Athletics’ Nick Kurtz is called out on strikes during the third inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Alyssa Howell)
Sacramento A’s podcast Lincoln Juarez:
#1 A’s starter J.T. Ginn surrendered back-to-back home runs in the first inning of the series opener in Baltimore that ended up costing the A’s the win.
#2 Tyler Soderstrom drove in Nick Kurtz on an RBI single to make it a one-run-game in the eighth inning and continues to stay more consistent at the plate.
#3 The A’s put up seven hits but got held to just two runs Friday night in Baltimore. How good of a sign is it, though, to see the offense continue to rack up hits the last few weeks?
#4 Saturday in Baltimore, the A’s send RHP Jack Perkins (0-0 ERA 3.97) to the mound to matchup against Orioles RHP Brandon Young (0-5 ERA 5.88), what can we expect from the A’s starter in game two of the series?
#5 Friday morning the A’s released photos of concrete being poured at the stadium site in Las Vegas to try and excite fans. How far along, really, are the A’s on this process of the relocation?
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is pretty thrilled after the defense pick off a pass for an interception against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle on Thu Aug 7, 2025 in the first pre season game for Las Vegas (AP News photo)
Las Vegas Raiders podcast Rich Perez:
#1 How special has it got to be to have Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith return back to their old haunt in Seattle at Lumen Field.
#2 Carroll felt right at home while coaching the Raiders to a 23-23 tie. Carroll spoke to many Seattle Seahawks players before the game during warm ups.
#3 Carroll said of being able to play in Seattle for the first pre season game, “It was cool to be here. I loved it here,” Carroll said. “But it didn’t translate to something crazy for me. It was just an opportunity to play in a great setting. Thanks to the league for putting us in this game.”
#4 As far as the game was concerned Raiders starting quarterback Adrian O’Connell went 18-30 for 205 yards and one touchdown and two interceptions.
#5 Raiders next will host the San Francisco 49ers in pre season game #2 on Sat Aug 16th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Talk about this match up it’s not a regular season game but the 49ers fans travel well so there should be lots of excitement for this one.
San Francisco Giants Patrick Bailey congratulates Jung Hoo Lee after Lee scored on a double by Dominic Smith in the top of the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Wed Aug 6, 2025 (AP News photo)
San Francisco Giants podcast Morris Phillips:
#1 Dominic Smith slugged a ninth inning double that got the San Francisco Giants the lead as the Giants picked up a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
#2 Giants Jung Hoo Lee hit a double to right field off Nat’s pitcher Dennis Santana. Smith was pinch hitting for Christopher Koss that scored Lee on a double to right that put the Giants up 3-2 and Patrick Bailey added to the lead with an RBI single.
#3 The Giants got the relief pitching they were looking from Ryan Walker who struck out three batters in order in the eighth. Closer Randy Rodriguez also pitched a perfect ninth to get his third save of the season.
#4 Giant starter Robbie Ray in in six innings of work and allowed two runs and six hits.
#5 Giant starter Kai-Wei Teng is probable on the mound for San Francisco with a 0-0, 13.50 ERA. The Nationals will start Jake Irvin with a 8-6 win/loss record and a 4.89 ERA. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 7:15 PM this Friday night.
Sacramento A’s pitcher Jacob Lopez was dealing against the Washington Nationals going seven plus innings allowing three hits, and striking out ten at Nationals Park in DC on Thu Aug 7, 2025 (AP News photo)
Green and Gold Silence the Bats in D.C. with Complete 6-0 Shutout
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics rolled into Nationals Park on Thursday afternoon and left the nation’s capital with a statement win, blanking Washington 6-0 in a game where the A’s pitching staff didn’t just slam the door, they locked it, bolted it, and threw away the key.
From the first pitch, Sacramento looked locked in. Shea Langeliers started the game by lining out sharply to center, but the A’s got their first baserunner when Nick Kurtz drew a walk. However, a quick forceout and a fly to right ended the opening frame without much noise.
Washington’s half of the first wasn’t any better. Jacob Lopez, making the start for the Green and Gold, coaxed three quick outs from CJ Abrams, James Wood, and Paul DeJong.
