Category: Uncategorized

By Jeremy Harness

Sure, things can be better at this stage of the season. But also, given everything the Giants have been through thus far, they can be a whole lot worse.

The Giants are currently 4 ½ games behind the front-running Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, for they should feel very fortunate at this point due to the fact the they have struggled in different areas for much of the first half.

For one, the Giants have yet to establish their winning ways at AT&T Park. The Giants have yet to show a real dominance in their friendly confines, but they showed signs of getting that back on track with a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies just before the All-Star break.

They had also struggled to find a replacement for Pablo Sandoval at third base. They thought they had found that in Casey McGehee, whom the Giants picked up as a free agent from the Miami Marlins. However, the move proved to be a disappointment, and the Giants designated him for assignment for a second time a few weeks ago, and the third baseman eventually returned to the Marlins.

The Giants have now gone with Matt Duffy, who has taken advantage of the opportunity to play every day while McGehee fizzled, and he has not looked back.

The team now has most of their key pieces back in the mix as well. Matt Cain, for instance, has returned to the rotation after missing almost a year while recovering from elbow surgery.

Meanwhile, Hunter Pence missed much of the first half after suffering a forearm fracture in spring training, but he has returned to the lineup. His presence was certainly felt when he unleashed a grand slam into the right-field seats.

At this point, there is reason to be carefully optimistic, but for the Giants, there is plenty of work to do. However, they have been in this position many times before.

By Jeremy Kahn

Even though the outcome was not the way that they wanted, the San Francisco Giants were well represented for the National League squad.

Yes, the American League gained home field advantage once again after defeating the National League 6-3 at Great American Ballpark; however look what happened last season when the Kansas City Royals were home for Game 7 against the Giants.

Bruce Bochy and his coaching staff represented the Giants and the National League as a result of making and winning the World Series last fall.

The Orange and Black were represented by a catcher, a pitcher and their double play combination in the “Queen City.”

Buster Posey got the start behind the plate, as he went 0-for-2 in his only two plate appearances on the evening.

Madison Bumgarner pitched one inning, allowing a hit and a strikeout and faced two Royals in his only inning of work.

Brandon Crawford hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning to drive in a run for the National League

Joe Panik flew out to left field to end the game in his second at-bat.

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Sunday afternoon, the Oakland Athletics pair of All-stars were stealing the spotlight with Sonny Gray outdueling the reigning Cy Young winner in a complete-game two-hit shutout in a start bolstered by Stephen Vogt’s two-run homer.While they were putting cherries on top of their All-league resumes, two other members of Oakland’s organization were getting a taste of the All-Star festivities in Cincinnati.

A pair of teammates for Oakland’s double-A affiliate, the Midland RockHounds, found themselves on opposite sides of the diamond in Sunday’s MLB Futures Game, a contest pitting some of the top American prospects against their World counterparts in a showcase of emerging talent. MudHounds first baseman Matt Olson saw his U.S. side trounce designated hitter Renato Nunez’s World team 10-1 in the classic before the Midsummer Classic.

Olson, a compensation pick in the first round (47th overall) of the 2012 amateur player draft, finished the day 1 for 2 with a run scored and a strikeout. The 21-year-old prospect, rated 73rd overall by MLB.com before the season, absolutely exploded onto the scene last season at High-A Stockton, mashing 37 homers with 97 runs batted in and a .262 batting average.

A move from the hitter-friendly California League to Texas League in his fourth professional season has led to a dip in power for the left-handed hitting slugger. Over 84 games, he’s only left the yard 8 times to go with a .227 average. The Atlanta, Georgia native still is on base for near 90 rbis though, having plated 38 runs already.

For Nunez, the honor was his second-straight appearance. He also appeared in the 2014 iteration from Target Field in Minnesota counting Joey Gallo, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant as some of his fellow All-Stars.  In 2014, he went 1 for 2 but failed to reach base Sunday in his encore, stranding a pair of runners in the process.

The 21-year-old Venezuelan may have had a worse performance than Olson, but his season so far has been impressive. Like Olson, Nunez raked in Stoctkon last season, launching 29 homers in 124 games. This year at Midland, he’s already ripped 12 dingers in just 60 games while splitting time at first and third base as well as DH.

