Category: Uncategorized

By Jeremy Kahn

Andrew Susac is Buster Posey’s backup, but when Tim Lincecum is on the mound, the rookie out of Sacramento is in the squat.

Susac hit a bases clearing double in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Posey drove in two runs and the San Francisco Giants came back to defeat the Colorado Rockies 7-5 at AT&T Park.

Just prior to the Susac double down the left field line, Posey was intentionally walked, so the Rockies could pitch to Susac, who is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak.

Matt Duffy continues hit well in the third slot in front of Posey, as he picked up three hits, including a home run.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, who hit two home runs in Friday night’s 8-6 victory, extended his hitting streak up to 14 games, as he hit a RBI double.

It was another rough outing for Lincecum, who lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing three runs and four hits. Lincecum was forced to leave the game in the top of the second inning, as he was hit just above the right elbow on a D.J. LeMahieu hit ball.

Yusmeiro Petit replaced Lincecum after the starter left the game. Petit went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on three hits.

George Kontos picked up the victory, as he pitched a scoreless seventh inning and won for the second time this season.

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were poised for a busy draft weekend, but as the weekend wrapped up, they had not made any blockbuster moves. They seem to be close to filling out their coaching staff, but still need a starting goalie and probably another defenseman.

With the 9th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, the Sharks selected Swiss forward Timo Meier. The Sharks traded up in the second round to select Canadian defenseman Jeremy Roy. The Sharks traded a 2016 second round pick and a sixth round pick in 2016 to the Colorado Avalanche for the 31st overall pick. Their third round pick went for American goaltender Mike Robinson. In all, the Sharks used nine picks in this year’s draft. The full list can be found on the Sharks’ website.

The Sharks traded a seventh round (210th overall) pick in this year’s draft to Vancouver for 23 year old defenseman Patrick McNally. He was drafted by the Canucks in the fourth round of the 2010 draft and has played the past four seasons for Harvard University. From the Sharks’ press release:

In 2014-15, McNally notched 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 21 games, which placed him eighth on the team in scoring. He also added 10 penalty minutes and finished +16.

In his freshman season (2011-12), McNally was named to the ECAC All-Rookie Squad, was a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year and named to the ECAC Hockey All-League third team. He ranked eighth nationally among all rookies and eight among all defensemen with .82 points per game.

Also on the trade front, the Sharks were said to be very close to acquiring veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa from Vancouver, but that either fell through or was false from the get go.

The Sharks did trade negotiating rights to pending free agent and goaltender Antti Niemi to the Dallas Stars. Reports have the Stars close to a contract with Niemi. This does not mean that Kari Lehtonen, Dallas goalie of six season, will be moving. Dallas GM Jim Nill reportedly wants the two Finns to act as a solid veteran tandem this coming season.

The Sharks received the 193rd pick in this year’s draft in exchange for Niemi’s rights. They used the pick on goaltender John Kupsky of Wisconsin.

The Sharks have resigned rookie goaltender Troy Grosenick to a two year deal, but this still leaves San Jose in need of a veteran unless they are prepared to go forward with Alex Stalock as a starter.

A number of goaltenders have been moved this summer, including the New York Ranger’s Cam Talbot (to Edmonton), Ottawa’s Robin Lehner (to Buffalo), Vancouver’s Eddie Lack (to Carolina), Carolina’s Khudobin (to Anaheim) and Chicago’s Antti Raanta (to the New York Rangers).

The Sharks finalized a two-year contract extension for Melker Karlsson, the Swedish forward who just finished an outstanding first NHL season. The Sharks also announced contract signings for prospects Petter Emanuelsson, Karl Stollery and Jeremy Langlois.

On the coaching front, the Sharks have all but announced that Bob Boughner will be one of Peter DeBoer’s assistants next season. Boughner’s prior NHL coaching experience was in 2010-11 with the Columbus Blue Jackets. His career coaching junior hockey was very successful, including two coach of the year awards.

Adam Oates may be the next assistant added to DeBoer’s staff but nothing has been made official there.

