Oakland Ballers game wrap: Ballers KO Sky Sox 6-5 after 5-5 draw at Raimondi

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The next homestand on Aug 5th for the Oakland Ballers will be against the Yuba City High Wheelers and it’ll be Bruce Lee night a tribute to the former Green Hornet TV star first pitch 6:30pm at Raimondi Park in West Oakland (Oakland Ballers image)

Colorado Sky Sox (2nd half:6-6,2025:15-44) 000 021 101 5 8 1

Oakland Ballers (2nd half:7-5,2025:45-15) 020 002 100 5 7 1 (Oakland wins in KO inning, 3-2)

Sunday, July 27, 2025

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–This sunny Sunday afternoon’s finale of the six game (aren’t they all?) series between the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and your Oakland Ballers felt like a return to normality. Sure, the B’s had to resort to a knock out inning before they could defeat the Sockin’ Sox , 6-5, but at least that side show, which has as much validity as a measure of a team’s performance as flipping trading cards, which, appropriately enough, were today’s giveaway, was an improvement over what we’d experienced earlier in the week.

Oakland’s Cam Bufford out homered Colorado Springs’ Christian Hall, 3-2. The game counts in the standings, but the official box score shows a 5-5 tie. So, how is this post game crap shoot different from Tuesday’s dreadful duel?

Time, for one thing. We had to wait for about an hour after the two teams had made 27 outs before we knew who won. Today’s wait took about ten minutes. And then there’s the matter of the happy ending, but that’s beside the point.

Today we were spared the bathos of sustained failure. Austin Coleman started for the Sky Sox on Tuesday.when he hung around for 5-1/3 innings, throwing 112 pitches, and all he had to show for it was 12 runs, all earned, on ten hits, half of which cleared the fence.

He started again today. His performance wasn’t stellar, but it was within the limits of an ordinary bad outing, especially in the Pioneer Baseball League, which makes the Pacific Coast League look like a pitchers’ paradise. Coleman went six innings today, threw 88 pitches, allowed four runs, again all earned, on seven hits, only one of which went yard,

And there was some sparkling defensive play on both sides today. The one that immediately comes to mind,—maybe because it’s the most recent and kept the B’s in the game— occurred in the top of the ninth. Matt Fabian had led off with a walk.

A pinch hitting Evan Sleight forced him out at second and advanced to third on Brett Robert’s double to left and scored the tying run when Quintt Landis doubled to left. Robert raced toward home and looked like a sure bet to score the run that would have put the Sox ahead. But he was thrown out by a clockwork 7-6-2 relay, Drewek to Cobb to Lozano. I don’t care what the PBL’s nominal level is, that play was major league.

The victory gave the Ballers their seventh consecutive series win. Bufford, whose post game batting practice exhibition put the game in the win column for them, and Jake Allgeyer were the only two Oakland batters to have multi hit games. Helmig, Bufford, and Allgeyer hit doubles, and Nick Leehey was the only Baller to go yard.

Oakland used five pitchers. Starter Gabe Tanner was mediocre, but the Pioneer League is no place to look for sustained pitching excellence. He went six innings and yielded three runs, earned, on five hits, one long.

He struck out four Sky Sox, walked five, and committed a balk. Dylan Delvecchio and Conner Richardson were effective in relief, neither allowing a base runner in his one inning of relief. James Collyer and Connor Sullivan weren’t.

The former faced two foes, one of whom walked, and the other, Robert, homered. Sullivan gave up the game tying run in the visitors’ ninth and would have yielded at least one more if it weren’t for sparkling work of the Drewek, Cobb, and Lozano trio.

The Ballers will be out of town for the next week, playing the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers in Marysville. They’ll return home on Tuesday, August 5, to reciprocate the High Wheelers’s hospitality for another six games. The Tuesday game, with the usual 6:35 first pitch, will be Bruce Lee night.