The second inning is where the A’s offense began to hum. After Darell Hernaiz worked a walk, rookie Colby Thomas announced himself with authority, launching his first career home run deep to center. Just like that, the Athletics were up 2-0.
Luis Urías kept the rally alive with a single, and Max Schuemann followed with a double to right, pushing Urías to third. Langeliers brought him home on a sacrifice fly to center, giving Sacramento a 3-0 cushion before the Nationals could blink.
Lopez kept Washington in check in the bottom of the second, and after an on-field delay, the Nationals went down quietly again. By the time the third inning rolled around, the game already had the feel of one where the A’s pitching staff could take full control.
In the top of the fourth, Hernaiz again sparked the offense, this time ripping a triple down the line into left. Thomas followed with a deep sac fly to score him, making it 4-0. That was all Lopez and company would need, but Sacramento wasn’t done adding insurance.
While the middle innings saw the Nationals occasionally put a man on, Lopez and the bullpen never wavered. Washington hitters were flailing, piling up strikeouts while the Green and Gold defense vacuumed up any hard contact. By the end of the sixth, Lopez’s afternoon had been a masterpiece: efficient, confident, and completely suffocating to the Nats’ offense.
The A’s offense had another spark in the eighth when Tyler Soderstrom decided one long ball on the day wasn’t enough for Sacramento. He crushed his 21st homer of the season to right, extending the lead to 5-0. Darell Hernaiz added a single moments later but was thrown out trying to steal second, a rare blemish in an otherwise crisp A’s attack.
By the ninth, the Green and Gold were ready to put the game to bed. Schuemann led off with his third double of the afternoon, showing off the gap-to-gap pop that’s been quietly steady all year. Langeliers followed with a single to left, and after Kurtz’s groundout plated Schuemann, the score swelled to 6-0. That would be more than enough for relievers Justin Sterner and the defense to close the door without drama.
In the Nationals’ final at-bat, it was more of the same. Hassell, Abrams, and Wood were retired in order, as Sacramento finished off the shutout in a dominant win.
This was the kind of win that can give a team a midseason jolt. The pitching staff combined for a dazzling performance, allowing just five hits and racking up strikeouts like it was batting practice, for the pitchers, that is. Lopez set the tone early, and each reliever kept the zero on the board. The defense was flawless, turning two double plays and making routine outs look even easier than they were.
Offensively, Sacramento didn’t overwhelm with constant traffic on the bases, but they came up big in their moments. Thomas’ first career homer, Soderstrom’s milestone blast, Schuemann’s extra-base hit spree, and the timely sac flies from Langeliers and Thomas all painted a picture of an offense that knew exactly when to strike.
The Nationals, on the other hand, looked out of sync from start to finish. Outside of Hassell’s double and Adams’ lone single, they struggled to mount any meaningful threats. Their lone baserunning gamble backfired in the second inning, and the strikeouts, piled up far too quickly for a team trying to claw back into the game.
It’s off to Baltimore for a three game set which starts on Friday night at Camden Yards. Starting pitchers for Sacramento RHP JT Ginn (3-2 ERA 4.28) for Baltimore RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (8-5 ERA 4.42) first pitch 4:05pm PT.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Oakland Ballers are a happy group after getting the win over the Yuba Sutter High Wheelers at Raimondi Park in Oakland on Wed Aug 6, 2025 (Oakland Ballers X photo)
OAKLAND–You can always expect the unexpected at an Oakland Ballers ball game. This Wednesday night’s wild and wooly 11-8win over their arch rivals from Marysville, the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers, was an especially surreal example of that paradox.
It began with your usual see-saw (or is it teeter totter) ups and downs with the visitors rising first when Evan Berkey smacked a lead off round tripper to left center off the B’s starter Zach St. Pierre.
The weight on the fulcrum quickly shifted in the bottom of the inning; the High Wheelers plopped down and the Ballers rose with four runs after the visitors’ Jonah Jacobs Jake Allgeyer, whose walk off single had won Tuesday’s come from behind thriller, grounded out to Berkey at second, followed by Cam Bufford’s double to l, weft, a walk to Lou Helmig, and Tyler Lozano, loading the bases. Davis Drewek unloaded them with a grand slam over the right field fence.
