Bleday and Gelof Power Sacramento to 11-3 Win Over Cardinals

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Athletics’ JJ Bleday follows through on a two-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday Sept. 1, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP/Jeff Roberson)

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics rolled into Busch Stadium on Sunday afternoon with a chip on their shoulder and left with a resounding 11-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, fueled by a pair of timely home runs and a relentless offensive push. What started as a tight pitcher’s duel unraveled quickly once the Green and Gold bats came alive in the fourth inning, changing the game’s complexion in a hurry.

Luis Morales set the tone early for Sacramento, working through traffic in the first inning after Lars Nootbaar’s leadoff single. Despite a wild pitch that moved the runner into scoring position, Morales regrouped to fan Nolan Gorman and leave the Cardinals empty-handed. That early escape gave the Athletics a chance to settle in, though the bats needed time to wake up. For three innings, Sonny Gray looked sharp for St. Louis, keeping the A’s quiet while Morales matched him with his own clean frames.

Everything shifted in the top of the fourth. Darell Hernaiz reached on a single, and JJ Bleday punished a pitch over the right-field wall for his 11th homer of the year, putting Sacramento on the board. Moments later, Zack Gelof followed with a blast of his own to right-center, suddenly turning a scoreless tie into a 3-0 A’s advantage. The Cardinals answered quickly with a solo shot from Iván Herrera in the bottom half, but Morales once again steadied himself by retiring the next three hitters to hold the damage to a single run.

The Athletics kept applying pressure. In the sixth, Hernaiz doubled and came home on a Colby Thomas single before Bleday went deep again, crushing his second homer of the afternoon and extending the lead to 5-1. While Morales tired in the bottom half, allowing a run-scoring single by Masyn Winn, Justin Sterner entered to snuff out a brewing rally and protect a 5-2 cushion.

Sacramento’s knockout punch came in the seventh. Lawrence Butler worked a walk, Jacob Wilson lined a single, and Brent Rooker split the gap with a ground-rule double to score one. Tyler Soderstrom then added an RBI knock of his own, and suddenly it was 7-2 with the Cardinals gasping for air. Two innings later, the A’s turned Busch Stadium into their own batting practice facility. Bleday reached on an error, Gelof doubled, and after a fielder’s choice scored a run, Butler and Wilson combined for back-to-back hits to make it 9-2. Soderstrom capped the rally with a two-run double, pushing the advantage to 11-2 and sending much of the St. Louis crowd heading for the exits.

The Cardinals tried to scrape together a rally in the ninth. Thomas Saggese doubled and came home on a pinch-hit single by José Fermín, trimming the deficit slightly, but it was far too little, far too late. Scott McGough, closing things down for Sacramento, silenced the final three hitters in order to seal a dominant win.

Bleday finished with two home runs and three RBIs, pacing the offense with authority. Gelof added a homer, a double, and two runs scored, while Butler and Wilson each reached base multiple times and crossed the plate with consistency. Soderstrom’s three hits and three RBIs rounded out a balanced attack that saw nearly every spot in the lineup contribute. Morales picked up the win despite some control hiccups, striking out five and allowing just two runs across five and two-thirds innings before turning it over to the bullpen.

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. 

San Francisco Giants podcast Michael Roberson: Giants open up six game road trip in Colorado; SF now 5 games back for Wild Card

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San Francisco Giant Rafeal Devers (16) gets a third inning single off Baltimore Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Aug 31, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Michael Roberson for Marko Ukalovic:

#1 San Francisco Giants Rafael Devers hit a home run, doubled and hit for two RBIs as the Giants won in a landslide on Sunday 13-2 at Oracle Park in San Francisco winning two out of three in the series.

#2 Giants starter Justin Verlander struck out ten hitters over five innings of work and threw 121 pitches his highest amount of pitches since June 2018.

#3 Verlander who has a Hall of Fame career for the 73rd time struck out ten hitters career and it was the first time since Oct 4, 2022 that he had ten since facing the Philadelphia Phillies on Oct 4, 2022. No doubt he was pitching against the Orioles who just struggled to get a hit off Verlander.

#4 The Giants Dominic Smith got a base hit for an RBI off Orioles pitcher Corbin Martin in the sixth inning where the Giants scored three runs. Also Devers, Heliot Ramos, and Drew Gilbert had three of San Francisco’s 16 hits.

#5 The Giants head to Colorado and Coors Field to open up a three game series against the Colorado Rockies Monday. Starting pitcher for the Giants RHP Kai Wei Teng (1-3 ERA 8.78) will be opposed by RHP Chase Dollander (2-11 ERA 6.55) for a 1:10pm first pitch.

Michael Roberson filled in for Marko Ukalvoic does the San Francisco Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Playoff Intensity: Valkyries Outlast The Fever 75-63 In A Defensive Struggle

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Remember when the Valkyries seemed like they were biting off more than they could chew shooting 3-pointers? Well, if you do, then you probably remember when the Valkyries resembled a first-year expansion team as well.

It’s been a while.

These days, the violet-and-black look like a well-oiled machine in regards to how they play, and win games. Simply, their defense is that good: it allows a squad that’s suffered numerous personnel changes, and misses more shots than they make to be a consistent threat to their more established opponents. The Fever, on Sunday night again without Caitlin Clark, know better than anyone.