Colorado Springs Sky Sox 5 (6-6)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB

Brett Robert cf 5 2 3 3 0 0 2 0 0

Quintt Landis lf 4 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

Kamau Neighbors ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0

Christian Hall 1b 4 0 1 0 1 0 7 2 1

Zane Denton 3b 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 1

T.J. McKenzie rf 3 1 0 0 1 1 3 0 2

Kai Moody 2b 4 0 2 1 0 1 1 2 0

Omar Veloz c 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1

Matt Fabian dh 1 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0

Edwin Martinez Pagani ss 2 0 0 0 0 1 5 1 2

Evan Sleight lf 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Austyn Coleman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0

Michael Byrne p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Adam Wibert p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

Ethan Ross p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 31 5 8 5 7 5 27 13 7

Oakland Ballers 5 (8-4)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB

Tremayne Cobb Jr. ss 4 0 1 0 1 0 4 4 3

Davis Drewek lf 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 3

Nick Leehey 2b 4 1 1 1 1 0 2 2 0

Christian Almanza 1b 2 1 0 0 2 0 10 2 0

Esai Santos pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lou Helmig rf 5 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 0

Cam Bufford dh 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1

Jake Allgeyer 3b 4 0 2 2 0 1 0 5 0

Tyler Lozano c 4 0 0 1 0 0 6 1 0

Darryl Buggs cf 2 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 1

Gabe Tanner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

James Colyer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Dylan Delvecchio p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Conner Richardson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Connor Sullivan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 32 5 7 5 7 2 27 15 8

Colorado Springs Sky: E – Zane Denton. 2B – Quintt Landis; Kai Moody. HR – Brett Robert 2. RBI – Brett Robert 3; Quintt Landis; Kai Moody. Oakland Ballers: E – Christian Almanza. 2B – Lou Helmig; Cam Bufford; Jake Allgeyer. HR – Nick Leehey.RBI – Nick Leehey; Lou Helmig; Jake Allgeyer 2; Tyler Lozano. SB – Davis Drewek; Darryl Buggs. CS – Cam Bufford. (Source: oaklandballersbaseball.com) Umpires – HP: Bill Shortridge , 1B: Tony Prater , 3B: Jim Richins

Insomniac Lunatic Fringe Postgame podcast 7-26-2025 Mets @ Giants

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Stephen talks about the San Francisco Marine layer that brings in the cool weather into the City as compared to Sacramento which has over 100 degree weather in the summer (San Francisco Chronicle photo)

Insomniac Lunatic Fringe Postgame 7-26-2025 Mets @ Giants by Stephen Ruderman

There was a picture of a woman wearing two scarves on the John Boy Talking Baseball which tweets out “brutal to have a July baseball game where you have to dress like this.” Are you serious? Come on really are you serious?” This is the time of the year when it’s really hot especially in your neck of the woods John Boy it’s muggy it’s horrible. A year ago we were going through our worst summer heat wave as ever here in Sacramento.

A year ago this weekend today July 27th I was at the Giants Saturday doubleheader between the Giants and Rockies. We were not just having our worst heatwave I’m talking about temps in the high 100s it was awful. Getting to sit in the seats under the marine layer with a jacket on just weeks after having to endure this 110 degree heat

I was such a treat and it was a treat for anyone who has to endure a hot summer in any location in this country especially you should know this more than anyone John Boy in New York where it’s not just hot but it’s muggy, it’s humid it’s sticky. This is one of the mild summers this year in 2025.

Listen to the podcast with Stephen Ruderman who is a San Francisco Giants podcaster at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SF Giants post game report: Home runs and more wasted opportunities do Giants in, as Mets complete sweep with 5-3 win

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Carson Wisenhunt (18) will start against the Pittsburgh Pirates Mon Jul 28, 2025 at Oracle Park. Wisenhunt is the Giants third highest prospect. Wisenhunt walks off the field after pitching in the Futures Game at the MLB All Star Game on Sat Jul 12, 2025 at Truist Field in Cumberland GA (Getty photo)

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco CA

New York Mets 5 (62-44)

San Francisco Giants 3 (54-52)

Win: Jose Butto (3-1)

Loss: Randy Rodriguez (3-2)

Save: Edwin Diaz (23)

Time: 3:10

Attendance: 40,124

By Stephen Ruderman

Home runs by Ronny Mauricio and Juan Soto in the top of the seventh inning did Randy Rodriguez and the Giants in, as the Mets completed the sweep of the Giants with a 5-3 win on Sunday Night Baseball at Oracle Park.