The tenor of the game underwent a qualitative change in the top of the fifth. Allgeyer’s error at the hot corner allowed Bobby Lada to reach first safely, and when Lou Helmig mishandled the ball, Lada kept on going to second. (Both teams solidified the PBL’s reputation for shaky defense.
All in all, they would commit seven errors, a wild pitch, a passed ball,and a balk. The combined pitching staff would hit four batters). Gio Brusa’s single moved Lada up another 90 feet, setting the stage for Berky’s second home run of the game.
St. Pierre then hit Mike Campagna on what seemed to be his back ankle. The High Wheeler’s catcher took umbrage at having to pay the piper for Berky’s blast and expressed his displeasure to St. Pierre. Before we knew it, the benchwarming Kirkland Banks and Cooper Hext, along with coach Billy Horton— who declares on his Linked In page, he ” I embrace the opportunity to be an example to others….”—were ejected. There was no announcement of the ejection or the reason for it. We could have strong suspicions. There must have been plenty of sound and fury on the field, but in the stands that signified nothing.
The fandom grew restless and raucous, but not , however, rowdy. Still, it had passed from having a good time while watching a ball game to having a good time at a ballgame. The crowd’s mood did not improve when Christian Almanza’s fielding error put Connor Denning on base and the Oakland first sacker’s subsequent errant backhand toss to St. Pierre allowed the aggrieved Campagne to hussle on to third.
At this point, manager Aaron Miles gave St. Pierre the gate and called on James Colyer to stop the hemorrhaging. St. Pierre had thrown 96 pitches over 4-1/3 innings, in which he had allowed six runs, five earned, on eight hits, including three dingers, a balk, and a hit batter.
Colyer closed out the fifth without suffering any damage, but he was less effective in the visitors’ half of the sixth . River Orsak drew a walk and quickly moved on to second on a passed ball, adding a new dimension to the chant, “Oh, Tyler Lozano.”‘ Singles by Brusa and Cuba Bss upped Yuba-Sutter’s lead to 8-5.
The B’s offense barely stirred against Cole Cressend in the fifth and sixth, or against Scott Ellis in the seventh, and the crowd was getting restless. It began to focus back on the game after Bufford and Helmig hit back to back singles to open the episode against Jack Martin, who had just taken over for Ellis.
Sam Drumheller, who would suffer his third defeat without a win, took over and didn’t give up an earned run. He did however, allow his two inherited runs to score, and he coughed up two more runs to batters for whom he was responsible. But those two tallies were unearned.
Lozano’s productive out on a grounder to second put the two runners in scoring position. Davis Drewek’s sacrifice fly to right plated Bufford and Randy Flores’s error allowed Helmig to take third and Drewek reach first. After Cobb drove Helmig in and advanced Drevek to third.
With the B’s now trailing by only one run, they, and their assembled supporters, were back in the game. Dillon Tattum pinch hit for Esai Santos and received an intentional walk. Esai Santos pinch ran for him. Almanza’s single tied the score by bringing Drewek home and putting Santos into scoring position with the potential tie breaker.
Danny Harris provided the crescendo, at three run wallop, and it was all over but the shouting.
Diylan Massuoka, who had replaced Colyer in the seventh and hadn’t allowing anything more threatening than a hit batter ceded mound duties to Connor Sullivan, who faced four High Wheelers and allowed only a walk, followed by a wild pitch, to earned his 13th save. Maetsuoka got the win and now is 5-1.
Before Friday night game, the B’s will host a Filipino block party with all sorts of musical and culinary treats. That will start at 5:00pm. On top of that, the first 200 fans through the gates will receive a free celebratory t-shirt. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm PT.
Sacramento A’s Jacob Lopez is the starting pitcher against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in DC on Thu Aug 7, 2025 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 Washington Nationals CJ Abrams’ base hit scored Robert Hassell III in a walk off hit in the ninth inning as the Nationals beat the A’s 2-1 on Wednesday. The win ends the Nats six game losing streak.
#2 A’s starter Jeffrey Springs retired the first 15 batters he faced until the Nats Riley Adams hit a sixth inning home run to tie up the game at 1-1.