While neither player will be in Oakland anytime soon, they’ll bring some strong expectations when they arrive at the show. Some players who have seen time in the majors that previously appeared as a member of the Athletics include Addison Russell (2013), Michael Choice (2012), Chris Carter & Jemille Weeks (2009) and Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill & Cliff Pennington (2008).Of course, its no guarantee to superstardom, with unknowns like Grant Green and busts like Michael Ynoa also having donned the Futures game garb.

Only time will tell if this pair of would-be A’s will man the hot corners at the Coliseum in the future, but for now they’re on the fast track to stardom. Perhaps Sunday won’t be the last time the two are in the same place at the ballpark come All-Star Week.

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. –The Arena Football League is all about high-octane offense, a carousel of marches into the end zone to routine triple-digit combined scoring. At least, that’s been the status quo. The San Jose SaberCats are changing all of that, one defensive stop at a time.

“We want people to respect the defense,” said Cats defensive back Ken Fontenette.

The SaberCats topped the New Orleans VooDoo 56-35 Friday night at the SAP Center, eliminating New Orleans (2-12) from playoff contention. San Jose mastered the feat with a suffocating defense that surrender less than 40 points for the ninth time all season.

“Every year I’ve been here since 2013 we’ve wanted to change the culture,” added Fontenette. “We want to make Arena Football a defensive game. It’s a pride thing.”

Of course, the Cats brought the offense too. AFL Most Valuable Player candidate Erik Meyer threw for 229 yards and 7 touchdowns to lead San Jose (14-1) to the victory and a league-leading 14^th win. “Big Play” Reggie Gray notched 92 receiving yards while finding the end zone 4 times. He also picked up 115 yards on four punts returns.

“Time in and time out in practice we’re going against the best defense in the league,” said Gray. “We have that chemistry where Erik trusts us (in the red zone). It’s all about getting down there and executing.”

Cats on both sides of the ball had or neared record-breaking nights, with defensive back Ken Fontenette setting single-season record and wide receiver Reggie Gray inching closer to one of his own. Fontenette collected 17.5 tackles, breaking Cats assistant coach Omarr Smith’s single season record of 114 in 2008 by 6.

“It’s a great honor,” said Fontenette. “Any time you can do something to get your name in the record books with this franchise and the players that come through here is an honor. I didn’t really know though. One of the fans told me. It’s all about the win and the team. Everybody’s set aside their individual goals. It’s all about winning.”

Gray meanwhile stands on the doorstep of two significant milestones. His 9 catches Friday puts him one shy of tying Rodney Wright for the single season mark of 134 while his 47 touchdowns are 4 shy of besting James Roe’s 40 set in 2007.

“There are three games left,” said Gray. “Whatever the records are, God willing, maybe I’ll get there or maybe not. As long as we get the ‘W’. Individual records are great, but at the end of the day it’s all about the ‘W’. If you get the record and lose, what kind of satisfaction do you have in that?”

San Jose stifled the VooDoo in the first quarter, allowing only 86 yards and no scores.  The Cats used an undisciplined quarter by their visitors to take an early edge with New Orleans committing seven penalties for a loss of 37 total yards before ultimately taking over on a turnover.

After Clevan Thomas intercepted New Orleans quarterback Adam Kennedy pass on third and goal, the Cats converted on their lone offensive possession of the quarter. Quarterback Erik Meyer connected with Reggie Gray on a 13 yard pass with just under 5 minutes left for a 7-0 lead.

San Jose would pick up right where they left off to start the second quarter. In the first drive of the quarter Meyer capped a 7 play, 38 yard drive with a 10 yard completion to Darius Reynolds in the end zone, doubling up the VooDoo just 4:30 in to the frame.

Kennedy broke through the SaberCats defense on New Orleans’ next drive, hitting receiver Chris Duvalt on an 11 yard toss to break the shutout 4:20 away from halftime. The SaberCats rallied back after a 44-yard Gray kick return to the VooDoo 13 yard line. Meyer got lineman Rich Ranglin involved on a screen pass, flipping it to the 315-pounder for a jog across the goal line and another six points for San Jose. Ranglin, the 2014 lineman of the year, has now doubled his 2014 TD total with 6.

“Rich is a versatile self-proclaimed tight end,” said Gray with a chuckle. “He’s big for this offense. He’s one of the best blockers in the league if not the best. His ability to get the ball in the backfield forces teams to not key in on the great receivers that we have.”

New Orleans native Nich Pertuit converted one of eight extra points for a 21-7 lead with 180 ticks of the clock remaining.