Sunday was the 2025 Hall-of-Fame Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown, New York. Billy Wagner, CC Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki, as well as the late-great Dick Allen and Dave Parker, the latter of whom passed away just a month ago, made up the Class of 2025.

The Giants honored their own hall-of-famer. Granted, it was the Mascot Hall-of-Fame, but the Giants held a ceremony for their longtime mascot, Lou Seal, prior to the game.

Back to the serious business of baseball. The Giants were limited to just a run in each of the first two games of this series against the Mets, who took the first two games of this big three-game series. This evening, the Giants looked to avoid the sweep on Sunday Night Baseball.

Sunday night was Hayden Birdsong’s turn in the rotation, but with Birdsong down in Sacramento, Bob Melvin turned to his 32-year-old left-hander, Matt Gage, to be his opener. Gage set the tone nicely with a 1-2-3 to of the first inning.

Kodai Senga made the start for the Metropolitans, and started his evening with a scoreless bottom of the first. The Giants then had runners at first and second with one out in the bottom of the second, but Senga struck out Patrick Bailey and Brett Wisley to wiggle out of it without any damage.

Spencer Bivens came in for the Giants, and escaped a jam in the top of the second. However, Bivens wasn’t so lucky in the top of the third, as the Mets manufactured a run to get on the board.

The Giants looked to respond in the bottom of the third, as Heliot Ramos was standing at second base with two outs. Willy Adames then hit a check-swing roller along the third base line that stayed fair and was going to turn out to be an infield hit, but for whatever reason, Ramos took off for third, and was tagged out by Mets’ third-baseman Ronny Mauricio to end the inning.

Bivens survived a one-out double by Jeff McNeil in the top of the fourth. Matt Chapman then put the Giants on the board with a line-drive home run to left-center field to lead off the bottom of the fourth.

Francisco Alvarez led off the top of the fifth with a double, and Mauricio lined a double down the right field line, which knocked in Alvarez to put the Mets back ahead. Melvin brought in the lefty, Joey Lucchesi, who was able to escape further damage with some help from shortstop Willy Ademes, who cut Mauricio down at the plate.

Senga retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the fifth. Adames then lined a base-hit to left, and Chapman hit his second home run of the game, a towering drive to left-center, to give the Giants their first of the evening.

The Giants led 3-2 going to the sixth, but McNeil hit his second double of the game with one out. Melvin summoned his all-star, Randy Rodriguez, who worked out of it and kept the Giants ahead.

However, Mauricio led off the top of the seventh with a blast into the water in right to tie the game. A member of the Jung Hoo Crew, so either McCovey Cove Dave wasn’t there, or he was positioned elsewhere in the cover. Juan Soto then hit an opposite-field home run to left with two outs, and the Mets were back ahead 4-3.

The Giants wasted an opportunity in the bottom of the eighth, and the Mets tacked on another run in the top of the ninth against Sean Hjelle to make it 5-3.

The Mets brought in their lights-out closer, Edwin Diaz, for the bottom of the ninth to try and close it out. Wisely flew out to right to start the inning, but the Giants loaded the bases with one out.

The Giants were unable to make anything out of a one-out double by Jung Hoo Lee in the bottom of the ninth last night, and the Giants hoped for a better fate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth today.

However, the Giants had yet to get a single hit with a runner scoring position in this entire series, and that would remain the case through the very end. Adames was caught looking, and Chapman struck out looking to end it.

The Giants ended up going 0-for-21 with runners in scoring position in this series, and the sweep was complete.

Jose Butto, who pitched the bottom of the sixth, got the win; Randy Rodriguez took the loss; and Edwin Diaz picked up his 23rd save.

The Giants fall to 54-52, and they are just two games over .500 for the first time since March 31. Even worse, the Padres smoked the Cardinals 9-2 this afternoon in St. Louis, so the Giants are now three games back of San Diego for the third wild card spot.

The Giants will hope for better luck against the 44-62 Pittsburgh Pirates, who come into Oracle Park for three games starting Sunday night. However, the Pirates have won five of their last six, having swept the Detroit Tigers, and taking two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Left-hander Carson Wisenhunt (8-5, 4.42 ERA at AAA Sacramento), who is the Giants’ third-highest ranked prospect, and was even considered one of the top 100 prospects in all of Baseball not too long ago, will take the ball for the Giants in his major league debut Monday night. Taking the ball for Pittsburgh will be right-hander Mitch Keller (4-10, 3.53 ERA).