#3 Hassell hit a double off A’s reliever Michael Kelly to start the ninth and Hassell scored on Adam’s base hit with one out as A’s leftfielder Tyler Soderstrom’s throw was off line.
#4 Soderstrom hit his 20th home run in the top of the sixth inning but the A’s fell short by a run in their 2-1 loss.
#5 Starting pitchers for Thursday for Sacramento LHP Jacob Lopez (4-6 ERA 3.99) for Washington LHP Mitchell Parker (7-11 ERA 5.35) 9:05AM PT.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s Jefferey Springer works on the Washington Nationals line up at Nationals Park in DC on Wed Aug 6, 2025 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Michael Roberson:
#1 Washington Nationals CJ Abrams’ base hit scored Robert Hassell III in a walk off hit in the ninth inning as the Nationals beat the A’s 2-1 on Wednesday. The win ends the Nats six game losing streak.
#2 A’s starter Jeffrey Springs retired the first 15 batters he faced until the Nats Riley Adams hit a sixth inning home run to tie up the game at 1-1.
#3 Hassell hit a double off A’s reliever Michael Kelly to start the ninth and Hassell scored on Adam’s base hit with one out as A’s leftfielder Tyler Soderstrom’s throw was off line.
#4 Soderstrom hit his 20th home run in the top of the sixth inning but the A’s fell short by a run in their 2-1 loss.
#5 Starting pitchers for Thursday for Sacramento LHP Jacob Lopez (4-6 ERA 3.99) for Washington LHP Mitchell Parker (7-11 ERA 5.35) 9:05AM PT.
SAN FRANCISCO–If the Valkyries’ unprecedented path to the WNBA playoffs involves beating the teams at and below their level in the standings, the Las Vegas Aces made it clear that they’re not in that group.
A’ja Wilson’s efficient 27 points and 7 rebounds led the Aces to a 78-72 win at Chase Center on Wednesday night that was easily the visitors’ most focused effort against the expansion Valkyries in their now completed four-game set.
Physical play throughout limited scoring, and proliferated the referee whistles, but didn’t deter the Aces’ gritty defensive effort that limited the Valkyries to 39 percent shooting from the floor.
“We needed to fight for 40 minutes, not 20 or 25,” Janelle Salaun said afterwards on the KPIX-TV post-game show.
The Valkyries fell below .500 to 14-15, but remained in the top eight of the standings, a half game ahead of the Sparks and a full game in front of the Mystics. The top eight qualify for the playoffs, and the Valkyries still have critical home games against the Sparks and Mystics.
Both teams wasted their opportunities at the 3-point line, shooting just 18 percent but made up for it with near flawless free throw shooting. Wilson navigated both areas by shooting 11 for 11 at the stripe and not attempting a three, while making 8 of 11 from two. The former MVP and two-time champion also had two steals and two blocks. When pressured, she drove. When afforded space, Wilson cooked the Valkyries from the free throw line extended.
Tiffany Hayes led the hosts with 14, Salaun added 13, and Carla Leite and Kaila Charles had 11 each.
The Valkyries next host the Sparks on Saturday evening.
Washington Nationals CJ Abrams celebrates after his walk off single that scored teammate Russell Hassell to defeat the Sacramento A’s at Nationals Park in DC on Wed Aug 6, 2025 (AP News photo)
Soderstrom Shines But Sacramento Falls Short in a Game of Inches
By Mauricio Segura
For much of the night, it looked like the Athletics had figured out the formula for quieting the Washington Nationals’ bats. Strong defense, timely outs, and a solo shot from Tyler Soderstrom had Sacramento poised to escape the nation’s capital with a gritty win. But as is often the case in baseball, all it took was one crack of the bat for it all to unravel.
The game moved at the pace of a chess match and delivered the thrill of a sudden checkmate, the A’s suffered a heartbreaker in walk-off fashion, falling 2–1 to the Nationals at Nationals Park on Wednesday night.
Both teams were failing to advance offensively through the first five innings. Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs and Washington’s Cade Cavalli carved through lineups like chefs with sharp knives. At one point, eight straight Sacramento batters were retired on strikeouts or soft contact, and every time the Nats threatened, the Green and Gold defense shut them down.