Notables likely to move this summer include Chicago’s Patrick Sharp. The cap-strapped Blackhawks have long known they would have hard choices to make as the contract extensions to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews loomed. Whether Sharp is a fit for the Sharks (and really he is a fit for any team) or whether the Sharks will cut a deal with Chicago is unclear.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Even though the San Francisco Giants defeated the San Diego Padres on Thursday afternoon, the bullpen continues to falter.

Javier Lopez gave up a double to Carlos Gonzalez that scored Charlie Blackmon on the first batter he faced, as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Giants 8-6 before a crowd of 41,887, the 366th consecutive sellout at AT&T Park. Following an intentional walk to Nolan Arenado, Ben Paulsen hit a two-run single that scored Troy Tulowitzki and Gonzalez.

The Giants tied up the game in the previous half-inning, as Brandon Belt singled in Matt Duffy and then Brandon Crawford singled in Buster Posey. All four hits came with two outs for the Giants.

Arenado gave the Rockies the lead in the top of the sixth inning, as he hit a towering three-run home run into the left field bleachers that also scored Tulowitzki and Gonzalez.

Andrew Susac gave the Giants the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, as he hit a solo home run off of Rockies starter Chad Bettis, breaking the scoreless tie.

Hudson lasted 5.2 innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits, walking one and striking out six, as he lost for the seventh time this season against five wins.

Bettis improved to 4-2 on the season, as he went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out three.

Lopez dud not retire a batter for the second straight day, as he faced four batters on Thursday and three batters on Friday.

It was a big night for Gonzalez, as he picked up his fourth career five hit game and the first since May 6, 2014 against the Texas Rangers at Coors Field.

Arenado also did big things at the plate, as he hit two home runs, giving him 22 home runs on the season. It was the fourth multi-home run game for Arenado in his career, the third this season and second this week. Arenado also hit two home runs in the same game on Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field.

The Giants mounted a mini comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning, as Crawford scored on a passed ball with Travis Ishikawa at the plate. Following the passed ball, Ishikawa walked and then Gregor Blanco singled in Justin Maxwell, who also walked.

Joe Panik then singled in Ishikawa to narrow the lead down to 8-6, but then Matt Duffy struck out for the second out of the inning to bring up Buster Posey; however Tommy Kahnle struck out Posey to end the game.

There were three different reviews on the evening, all were challenged by the Giants and none of the three were overturned.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Friday, June 26, 2015

By scoring 42 unanswered points, San Jose rolled to a 62-27 win at Spokane over the Shock in Arena Football League action Friday.

After Spokane tied the game at 20-20 on a fumble recovery for a touchdown, the SaberCats scored on touchdown passes from Meyer to Jeremy Kelley (14 yards) and Ben Nelson (5 yards) to take a 27-20 lead.

A 14-yard scoring pass from Meyer to Darius Reynolds continued the scoring streak early in the third quarter. Reggie Gray scored on an acrobatic 11-yard TD reception, Meyer added a 15-yard scoring run that put the Cats up 48-20 after three quarters.

Offensive lineman Rich Ranglin’s fifth TD of the season gave San Jose a 55-20 lead in the fourth quarter. San Jose tacked on one more touchdown before Spokane scored with under one minute to play.

SaberCats quarterback Erik Meyer completed 26 of 34 passes for 277 yards and seven touchdowns against his former team. Gray snared a game-high 14 receptions for 154 yards and four touchdowns. Nelson grabbed 10 passes for 91 yards and one TD.

Defensively, Francis Maka recorded back-to-back sacks, giving him 10 for the season. Defensive back Fredrick Obi had an interception and nine tackles, and Ken Fontenette finished with seven tackles.

After the SaberCats enjoy a Fourth of July bye week, they return to action Friday, July 10 at the SAP Center, hosting the New Orleans Hornets. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – Ian Kennedy came into Wednesday’s game with some serious ownage on the Giants. He had amassed a 10-4 career mark against the Giants to go along with a 2.42 earned-run average, with most of that coming from his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Not to mention that the Giants had lost 10 of their previous 11 home games, including a recent three-game sweep at the hands of an Arizona team that currently sports a losing record.

At least for one night, Posey put all of that to rest with one swing of the bat.