First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Baseball is Unique

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Sacramento A’s circles the bases during one of his four home runs hit against the Houston Astros in the top of the ninth inning at Daiken Park in Houston Fri Jul 25, 2025 (AP News photo)

Baseball is Unique

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

Baseball is a Sport of failure. You get one hit in three at-bats, and you are a very good hitter, hitting .333, an average that is worthy of a batting title most of the time, even though you failed twice in three tries. But sometimes you can hit the big jackpot in one game, and the whole world will know your name, especially nowadays with social media constantly on our minds every single second of the day. Here are some examples.

Most recently: A’s Nick Kurtz, a 22-year-old rookie, went out and did something even rarer in a 15-3 blowout win over the Astros in Houston on July 25, 2025 Going a perfect 6-for-6 with four home runs, Kurtz became the first A’s player in franchise history with a four-homer game, the first rookie in MLB history with a four homer game, and the 20th player overall.

Prior to Kurtz, veteran Eugenio Suárez of the Arizona Diamondbacks hit four home runs on April 25, 2025. Kurtz is just beginning his career, and only time will tell how good a player he will be. But in this 4-homer game, he was the King of Baseball.

Now everybody knows who Nick Kurtz is, and just like that, he became a contender for American League Rookie of the Year., Sometimes, One Day can make a Career. On May 9, 2010, Dallas Braden, while pitching for the Oakland Athletics, achieved the feat against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The game, which took place on Mother’s Day, was the 19th perfect game in MLB history. I was there, calling the game for the Spanish radio Network, at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. Braden pitched in the majors for only five years, all with the Oakland A’s, and ended his career with a 26-36 record and a 4.16 earned run average.

Not a great career by any means, but that Perfecto on May 9, 2010, opened the door for him, as he now works as the A’s television network analyst. Don Larsen was an American League pitcher who played 15 seasons in the Major Leagues from 1953 to 1987 (81-91) for seven different teams, including the New York Yankees, where he made history.

Larsen pitched a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. This remains the only perfect game ever thrown in World Series history. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown houses several items related to Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, including autographed baseballs used in the game, tickets, and photos.

Larsen’s catcher, Yogi Berra, also had his mitt from that game displayed. After his baseball career, Larsen became an executive for a paper company, where he worked closely with farmers in California’s Salinas Valley. On a funny note: Charlie Silveira who was a third string catcher for the Yankees told me and other reporters that after that perfecto he asked Yogi Berra for a souvenir, “I warmed him up for that game” Silveira told me, and according to his story, he asked Yogi for a souvenir, Yogi said he had nothing left, but the next day Yogi gave Charlie a brown bag, (with a souvenir) it was Larsen’s cup, the one he wore on that game. Charlie, who passed a few years ago, told me, “I have Larsen’s cup in my living room as a souvenir”. In September 1971, Larry Yount was called up to the Houston Astros and was set to make his MLB debut as a pitcher. However, as he warmed up on the mound, his elbow began to hurt, and he eventually left the game without throwing a single official pitch or facing a batter.

This single unusual appearance in a game marked the entirety of his MLB career. He never played in the majors again. Because he was officially announced as a pitcher, Yount is in the baseball record books and even has a file in the Hall of Fame.

His brother Robin Yount played from 1974 to 1993, won two AL MVP Awards, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 Owner and Manager for one Game. On May 11, 1977, Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner added another story when he ventured from the owner’s suite to the dugout to manage the Braves. His job lasted only one night; Major League Baseball’s powers that be reminded Turner that a rule prevented managers from partial or full ownership of a team.

However, this was not unique to baseball. NFL George Halas, who founded and coached the Chicago Bears. Al Davis, also the owner of the Oakland Raiders, coached the team. But some did, if not just for one game, but multiple seasons.

