San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants hitters do some handy work against one of the best teams Cubs

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco Giants Steven Duggar connects for an RBI single in the second inning against Chicago Cubs pitcher Zach Davies at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Jun 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The San Francisco Giants (35-21) opened the four game series on Thursday night with a rather decided win over visiting Chicago Cubs (32-24) at Oracle Park 7-2 as the Giants gets some timely hitting and solid pitching.

#2 Giants pitcher Anthony DeScalfani pitched for six innings giving up four hits and two runs except for the two run third DeScalfani looked like he could have thrown a complete game.

#3 The Giants chalked up some run production in the bottom of the second inning with Steven Duggar who singled in a run and in the fifth inning the Giants added three runs and wound up with a five run win over one of the best teams in the National League.

#4 Usually to beat your opponent your try and put some runs up on the board early but the Cubs struck first with two runs in the third but DeScalfani with some good pitching held the Cubs back and the Giants were able to win their seventh in ten games.

#5 Next up for Friday night’s game the Cubs will start Jake Arrietta (5-5 ERA 4.41) the Giants were going to go with Logan Webb (4-3) but he has a recurring shoulder injury and will sit out tonight’s game. Giants manager as of Friday morning has not announced who will start.

Join Michael Fridays for the Giants podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s just above water with one game lead over Houston

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Oakland A’s Mitch Mooreland gets congratulations in the dugout on Wed Jun 2, 2021 in Seattle after hitting a two run home run against the Seattle Mariners at T Mobile Park. Mooreland and the A’s will face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field Fri Jun 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 Jeremiah, a little something different for the Oakland A’s (33-25) as they head into Denver to play the Colorado Rockies (23-34). The A’s will be playing in National League park no designated hitter how much of a pitching advantage will that be for the Rockies?

#2 The Rockies are in fourth in the National League West and have a good home record at 18-12 could that mean an interesting series in Denver?

#3 The A’s have an upper hand they have a good road record at 16-8 and could a park like Coors Field be used to their advantage as the A’s need wins in this series to catch up with the Astros who are right behind them in the standings.

#4 A recent article was written about the disadvantages of broadcasting games remotely. You don’t get to see some of the things you might catch when your at the ball park broadcasting since Covid how has this impacted radio coverage in baseball?

#5 Jeremiah talk about the pitching match ups for tonight’s game in Denver starting for the A’s Frankie Montas (5-5 ERA 4.45) and for the Rockies Jon Gray (4-2 ERA 4.45)

Join Jeremiah for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hard-hitting Giants get the jump on the Cubs in 7-2 win

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Half full COVID restricted ballparks translate to fully-audible bat swing contact, and that couldn’t haven’t been more apparent at Oracle Park on Thursday night.

With balls being whipped around the park from the game’s initial pitch, fans were treated to an audible fireworks show from both teams. Joc Pedersen started it with a rocket that was caught spectacularly by Steven Duggar at the wall on the game’s first pitch. Kris Bryant got his lick in with a ringing double as the game’s second batter, and Pedersen doubled down with a 427-foot splash hit that had kayaks in the cove scrambling in the third.

But the night’s loudest smack belonged to the Giants’ Brandon Crawford swinging on a 3-0 pitch in the fifth that became a decisive three-run homer that propelled the Giants to a 7-2 win in the opener of a four-game series.

“We had the go-ahead run at second base against a hard-throwing lefty,” Crawford said. “It was three sliders in a row and then a fastball over the plate.”

“He knew he was going to get a fastball from Brothers and he was ready for it,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “The ball wasn’t carrying tonight and that ball was hit very well.”

In the absence of Evan Longoria, Mike Yastrzemski, Darin Ruf and Brandon Belt–all dealing with injuries–Crawford’s contribution was essential to getting past the Cubs, winners of 15 of 19 coming in, and far healthier than the host Giants. With the game tied 2-2 the Giants were getting their first look at the Chicago bullpen after starter Zach Davies departed with an elevated pitch count, and allowing the first three hitters in the inning to reach.

Reliever Rex Brothers fell behind Crawford 3-0, and wasn’t afforded a get-across pitch as the host’s leading home run hitter was granted the green light. Brothers’ first fastball provided the speed, and Crawford the heft, on the biggest pitch of the night.

The home run capped Crawford’s big night which started with an RBI single in the second and a bare-handed catch-and-throw in the third to retire Kris Bryant in the third.