Sacramento’s first real chance came in the third, when Max Schuemann reached on a two-out error and was followed by a single from Shea Langeliers. But Nick Kurtz, who struggled all evening at the plate, whiffed to end the inning and left the potential go-ahead run stranded 90 feet away.
The top of the sixth is where the silence was finally broken, and it was broken loud. Soderstrom, who had already made three clean plays in left field, turned on a fastball and deposited it into the right-center seats for his 20th homer of the year. The solo blast gave Sacramento a 1–0 lead and put a jolt into the dugout, which had up to that point spent most of the game watching strikeouts mount like overdue bills.
But the Nationals answered quickly in the bottom half. Riley Adams, not known for his power, delivered a solo shot of his own to left field to tie the game. It was the only mistake Springs made all night, but it proved costly. Adams’ homer was also Washington’s first hit of the game, a stinging reminder that no lead is safe in a ballpark that can punish even the slightest miscue.
From there, both bullpens took over. Sacramento’s Sean Newcomb came in with the game tied in the seventh and managed to erase a leadoff single from James Wood by inducing a textbook 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Paul DeJong. It was clean, precise baseball, the kind that wins tight games, until it doesn’t.
The A’s had a final chance in the top of the ninth but came up empty. Pinch-hitter Colby Thomas struck out in his lone plate appearance. Gio Urshela grounded out. Max Schuemann, who had reached base twice earlier in the game, flied out to right. That set the stage for the bottom of the ninth, and the Nationals wasted no time.
Robert Hassell III opened the inning with a double off Michael Kelly, who had just entered in relief. Jacob Young tried to bunt him over but failed, fouling off strike three. For a moment, it felt like the A’s might escape. But CJ Abrams, cool and composed, laced a single to left that brought Hassell sprinting home for the walk-off win.
It was a game of small margins. Two errors by the Nationals kept Sacramento in the game longer than they might’ve deserved. But two missed opportunities with runners in scoring position, and just three hits total, meant the A’s were walking a tightrope from the first pitch to the final swing. And eventually, they slipped.
Tyler Soderstrom stood out with the bat and the glove, but the rest of the offense was mostly invisible. The top third of the order, Langeliers, Kurtz, and Rooker, combined to go 0-for-10 with six strikeouts. No amount of clean fielding can overcome that kind of quiet at the plate.
Starting pitchers for Thursday for Sacramento LHP Jacob Lopez (4-6 ERA 3.99) for Washington LHP Mitchell Parker (7-11 ERA 5.35) 9:05AM PT.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Manager Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the odds favorites to make the World Series according to the oddsmakers (AP file photo)
Odds to Win the World Series
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi Gonzalez
Players can get into big trouble if they bet on baseball games, particularly active players. Tucupita Marcano (one of my old-time favorite baseball names), a former infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, was banned from attending Major League Baseball games, including those with the Pirates while he was on their roster.
Marcano placed bets totaling more than $150,000 on baseball games. including 25 bets on Pirates games while he was on the team’s injured list. Legal sports betting, including baseball games, is permitted in a growing number of U.S. jurisdictions following the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to overturn the federal ban.
The specific regulations and availability of online vs. retail betting vary significantly from place to place. With some 45 games left this season for most teams, below are the teams that have the best odds to win this World Series come October.
I have taken an average of all oddsmakers as of today. According to most oddsmakers, these are the Top Twelve with the best chances of winning this next October Classic. From the best at the top, to the last in number ten.
Any of these 12 could end the postseason with the World Series trophy. 1-Los Angeles Dodgers 2-Philadelphia Phillies 3-Detroit Tigers 4-New York Mets 5-New York Yankees 6-Houston Astros 7-San Diego Padres 8-Seattle Mariners 9-Chicago Cubs 10-Milwaukee Brewers 11-Toronto Blue Jays 12-Boston Red Sox. These are the 12 best; the other 18 teams will have to wait until next year.
On a personal note: I condone gambling. Gambling can be highly addictive, impacting lives similarly to substance use disorders.
Quote: Jackie Robinson’s “Baseball resembles a game of poker. Nobody wants to give up while they are losing, and nobody wants to give up when they are winning”, can be applied to the mindset of a bettor.
Sports Radio Service 