A record in any sport for an owner and manager at the same time? Connie Mack, Philadelphia Athletics, was also at least a part-owner of the team from 1901 until 1954, as well as field manager. Last but not Least: Baseball is unique in that the defensive team controls the ball at the start of each play.. In most other sports, the offensive team initiates play by possessing the ball. In baseball, the pitcher (a defensive player) throws the ball to the batter (offensive player), making baseball the only sport where the defense starts with the ball.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com

Bay FC and Urawa Red Diamonds end it in a 2-2 draw

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Bay FC or the Urawa Red Diamonds were not giving an inch in their friendly battle at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sun July 27, 2025 (Bay FC X image)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted the Urawa Red Diamonds on Sunday evening for their final friendly of the summer that ended in a 2-2 draw at Pay Pal Park in San Jose.

Caprice Dydasco overlapped and created an opportunity for Bay in the third minute, but the ball sailed just over the goalpost. Penelope Hocking opened the scoring with a fantastic run in the sixth minute, continuing her hot streak.

Urawa tied it up in the 21st minute, after Caprice Dydasco made a goal-line save, then Joelle Anderson followed it up with one of her own. On the third time of asking, though, Ririka Tanno was able to put it away, making it 1-1.

Jordan Silkowitz made a save to deny Sakakibara Kotono in the 25th minute, tipping the ball just over the bar. Anderson fired a long shot that forced Ikeda Sakiko to make a similar save in the 39th minute, keeping the game even at a goal apiece. In Bay FC’s first substitution of the night, Caroline Conti came in for Karlie Lima, then Tess Boade came out for Catherine Paulson.

After 45 minutes, it remained tied at 1-1. Emmie Allen, Taylor Huff, and Jamie Shepherd entered the match for Silkowitz, Dorian Bailey, and Kiki Pickett to start the second half.

Sakiko was forced to make another save early in the second half, barely getting her hand on a ball she saw at the last moment. Sakiko made a phenomenal play, anticipating a move by Paulson and palming the ball before the Bay FC midfielder was able to get a shot off in the 50th minute.

Hocking was shown the game’s first yellow card in the 59th minute. Maddie Moreau came in for Joelle Anderson around the hour mark. Minutes later, Urawa took a 2-1 lead in the 64th minute when a header by Ena Takatsuka beat Allen.

Paulson nearly got an equalizer in the 69th minute, but the ball went well over the crossbar and out of play.

Penelope Hocking was awarded a penalty in the 91st minute, and Conti stepped up to the spot. She beat the goalkeeper and tied up the game in the closing minutes.

Ultimately, the game would end in a highly contested draw, with the final score of 2-2.

A’s 7-1 Power Surge Under the “Roofed” Texas Sun; Sac sweeps Houston in 4 games at Daiken

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Sacramento A’s starter JP Sears throws against the Houston Astros in the bottom first inning at Daiken Park in Houston Sun Jul 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

A’s 7-1 Power Surge Under the “Roofed” Texas Sun; A’s sweep Astros in 4 games at Daiken

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics brought thunder and precision to Daikin Park on Sunday afternoon, lighting up the scoreboard and shutting down the Houston offense with a 7–1 victory that was every bit as lopsided as the box score suggests.

From the moment Miguel Andujar deposited the first pitch he saw into the right-field seats, it was clear the A’s came to play. And for nine innings, they played with the kind of crisp execution and timely power that every manager dreams of.

Andujar’s solo shot to open the game wasn’t just a strong start, it was a tone-setter. The very next inning, Shea Langeliers joined the party with a solo blast of his own, this one heading out to left and giving the Athletics a 2–0 lead before Houston had even touched a base. That early firepower would’ve been enough on its own, considering the dominance of starter J.T. Ginn, but the A’s weren’t done.

Ginn, who’s been gradually carving out a solid role in the A’s rotation, looked completely unbothered by Houston’s lineup. He worked quickly, attacked the strike zone, and kept hitters guessing with a mix of breaking balls and sneaky heat.

Through six innings, he didn’t allow a single run, and at one point retired seven straight batters with the kind of confidence that says, I’ve got this! He ended his afternoon by handing off a shutout that the bullpen preserved, mostly with ease.

The Green and Gold offense went a little quiet after the early surge, but in the fourth, they manufactured runs with savvy baserunning and smart situational hitting. Brent Rooker led off with a single and advanced on a single by Austin Wynns, both of whom took extra bags on a wild pitch. Gio Urshela then drove in Rooker with a textbook sacrifice fly, and Colby Thomas followed with a clutch RBI double to stretch the lead to 4–0.