The Giants have won five of six and improved to an NL-best 35-21 on the season.

Anthony DeSclafani may have allowed some loud contact early, but he was the winner in the end, pitching six innings, allowing four hits and two runs. DeSclafani also aided his cause with his first hit of the season, an RBI double that tied the game in the fourth. Ironically, the pitcher had gone 40 official at-bats without a hit and suffered a feeble strike out with the bases loaded to end the second inning.

The Giants get a second shot at the Cubs on Friday with familiar face Jake Arrieta pitching for Chicago and the Giants’ pitcher unannounced.

Aces get by Liberty, 94-82

Published on by psushawnLeave a comment

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces bounced back from a tough loss in Connecticut with a 94-82 win over the New York Liberty at Barclays Center.

“We won the game, that’s a positive,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “We made some mistakes in this game and we didn’t play smart.  Overall, we have to play smarter.”

The Aces outscored the Liberty 14-3 in the last four minutes of the game.

“We started playing Aces basketball,” said Laimbeer. “Getting rebounds was the key to the last four minutes.”

The Aces were led by forward A’ja Wilson who scored 30 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.

“We are still trying to find our identity,” said Wilson. “We let them back into the game, but we grinded.”

Jackie young added 16 points, while Chelsea Gray scored 11 and dished out nine assists.

“Proud of this team and their fight,” said Gray. “We just needed to stick to our game plan and get locked in.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 6-3 on the season heading into their next game on Saturday in Washington against the Mystics.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces shot 45.7% from the field, while holding the Liberty to 40.7%.
  • Rebounding in the game was tied 38-38.
  • Guard Kelsey Plum returned from the U.S. Women’s 3×3 basketball team Olympic qualifiers and came off the bench to score four points.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Angel McCoughtry—Out, right ACL

Preview of the A’s three-game series against the Colorado Rockies

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin seen here in Seattle against the Seattle Mariners on Wed Jun 2, 2021 will lead the A’s against the Colorado Rockies on Fri Jun 4, 2021 at Coors Field in Denver (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (33-25) will be in Denver to play a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies (22-34) starting Friday night. The A’s own a modest two-game winning streak and are hoping to extend the streak to five. Things will be slightly different for Oakland as they are playing in a National League park, and the A’s will not be able to use the Designated Hitter. The A’s pitchers will be taking batting practice as they will have to go to the plate and be ready to hit.

The Rockies are currently in fourth place in the National League West. The Rockies’ record for the season is 22-34. That will change as they are playing the Texas Rangers on Thursday. The Rockies are very good at home as they are 18-12. On the road, it’s a different story. Their road record is underwhelming as they have won four and lost twenty-two. The A’s, on the other hand, are great on the road. They are 16-8, while their home record is just 17-17.

Frankie Monras will go for Oakland Friday night. Montas is 5-5 with an ERA of 4.45. Montas has lost his last three starts but has pitched well, posting an ERA of 3.24. Montas is 0-2 in two starts against Colorado. Rockies’ manager Bud Black will send righty Jon Gray to face the A’s. Gray is 4-2 with an ERA of 4.45.

On Saturday lefty Cole Irvin will be on the mound for the A’s. Irvin has not done well in his last three starts. The lefty has allowed at least four earned runs in each start. Lefty Kyle Freeland (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will go for the Rocks. On Sunday, James Kaprelian will be on the hill for the A’s. Kaprielian is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.95. In his last start against Seattle, Kaprielian went three and 2/3rds innings and was tagged for four runs. The Rockies will counter with German Marquez (3-5, 4.13 ERA).

The Rockies traded their best player, Nolan Arenado, to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2021 season. There are rumors that their star shortstop, Trevor Story, will be traded before or at the trading deadline. Currently, on the 10-day IL, Story will be a free agent at the end of the year.

The Rockies still have players that the A’s will have to handle. Rockies’ right fielder, Charlie Blackmon, is having a down year. Blackmon, a career .300 hitter, is hitting .250 with three home runs and 26 RBIs. The A’s pitchers will be hoping that Blackmon doesn’t find his stroke in the series.

Another player the A’s are familiar with is first baseman C.J.Cron. The A’s faced Cron many times when he was with the LA Angels. Cron is hitting .275 with five dingers and 18 RBIs. Their new third baseman, Ryan McMahon, is making a name for himself. His batting average is .259, and he has 13 homers and 32 RBI’s to his credit.

