Littell’s replacement, deep on the first pitch he threw. It was almost a replica of Estrada’s four bagger, landing in the left field bleachers 373 feet from home. Just like that, the orange and black were ahead, 3-0.

They continued their attack in the seventh, loading the bases with none out on a single by Conforto, a walk to Bailey, and an error by the Rays’ first baseman, Yandy Díaz, on Blake Sabol’s grounder. Then the attack stalled But that didn’t stop the Giants from scoring twice more.

Crawford went down swinging. Estrada forced Conforto out at home on a grounder to third for the second out. Then Tampa Bay’s catcher, René Pinto, tried to pick Bailey off at third and threw the ball into left field, allowing Bailey and Héctor Ramos, pinch running for Sabol, to cross the plate. The seventh ended with San Francisco enjoying a 5-0 lead.

Erasmo Ramírez pitched the bottom of the eighth for Tampa Bay. He gave up Mecker’s second hit. Flores was retired on a soft liner to short. Meckler was forced out at second by Pederson. Then Conforto doubled to left, bringing Peterson home on a call that was reviewed and upheld. Ramos followed by a single to center that brought Conforto home for the Giants’ seventh tally.

Luke Jackson mopped things up in the top of the ninth. He struck out all three batters he faced.

Gabe Kapler was ejected by home plate umpire Chad Whitson in the top of the fourth for arguing balls and strikes. It was the second time this season that the skipper had received the heave-ho.

The rubber game of this three game series will starts Wednesday, afternoon at 12:45. The Rays expect to send righty Aaron Civale (5-3, 2.61) to the mound. The Giants haven’t yet announced their intentions.

Giants Lose to A’s 2-1 in Game One of Battle of the Bay II, in front of Large Protesting Crowd

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Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants shared one thing in common on Sat Aug 5, 2023 there distaste for the A’s moving to Las Vegas which brought them together for another Reverse Boycott game at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Aug 5, 2023 (photo from San Francisco Chronicle)

By Michael Roberson

OAKLAND, Calif. — The San Francisco Giants (61-50) did not win their third straight game of the Bay Bridge Series versus the Oakland Athletics (31-80), as the Green & Gold somewhat pleased the raucous 37k+ fed up East Bay fans.

After 4 1/2 scoreless innings, the Athletics finally gave the jeering fans something to cheer for in their half of the fifth stanza.

The mostly Alameda County faithful repeatedly chanted, “Sell the Team!” A gesture-also T-Shirts-aimed at Oakland’s ownership, and apparent move to Las Vegas, which would reunite them with their former stadium mate Raiders.

This was Oakland’s largest crowd of the season ironically surpassing their last reverse boycott game that had a season high of 27,000 plus on June 13th. Sat Aug 5th’s crowd was 37,553 for the A’s fans second reverse boycott.

Third baseman Jordan Diaz knocked a solo blast over the left field wall, giving the home team the first tally of the contest.

The Giants responded in the top of the seventh when left fielder Joc Peterson hit a deep center sacrifice fly, scoring second baseman Thairo Estrada and tying the game 1-1.

Oakland had something to say about the outcome in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Seth Brown singled to right field, scoring the eventual run on the feet of Aledmys Diaz.

However, there was controversy on that same play as Tony Kemp also tried to score on the hit, but was tagged out at home. The issue became a question of did the catcher block the plate illegally?

Kemp was called out on the play, which became irrelevant because the previous run was enough to win the ballgame and give the disgruntled masses something to be happy about on a beautiful day in the Town. 2-1 A’s!

The same two Bay Area sluggers face each other Sunday Afternoon (1:07 PDT) August 6, at the Coliseum. Expected starting pitchers: Oakland’s RHP Luis Medina (3-8, 5.35) and Giants’ RHP Alex Cobb (6-3, 3.05)

Dodgers cruise to easy 10-1 rout of A’s; Oakland needs win Thursday to prevent sweep

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Los Angeles Dodgers Freddie Freeman (5) congratulates Mookie Betts (51) after Betts hits his 29th home run in the bottom of the second inning against the Oakland A’s at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wed Aug 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Los Angeles Dodgers mauled the Oakland A’s Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium in the Southland. The Dodgers scored early and often in the first two innings to cruise to an easy win over the hapless A’s.

The A’s sent lefty Hogan Harris to the hill to face the potent Dodger offense. The A’s hoped Harris could find a way to dazzle the Dodger hitters. Guess what, fans? Harris ended up throwing batting practice. The Dodgers scored three in the first and four in the second to virtually end the contest.

The Dodger pitchers were confident they could stop the pathetic A’s offense, and the Dodger pitchers did that. They held the A’s to one run and six hits as they blasted Oakland 10-1.

The Dodgers put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Mookie Betts, a former AL MVP with Boston, doubled to get things going for LA. Freddie Freeman, a former NL MVP with the Atlanta Braves, singled to give LA an early 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers’ All-Star catcher Will Smith walked to put men on at first and second with no out. Harris retired Amed Rosario for the first out. Harris walked Max Muncy to load the bases. Chris Taylor reached on an infield single, and Freeman scored the second run. Redwood City’s gift to the Dodgers, James Outman, hit into a fielder’s choice. Will Smith crossed the plate with the game’s third run for LA.

The Dodgers hitters continued to punish Harris. Betts led off the second inning with his 29th home run of the year. Back-to-back-doubles by Freeman and Smith gave the Dodgers a 5-0 lead. The Dodgers’ Rosario hit his first home run as a team member to give Los Angeles a comfortable lead 7-0 after two innings.

The A’s scored their only run of the game in the top of the third. Catcher Shea Langeliers blasted his 11th round-tripper of the season to make it 7-1. The Dodgers’ pitchers held the A’s scoreless the rest of the way.

LA scored one in the third when Miguel Rojas homered. It was Rojas’ first home run this year. LA added one more in the sixth when Jason Heyward homered. Heyward replaced Betts in the fourth inning. Dodger manager Dave Roberts saw Betts double and homer in three trips to the plate in the game’s first three innings. Roberts would replace Freeman shortly after that.

The Dodgers finished the scoring in the seventh. With one out, Outman doubled. Kike Hernandez singled to drive in Outman with LA’s 10th run of the game.

Game Notes: Will the loss, the A’s are now 30-79. The Dodgers improved to 61-45

The line score for Oakland was one run, six hits, and no errors. LA’s line was ten runs, 13 hits, and no errors. Tony Gonsolin was the winning pitcher. Harris took the loss. 

Freeman had three hits in the game. He hit his 37th and 38th double of the year. He leads all of baseball in that department. Freeman has hit safely in his last seven at-bats against the A’s. 

A’s pitcher James Kaprileian underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles. Kaprielian will be out for the rest of the season.

The A’s will conclude the series with the Dodgers Thursday night in LA at 7:10pm PT. It will be a battle of lefties. For Oakland Sears is 2-7 and has a 4.09 ERA. Julio Urias (7-6, 4.98) goes for the Dodgers.