Houston, meanwhile, struggled to generate anything remotely resembling a rally. The heart of their order, Jose Altuve, Victor Caratini, and Christian Walker, was mostly silenced by Ginn and later relievers Jack Perkins and Ben Bowden. Even when they had a chance to chip away in the seventh, a costly error by shortstop Max Schuemann was quickly erased by solid defense and more empty swings from the Astros.

By the time the ninth inning rolled around, the A’s bats woke up again like they had unfinished business. Langeliers and Wynns opened with back-to-back singles, and Carlos Cortes, who stayed in the game after pinch-hitting in the seventh, roped a single to load the bases.

That set the stage for Schuemann’s redemption: a two-run single that made it 6–0 and turned a solid win into a decisive one. Luis Urías tacked on another RBI single, and just like that, the A’s had dropped a three-spot in the ninth for good measure.

Though Houston finally pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth, courtesy of a Chas McCormick double and Mauricio Dubón’s RBI two-bagger, it was far too little, far too late. Ben Bowden calmly induced a flyout from Yainer Diaz to close the door and end what was, for all intents and purposes, a thorough and complete win by the visiting club.

A’s are back in Sacramento Monday night against the Seattle Mariners. Starting pitcher for the M’s RHP Luis Castillo (7-6 ERA 3.30) for the A’s LHP JP Sears (7-8 ERA 4.98) first pitch 7:05pm 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. 

Atrium Hospitality Logo

Hope Fuerniss, HMCC | Area Director of Sales and Marketing

916.384.0140 (o)| 901.3

Oakland Ballers game wrap: Ballers come up with 9-8 win on Cobb’s walk off ninth inning dinger

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The Oakland Ballers Treymayne Cobb had lots of reasons to be thrilled after his ninth inning walk off home run against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Raimondi Park in Oakland on Sat Jul 26, 2025 (Oakland Ballers X photo)

Colorado Springs (2nd half:6-5;2025:15-43) 212 020 001 8 14 1

Oakland Ballers (2nd half:6-5;2025:44-15) 430 000 101 9 13 1

Time: 3:15

Attendance: Not announced

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Baseball, especially as it’s been practiced at 18th and Woodin West Oakland this last week, is the damndest calling. Just when you think you’ve witnessed every variety of the ineluctable modality of the visible, it bites you in the ass with a new one.

Take, for example, the variation wrought Saturday afternoon and evening on the array of improbabilities with which the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and Oakland Baller have been regaling us since Tuesday night.

The outcome of Saturday’s game, a 9-8 Ballers win, decided on a one out, full count pinch hit home run by Tremayne Cobb, thrilling as it was, also was the final exclamation point to a three and a quarter hour textbook example of revised expectations.

For all my literary allusions, words fail me. Still, putting real, surreal, and deja vu together a shot may be made at what this hybrid actually was like to look at.

Oakland logged ten plate appearances, resulting in four runs in the first and put another three tallies on the board in the second. Sounds like another Baller breakout, like the one that led to the blowing of a six run lead in the eighth in the series opener.

Cobb’s last pitch homer echoed Wednesday’s failed heroics that ended with a knock out inning defeat. Tuesday and Wednesday’s crowds grew progressively apprehensive as they saw their team’s prospects fade away like a Christy Mathewson screwball.

Saturday night’s audience also began to fidget as the sky darkened, the temperature dropped, and the score remained locked at seven. The fans’ moodlightened when Oakland pulled ahead, 8-7 in the seventh, and spirits remained buoyant even when Colorado Springs once again tied the score in the top of the ninth.

The possibility of failure lurked, but that seemed only to whet the home town partisans’ appetite to see their team confront and surmount that possibility, After four games we were sensing a situation worthy of being called dramatic. The drama was intensified when Cobb was announced a pinch hitter when failure could have sent us into another knock out inning crap shoot. But there was no failure. Cobb came through, and for a few minutes, all seemed right in the world.