New Orleans answered back with a quick drive of its own, with Kennedy orchestrating a two-play, 47-yard drive topped with a 19 yard touchdown pass to Duvalt to bring New Orleans a score back at the one minute warning. One minute was all Meyer and the Cats needed to create breathing room following a one-yard quarterback scramble for the score as time expired in the half. Meyer now has a rushing touchdown in three-straight contests and has a total of six on the season.

Gray picked up his second touchdown of the game on the first drive of the second half, reeling in a pass up the middle for an 11-yard score and a 35-14 lead 2:35 in. The Cats then forced a turnover on downs on 4^th-and-5 to regain possession at the VooDoo 19 yard line. After a sack and an incomplete pass, Meyer connected with former NFLer Ben Nelson for a highlight reel touchdown.

Nelson managed to catch the 25 yard toss with one foot in play while sprawling to make the catch. Fourth-year VooDoo coach Dean Cokinos challenged the play, but the score stood for a 42-14 Cats with 4:59 left in the third quarter. The VooDoo would score on an 18 yard strike from Kennedy to Johnny Lester with 1:41 left in the stanza now trailing 42-21.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter with Gray scoring the first and third while Charlie McClain and Duvalt scored for the New Orleans.

The SaberCats continue a three-game homestand with a contest next Saturday at SAP against the Portland Thunder. They’ll receive a bye week then finish off the home schedule with a game against the Arizona Rattlers before facing the LA Kiss, the team that handed San Jose it’s lone loss, to wrap up the regular season.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Following his second stint on the disabled list this season, Hunter Pence did not need a rehab assignment in the minor leagues and it shows.

Pence hit a grand slam to right field off of Cole Hamels, as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 15-2 before a sellout crowd of 41,895, the 372nd consecutive sellout at AT&T Park.

The right fielder continues to stay hot, as the reigning World Champions scored their most runs in a game this season and had their most hits in a game at home in nearly 14 seasons.

With the 15 runs on the night the Giants topped their season high in runs, as their previous high was 11 on two different two occasions.

Joe Panik hit his seventh home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning, Panik joined Matt Duffy and Justin Maxwell as players who picked up four hits on the evening.

The last time the Giants had three players with four hits in the same game came in the first fans of a doubleheader against the Houston Astros at the Astrodome on May 22, 1965. The players were Jesus Alou, Tom Haller and Hal Lanier, this according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

To go back to the last time that the Giants accomplished this feat at home came against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Polo Grounds on May 9, 1951. Alvin Dark, Whitey Lockman and Ray Noble, thank you Bill Arnold of Sports Features Group.

When Maxwell drove in Brandon Belt in the bottom of the eighth inning, it was the 21st hit of the night for the Giants, which breaks the AT&T Park record for most hits in a game by a Giants team. The previous record was 20 against the Florida Marlins on August 14, 2001.

The Pence grand slam was his fifth career grand slam, and it put the finishing touches on what was an eight-run frame for the Giants.

After Brandon Crawford struck out to lead off the inning against Hamels, eight consecutive Giants reached base and that ended when Crawford grounded out for the second out of the inning.

Madison Bumgarner pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on eight runs, walking two and striking out seven.

Hamels was done after just 3.1 innings, allowing nine runs on 12 hits, walking two and striking out four.

The matchup between Hamels and Bumgarner marked the 44th in big league history that both starting pitchers were named World Series MVPs. Hamels was the 2008 World Series MVP, when the Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, and Bumgarner was the World Series MVP in 2014.

By Jeremy Harness

Not too long ago, the Giants sat atop the National League West standings.

Boy, have things changed in a hurry.

As of Thursday night, they have lost eight of their past nine games, as they have seen themselves further away from the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. The capper of this major slump was their dropping two of their three-game series with the New York Mets at AT&T Park.

The Giants have had their struggles at home all season long, and the recent series with the Mets was a microcosm of that. If they do not get it together in their friendly confines, it will be just about impossible for them to defend their World Series title.

The Giants are now hovering around with a .500 record and are now tied for the second spot with the surging Arizona Diamondbacks, who have won 7 of their past 10 games while the Giants have fizzled.

Surprisingly, they are only 5 ½ games out of the top spot at this point. What’s saving them is the fact that, even though the Dodgers have won six of their past 10 games, they have not exactly been lighting it up themselves. They are coming off a series that saw them win three of four over the hapless Philadelphia Phillies, but they themselves had dropped two of three from the Mets in their own home series prior to that.

The Dodgers have a three-gamer against the Brewers before heading to Washington for a three-game set against the powerful Nationals.