The A’s offense woke up in the last two games against the Mariners. The A’s had 23 hits in the last two games and scored 18 runs. A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, is hitting over .300 for the last three weeks. Tony Kemp had five RBIs in Tuesday’s game in Seattle. Matt Chapman, struggling at the plate, had two hits Wednesday night. Matt Olson had three. Mitch Morland blasted a 444-foot monster home run Wednesday night.

The A’s lead in the West is precarious. The Houston Astros are just 1/2 game the A’s in the race for first place in the AL West. The Astros have won four in a row. They have won the last three against the Boston Red Sox and will be going for a sweep of the four-game set Thursday afternoon. A Houston win will tie the A’s for first place. A loss will put them a game behind Oakland.

The A’s will be ready for the Rockies as they have an off-day on Thursday after playing 17 consecutive days. Oakland will need their starters to pitch well. The Rockies would love nothing more than to upset the A’s plans. The series starts Friday night at Coors Field at 5:40 pm.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s showing improvements Manaea throws 6-0 shutout

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea in the process of throwing a four hit complete game shutout against the Seattle Mariners is seen here pitching in the fifth inning on Wed Jun 2, 2021 at T Mobile Center in Seattle (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, Sean Manaea has had some tough outings his last few times out but that all seemed to change on Wednesday night when he threw a complete game four hit shutout.

#2 Manaea struck out eight hitters and kept the Mariners off balance all night.

#3 Previous to Tuesday night’s game which the A’s won the A’s had lost four of five games to the Mariners and they knew they had to come back and they have showed some improvement over these last two games.

#4 Like Tuesday night when the A’s rallied for six runs in the seventh inning on Wednesday night the A’s rallied in the top of the third inning getting five runs and getting solid pitching from Manaea the A’s capped off the three game series taking two out of three from the Mariners in Seattle.

#5 The A’s open up a three game series against the Colorado Rockies starting on Friday night the A’s pitcher Frankie Montas gets the start (5-5 ERA 4.45) will be matched up against the Rockies Jon Gray (4-5 ERA 3.71)

#6 Lastly the Oakland A’s minor league system says that the food served to the players have been an embarrassment and it was widely reported on Wednesday that the A’s have served the players either a slice of cheese with a slice of tomato between two slices of white bread or a tortilla with a little chicken and bell pepper. A’s president Dave Kaval apologized for the fare that was photographed and made the rounds on social media and said we have to do better and put the blame on the caterer saying they will redouble their efforts at serving better options.

Jerry Feitelberg is an Oakland A’s beat writer and podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Thursday

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Mary Lisa; Knights head back to Vegas down 0-2; Avalanche open game with two goals get 3-2 win in OT

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Colorado Avalanche’s Phillipp Brubauer has had quite a series holding the Vegas Golden Knights to just one goal in game 1 and help keeping the puck out of the net in the overtime stanza for the win on Wed Jun 2, 2021 in game 2 in Denver (AP News photo)

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast:

#1 Mary, the Vegas Golden Knights who normally can hold their own were whipped in game 1 of the series by the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday 7-1 and lost a close game 3-2 on Wednesday night now down 0-2 in the series.

#2 The Knights defense improved over the course of game 1 to game 2 but their offense in both games definitely absent.

#3 How much credit does Avalanche goaltender Phillipp Brubauer deserve, in game 2 Wednesday night he stopped 39 out of 41 close enough to hold it together for the Avalanche.

#4 The Knights are noted for the offensive prowess but Brubauer is a goaltender who can frustrate you.

#5 Game 3 is Friday night at the T Mobile Center on the Vegas Strip will having home ice and being down 0-2 change the picture a bit for the struggle Knights as the Avalanche take some momentum into game 3.

Join Mary Lisa each Thursday during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Manaea pitches a gem shuts out Mariners 6-0 in complete game

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea throws to the Seattle Mariners line up in the fifth inning at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Wed Jun 2, 2021 in Seattle (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (33-25) met the Seattle Mariners (28-29) at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle Wednesday night. It was the inaugural Lou Gehrig Day. MLB had the day to recognize efforts to combat ALS. The A’s sent lefty Sean Manaea to the hill, hoping to get the win. The Mariners’ starter, Chris Flexen, an East Bay kid from Newark, Ca entered the game with a 5-2. Manaea wound up pitching a gem going the distance for a 6-0 victory over the Mariners.