Colorado Springs used seven pitchers. Starter Jacob Norris lasted an inning and threw 50 pitches, which resulted in four runs, all earned, on four hits, including a three run dinger by Cam Bufford. Eldrige Armstrong was more economical; it took him only 32 pitches to get through the second frame, and he surrendered only three runs,—like those charged to Norris, all earned—on three hits and a walk.

Joe Kinsky and Maykol López hurled a couple of scoreless frames each to allow the Sky Sox to hold on while the offence knotted the score at seven, Ryan Velásquez replaced López when we’d taken our seats after we sang our request to root, root, root for the Ballers.

A bad throw by TJ McKenzie allowed Jake Allgeyer, who was advancing to third on Esai Santos’ single to right, to score an unearned run that gained the Ballers a tie in their half of the seventh. In spite of a walk and a wild pitch, Velásquez got out of the seventh without allowing Oakland advance beyond a tie when Ethan Ross replaced him with one down in the home eight.

It took him two pitches to preserve the tie until the bottom of the ninth. It took his replacement, Alain López 12 pitches to dispose of Lou Helmig on a line drive to second and serve the game winning blast to Cobb.

Here’s a summary, courtesy of the Ballers, of how their five moundsmen fared: IP H R ER BB SO HR WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP

B. Eglite 2.2 6 5 5 3 4 1 0 0 0 0 13 16 2 1 71

Adam Bogosian 2.1 4 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 10 11 1 4 45

Dylan Matsuoka 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 4 0 2 14

James Colyer 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 13

Caleb Franzen (W, 3-0) 2.0 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 9 9 3 2 30

Totals 9.0 14 8 8 3 9 2 1 0 1 0 38 43 6 9 173

Dillon Tatum was the only batter in the B’s starting lineup who did get at least one hit, going 0-3. No matter; Cobb pinch hit for him. Oakland batters connected for four extra base hits; Nick Leehey and Gelmig, for doubles; Cam Bufford and—I can’t say this enhough—Cobb for home runs.

The first pitch of the final game of this confounding six game series is scheduled for 1:05pm PT Sunday, afternoon. I have no idea what to expect at the game, but before it you can celebrate Halloween in July, and, if you bring kids, you can watch them run the bases after hostilities have ceased, when you and the kids can talk with the players and get their autographs.

The team will depart for a six game visit to the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers this coming Tuesday through Sunday and then return for six home games against those same division rivals on Tuesday, August 5.

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. 

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O: Judge out with elbow injury on 15 day IL; Phils Sosa returned today from back injury

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Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Edmundo Sosa (front) went out for a pop up hit by the New York Yankees Jazz Chisholm Jr and was accidently elbowed in the back by left fielder Brandon Marsh during a collision on Sat July 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:

#1  New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge will go on the ten day IL suffering from a right elbow flexor strain. The injury during a scan did not show any damage to the elbow and will not require surgery but a big bat out of the Yankees line up.

#2 Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said “wheels up” regarding the return of Mookie Betts who was out due to a death in the family. Betts went to attend to his family in Nashville. The Dodgers had the day off Thursday and made it back to join the Dodgers in Boston before first pitch.

#3 Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Edmundo Sosa was elbowed in the back by left fielder Brandon Marsh when they collided while making a catch on the New York Yankees Jazz Chisholm Jr in the seventh inning. Sosa said he was feeling a little tight after the game. Sosa returned Sunday and started at shortstop.

#4 Tough outing on Friday for San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb he was lit up by the New York Mets at Oracle Park in four innings eight hits, six earned runs, one walk and four strike outs. Webb suffered the most runs given up in the first four innings of the game.

#5 San Francisco Giants who were crushed on Friday night 8-1 suffered another hit when it was announced that right hand starter Landen Roupp was placed on the 15 day IL with elbow inflammation. Roupp had an MRI and was negative for structural issues.

Charlie O does the MLB The Show podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Butler Blasts the Door Open as A’s Outmuscle Houston Late 5-1; A’s go for 4 game sweep Sunday

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Sacramento A’s Lawrence Butler runs the bases after hitting a ninth inning three run home run against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston on Sat Jul 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

Butler Blasts the Door Open as A’s Outmuscle Houston Late 5-1 For 3 Game Sweep

By Mauricio Segura

Them Sactown boys rolled into Daikin Park with an underdog’s swagger and walked away with a statement win Saturday, thanks in large part to a ninth-inning bomb from Lawrence Butler that put an exclamation point on a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Sacramento A’s pieced together just enough early offense, held their nerve through a tense middle stretch, and then erupted late to seal the deal. On a night where both teams leaned heavily on their bullpens, the Green and Gold had the final word.