Meanwhile, the Giants have a chance to get back on track at home against the Phillies in a three-game series that starts Friday night before heading down to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks and get a chance to distance themselves from them as well as hopefully draw closer to the Dodgers.

By: Joe Lami

The San Jose Sharks held their third annual prospects game on Thursday night at SAP Center. It gave fans a chance to see the up and comers in the organization while helping the Sharks foundation at the same time.

Chris Tierney, Barclay Goodrow and Mirco Mueller were the veterans involved in the scrimmage and it showed as they appeared to be on a whole other level compared to most of the players participating.  However, there were a few standouts to Thursday night’s game that fans should keep tabs on moving forward.

The first of which is Jemery Roy, the Sharks’ second round pick from this year’s draft.  Roy (pronounced Wah), was taken 31st overall by San Jose after the Sharks jumped up eight spots to nab the 6-foot right handed defenseman.  Roy was said to be a two-way defenseman that can bring offense to his game. This past season in Sherbrooke proved it, as he had 43 points in 46 games played.  Fans on Thursday night didn’t see his offensive side, but saw what he could do on the backend, and it was impressive.  Roy’s performance reminded me much of the way Marc-Edouard Vlasic plays. He is great positionally and goes unnoticed, but makes some great plays.  The most memorable came in the second half, when he noticed Timo Meier in the neutral zone getting ready to receive a breakout pass that would’ve led to a breakaway, but instead Roy read the play and broke up the pass before Meier got it.  Roy was paired on the right side of Mueller, but was the better player in my book.

Nikolay Goldobin’s night started with a bang, as he helped get his team on the board first, just 22 seconds into the first half.  Goldobin started the play by driving the net, while Nikita Jevpalous was able to get it past Liam Herbst. Goldobin looks like a better, more experience forward.  He spent last year in the Finnish league, where he said that playing with the men helped him out a lot. He credits his agent, Igor Larionov, with the idea of playing in a men’s league.  This past year he scored 21 points (11 goals, 10 assist) in 38 games. He says that he needs to work on the details of his game before he makes it into the NHL.  Goldobin was also given a penalty shot as he was tripped up on a breakaway. He scored short side with a beautiful snap shot that he said after the game, “that’s my favorite move. I already knew I was going to score”.

By Jeremy Kahn

Even though Ken Stabler played for the Oakland Raiders in a different generation, his legacy continues to this day.

Stabler, who played for the Raiders from 1970 until 1979 passed away on Wednesday from complications resulting from Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Stabler was 69 years old at the time of his death.

“The Raiders are saddened by the passing of the great Ken Stabler,” said owner Mark Davis in a statement released by the team. “He was a cherished member of the Raider family and personified what it nests to be a Raider. He wore the Silver and Black with Pride and Poise and will continue to live in the hearts of Raider fans everywhere. Our sincerest thoughts and prayers thoughts and prayers go out to Kenny’s family.”

During his 15-year NFL career, Stabler threw for 27,938 yards, while playing for the Raiders, the Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the NFL in 1974.

Stabler was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft in 1968 out of the University of Alabama.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Suffering through a seven-game losing streak, the San Francisco Giants needed a shot in the arm.

Matt Cain made his 2015 home debut, and prior to the game, Hunter Pence was activated from the disabled list and both were big contributors.

Cain went six innings, allowing just two hits, while walking two and striking out seven, as the Giants defeated the New York Mets 3-0 before a crowd of 42,164, the 370th consecutive sellout at AT&T Park.

As for Pence, it was another day at the office for the right fielder, as he went 1-for-4 with two runs batted in and made one of the best plays of the season on a sliding catch off of a Ruben Tejada hit ball in the top of the sixth inning.

After Pence made the feet first sliding catch in foul territory got up, and threw to Andrew Susac to get the speedy Curtis Granderson at home plate to complete the double play. Granderson led off the inning with a triple off of Cain.

With the activation of Pence, rookie outfielder Ryan Lollis was optioned back to Sacramento.

Pence got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the third inning as he grounded into a Fielders’ Choice to score Gregor Blanco from third base. Brandon Crawford drove in the second run of the inning, as he hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Joe Panik from third base; however the inning ended, as Pence was thrown out at second base while trying to advance an additional 90 feet.

Panik scored the Giants third run of the evening, as he scored on a Pence single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

It was also a big night for Blanco, as he went 3-for-4 against Mets pitching.