The A’s had not given Manaea a lot of run support this year. The A’s scored three runs in Manaea’s last three starts. A’s manager Bob Melvin wanted Sean to cut down on his pitch count so that he could go deep into the game.

Manaea came through with one of his best performances ever as an Oakland Athletic. Manaea pitched a complete game. He allowed four hits and no runs. The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Manaea got the M’s shortstop, J.P.Crawford to end the inning by hitting into a ground out.

Chris Flexen retired the first six A’s hitters. Things went south for him in the top of the third as the A’s put five runs on the board. Matt Chapman walked to start the rally. Flexen retired Tony Kemp for the first out. The A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, lined a double down the left-field line, sending Chapman to third.

Mark Canha followed with a single to drive in Chapman and Andrus. A’s third-base coach, Mark Kotsay, threw up the stop sign, but Andrus ran through it and scored on the play. Flexen retired Jed Lowrie for the second out. Matt Olson singled and scored ahead of Mitch Moreland, who blasted a monster 444-foot blast to centerfield. It was Moreland’s fifth of the year.

The A’s added a run in the top of the ninth to win 6-0.

Game Notes and Stats- With the win, the A’s are 33-25 for the year. They remain 1/2 game ahead of the Houston Astros. Houston beat Boston for the third night in a row. The Mariners are 28-29.

Manaea improved to 4-2 for the season. His line was nine innings pitched, four hits, and no runs. He threw 111 pitches, walking two and striking out eight. The A’s line was six runs, ten hits, and one error.
Chris Flexen took the loss, and his record is now 5-3.

Matt Olson had three hits. Matt Chapman, still struggling at the plate, had a couple of hits. Hopefully, Matt will get his bat going again.

Olson made an unusual double play in the bottom of the eighth. With Jack Mayfield on first, Jake Fraley was thrown out 4-3. Olson noticed Mayfield round second and went a bit too far. Olson threw a strike to Matt Chapman that nailed Mayfield as he scrambled back to the base.

A’s manager Bob Melvin recorded his 800th win since taking over the helm in 2011.
The A’s have a day off Thursday. They went 17 days without a break. They meet the Colorado Rockies in Denver for three games starting Friday night. The game will start at 5:40 pm.

Giants will be first team to wear pride uniforms Saturday at Oracle Park

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco Giants pitcher Anthony DeScalfani gets the start against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Jun 3, 2021 (AP News photo 5-18-21 in Cincinnati)

By Jessica Kwong

The San Francisco Giants had Wednesday off after a disappointing 8-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.

San Francisco still sits at the top of the NL West rankings, above the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The MLB on Wednesday named Kevin Gausman the NL Pitcher of the month for May. Gausman stats are: 0.73 ERA, 37 IP, 49 K, 0.76 WHIP. He shares the recognition with Rich Hill of the Tampa Bay Rays whose stats are: 0.78 ERA, 34.2 IP, 36 Ks.

San Francisco starts a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday at Oracle Park. First pitch is at 6:45 p.m.

The Giants will be the first team to play in Pride uniforms when they face the Cubs on Saturday. Their caps will have the “SF” logo colored with the Progress Pride Flag. In addition, each jersey will have a patch on the right sleeve with that design.

Manager Gabe Kapler said he is “very proud that the San Francisco Giants are taking this step.”

“Very proud to be part of it,” Kapler said on Tuesday. “Looking forward to the impact and the support that we can provide for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Starting pitchers for Thursday’s game at Oracle Park the Chicago Cubs will start right hander Zach Davies (2-2 ERA 4.65) and for the San Francisco Giants Anthony DeScalfani (4-2 ERA 3.56) first pitch is at 6:45 pm PDT

— _

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Aiyuk and Deebo could be top contenders at wide receiver for this season

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) works out during training camp last season on Aug 18, 2020 in Santa Clara. Aiyuk is back in camp this season and is a top contender for the starting wide receiver position (AP News file photo)

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 During practice this week in Santa Clara San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that the 49ers have plenty of wide receiver help and that the the 49ers have at least six ready to go wide receivers.

#2 Amongst Shanahan’s wide receiver core Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and ten wide receivers do not have a guarantee for a job coming into this season Dave how do you see those choices playing out?

#3 The 49ers will be playing three exhibition games plus the 17 game regular season schedule one game more than the old 16 game regular season. How did the players receive the idea of playing 17 regular season games and how does this benefit the NFL?

Join David Wednesdays for the 49ers podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com