In the third inning, Posey took advantage of a mistake in location by Kennedy, and he made the San Diego starter pay dearly for his transgression, sending the knee-high pitch that caught too much of the plate into the left-field seats for a grand slam to help the Giants sail past the Padres, 6-0, before 41,744 fans at AT&T Park.

It was the fourth-career grand slam for Posey, who currently leads all National league catchers in the most recent All-Star voting, and it also broke him out of his own 0-for-9 skid.

“I love three-run homers, but grand slams are even better,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “(They are) always big for a staff, too. (After that), they (approached) the hitters a little different, I think.

“It was a huge hit; it just got us over the hump.”

That quickly took the pressure off of starter Ryan Vogelsong, who proceeded to glide his way to a stellar outing that saw him surrender only five hits through six shutout innings, striking out four hitters against only a pair of walks.

It was Vogelsong’s second straight scoreless start and has not given up a run in the last 12 2/3 innings, after he had dropped three decisions in a row prior to his shutout win over Seattle last Thursday to start the current roll that he’s on now.

The only time that he faced any real trouble was in the fourth, when a Justin Upton double put runners on second and third with nobody out.

He started his climb out of the hole by striking out Derek Norris, and then after fielding Will Venable’s grounder, he caught Yonder Alonso wandering too far off third base and initiated a rundown that eliminated Alonso from the bases.

He then finished the job by getting Will Middlebrooks to ground out, keeping intact the shutout that the bullpen would maintain.

“He was pitching real efficiently,” Bochy said. “He made some great pitches, and he kept his poise.”

The Giants added to their lead in the fourth. Susac hit one into the gap in right-center, and when Matt Kemp fumbled it on the warning track, that allowed the slow-footed catcher to make it to third standing up. The next batter, Gregor Blanco, singled up the middle to bring him in and extend the Giants’ lead to six.

A continuing development for the Giants involves lefty specialist Javier Lopez. He has clearly not lost his deft touch against lefties – they are 2-for-38 against him this season, and he has not surrendered a hit to the last 28 left-handers he has faced – but he has shown much more of an ability to get righties out as well.

That was on display in the top of the seventh, as he faced three straight right-handers and retired them in order. If that trend continues, that is expected to save the Giants’ bullpen a considerable amount of wear and tear down the stretch while also forcing opposing managers to think longer about pinch-hitting scenarios in the later innings.

NOTES: With a double to go along with his triple on Wednesday, Susac extended his hitting streak to a career-high six games. On the other hand, Matt Duffy saw his eight-game hit streak – another career-high – come to an end, as he went 0-for-3 with a walk.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Alexi Amarista was on the bench all night, but with one hit, he won the game.

Amarista hit a ball off the glove of Hunter Strickland in the top of the 11th inning, as the San Diego Padres came back to defeat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 before a crowd of 42,067, the 363rd consecutive sellout at AT&T Park.

The Amarista single scored former Oakland A’s catcher Derek Norris from second base, after the catcher doubled with one out in the frame.

Madison Bumgarner went 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out a career-high 14.

It looked like it was going to be a special night for Bumgarner from the outset, as he retired the first 14 Padres until Yonder Alonso reached on a broken bat single just in front of Justin Maxwell with two outs in the top of the fifth inning.

Following the Alonso single to right field, Will Middlebrooks singled to right field; however Alonso was then caught stealing at third base to end the threat.

Bumgarner’s opponent on the mound, Odrisamer Despaigne was not too shabby either, as he went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking two and striking out three.

The Giants finally got to the right-hander in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Gregor Blanco was able to beat out a squibber in front of the plhe aate that scored Matt Duffy from third base. Duffy led off the inning with a double. Joe Panik then followed up Blanco’s single with a double to straightaway centerfield that scored Blanco.

Bumgarner got into a jam in the top of the eighth inning, as he walked Alonso to leadoff the inning, Middlebrooks then doubled to right field and then Will Venable doubled down the left field line to tie up the game.

Padres manager Pat Murphy was ejected from a major league game for the first time, as he contested Clint Barmes strikeout just prior to the Venable double that tied up the game.

Following the Venable double that tied up the game, he was thrown out at second base on a ball hit by Cory Spangnberg, as Sergio Romo threw to Crawford to for the second out. The play was reviewed, and after a four minute 27 second review, the play stood.