The game started with Brent Rooker doing what he’s been doing all year, making pitchers pay for mistakes. His two-out double in the top of the first drove in Nick Kurtz and gave the Athletics a quick 1-0 lead. That early run looked like it might be enough for a while, as starter Jacob Lopez and reliever Justin Sterner danced through danger against a Houston lineup that couldn’t quite cash in on their opportunities.

The Astros had their chances. In the first inning, Jose Altuve and Christian Walker both drew walks, putting traffic on the bases with just one out. But Yainer Diaz’s fielder’s choice and a bunt attempt from Chas McCormick that didn’t fool anyone killed the rally. That kind of frustrating inning would become a theme for Houston.

Lopez pitched with poise until the fifth, when Sterner took over. The A’s bullpen was tight, giving up just one run the rest of the way. The lone misstep came in the bottom of the sixth, when the Astros finally broke through. Christian Walker doubled, Yainer Diaz singled him to third, and Chas McCormick lifted a sacrifice fly to center that tied things at 1-1. But the tying run felt more like a temporary pause than a momentum shift.

Just one half-inning earlier, Shea Langeliers had launched his 16th homer of the season, an absolute rope into the left-center seats, to put the A’s up 2-0. Even though the Astros had responded, the A’s weren’t rattled.

Then came the ninth inning, where things got a little loud.

After two quick outs, it looked like Houston’s Héctor Neris might escape unscathed. But then shortstop Zack Short mishandled what should’ve been the third out, allowing Max Schuemann to reach.

A walk to Luis Urías followed, setting the table for Lawrence Butler. Neris tried to sneak a fastball by him, but Butler was ready and demolished it over the right-field wall for a three-run shot. In the blink of an eye, what had been a nail-biter turned into a comfortable 5-1 lead.

Houston, meanwhile, couldn’t figure out Miller, who entered in the ninth and slammed the door with a strikeout, a lineout, and a weak groundout to end it. The Astros struck out 14 times in total and were held to just five hits, a stat line that underscored their inability to mount any sustained offensive threat.

As the A’s continue to navigate life on the road and the trials of a franchise in transition, games like this offer a glimpse of what could be. If the kids keep hitting and the arms hold up, they’ll be more than just spoilers down the stretch. They’ll be a problem to the other contenders.

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

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum: With A’s finalizing Coliseum sale with AASEG will pro sports ever return to Oakland?

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The African American Sports Entertainment Group has purchased the second half of the Oakland Coliseum from the Sacramento A’s for $125 million. AASEG plans to do a $5 billion renovation of the Coliseum Complex as announced on Tue Jul 29, 2025 in a press conference at the Coliseum. (ABC Sky 7 News still)

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 The team formerly known as the Oakland A’s received approval on Tuesday to sell $125 million it’s share of the Oakland Coliseum to the African American Sports Entertainment Group. AASEG had bought the A’s half and previously had bought the other half of the Coliseum from Alameda County.

#2 The Alameda County Board of Supervisors took it to a vote and voted unanimously to approve the sale and plan to transfer the ownership for major sports and entertainment to AASEG who are focused on community development.

#3 After years of waiting the sale finally brings years of waiting to conclusion and the sale is expected to close on June 30, 2026. The CEO of Loop Capital James Reynolds who is the financer for AASEG said, “We are pleased to achieve this long awaited milestone.”

#4 Currently the Oakland Coliseum is hosting three teams-two sports. San Francisco Unicorns Cricket, the Oakland Soul (USL W League), and the Oakland Roots (USL M League). There is no doubt the AASEG plans to build at the Coliseum it’s just too bad they can’t get another MLB team there.

#5 Oakland Supervisor Nat Miley said at the press conference on Tuesday for the announcement of the Coliseum sale to AASEG that the loss of three professional is heartbreaking, that losing the A’s, Raiders, and Warriors is something that Miley couldn’t have imagined.

Join Daniel Dullum for the A’s Relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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.