The Valkyries started hot, making nine of their first 10 threes, and building a lead that briefly hit 20 points in the second quarter. From there, Indy’s defense and competitiveness showed, but not enough to keep the hosts from holding on for a 75-63 win at Chase Center.

The win gave the Valkyries a 3-0 sweep of the Fever, and more importantly, a half-game lead in the playoff hierarchy that has Golden State currently in seventh place.

Afterwards, coach Stephanie White was left to explain the hosts hot start that came after a 10-minute break three minutes into the game due to several equipment malfunctions inside the arena. The hosts caught fire after the unexpected pause in a stretch that essentially decided the game.

“They’re really good at spacing the floor,” White said. “Their passes are on time and on target, so you can’t make a lot of defensive mistakes. And I felt like we overhelped. We were trying to not allow catch-and-shoot threes. We didn’t want to overhelp on drivers. We overhelped. We over-rotated. The timing on the rotation wasn’t very good, and we gave them wide-open catch-and-shoot threes, and they are a really good team when they can get that.”

White’s description mirrored the league stats that show that the Valkyries lead the WNBA with just under 10 made threes a game. But they don’t shoot a high percentage from three, and they’re dead last in overall shooting percentage.

But… Iliana Rupert is the WNBA’s most consistent 3-point shooter at better than 46 percent. Cecilia Zandalasini, who was again unavailable due to injury, is fourth at better than 44 percent. Leaving those two open is a mistake, and an open door for the Valkyries to go on an extended scoring run.

Against the Fever, Rupert started 4 for 4 and finished 5 for 8 from distance. After Rupert’s third make, the Valkyries led 22-9. Meanwhile, the visitors, again without Clark, were in a stretch of 15 missed threes in 18 attempts that proved how shrewd Golden State’s strategy of packing the paint was.

The Fever got within six points in far more competitive second half, but couldn’t get any closer. Kate Martin came up with a critical three after the Valkyries went scoreless for almost all of the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. A flagrant foul on Aerial Powers for not allowing Martin landing space gave Martin a free throw as well and the lead grew to 59-50.

Rupert led Golden State with 21 points. Janelle Salaun and Martin both added 10. Powers led Indiana with 17 points off the bench, but was 1 for 5 from distance.

The Valkyries final home stand continues on Tuesday against the New York Liberty.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s 2025 Reprise of 2024

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Sacramento A’s pitcher Jefferey Springs is the only pitcher on the A’s staff to have double digits for wins with a record of 10-9 (AP News photo)

A’s 2025 Reprise of 2024

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Beginning September 1, the last month of the regular season, the A’s have 24 games left, currently with a 63-75 record. The 2025 version appears to have a much more explosive lineup than the 2024 version; with much less talented pitching, nevertheless, they are very close to ending with the same record, albeit with a very similar one, and have an outside (and although unlikely) shot at ending exactly as they did last season, which was a 69-93 record. Like the legendary Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen would say, “How about that!”

The 2025 version, as of the conclusion of August, has Brent Rooker with 27 home runs, rookie Nick Kurtz (probably AL Rookie of the Year) also with 27 home runs, and catcher Shea Langeliers with 29 home runs, with an excellent opportunity to reach 30-plus HR this season for the first time in his career. Mathematically, all three, Rooker, Kurtz, and Langeliers, could each finish with 30 home runs or more.

The team signed Luis Severino to a 3-year deal for $67 million (the biggest in franchise history) back in December 2024 to be the #1 starter and leader with his experience helping a young pitching staff; however, from the beginning, he complained about the park and was not happy at all in Sacramento.

As of today, Severino’s record is 6-11 with a 4.82 ERA. Since pitching is the most mentally demanding of all positions, I believe his negative feelings at the beginning of the season were detrimental to his mindset, which affected him and ultimately led to his inability to straighten out his season.

Jeffrey Springs is the only A’s hurler to have double-digit wins; 10-9 with a 4.17 ERA. In 2025, prior to his trade to the San Diego Padres on July 31, JP Sears had a 7-9 record with a 4.95 ERA for the Oakland A’s (or, the temporary “The Athletics”) over 22 starts and 111 innings.

He was the team’s second-leading winner at the All-Star break. Sears (La Tienda, in Spanish for The Store), as I nicknamed him during our Spanish broadcast, could find himself in the 2025 World Series, with a Padres team that is super-loaded with talent.

The Padres are so deep and have one of the best bullpens anywhere. They do not have to use Mason Miller to close every game; that is how deep this San Diego ballclub is today.

Starting Labor Day, these are the teams Los Atléticos will play during the home stretch: Cardinals, Angels, Red Sox, Reds, Pirates, Astros, and the Kansas City Royals. Only Houston, Boston, and Kansas City are teams playing over .500 with a good chance of advancing to the postseason. Will they finish in penultimate place, like last season, or in last place, like in 2023?

Quote: “For many in baseball, September is a month of stark contrast with April, when everyone had dared to hope” – John Thorn.

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

Sacramento A’s podcast Mauricio Segura: A’s open six game road trip in St Louis; Morales gets the start for Sacramento Monday

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Sacramento A’s pitcher Luis Morales will get the start against the St Louis Cardinals on Mon Sep 1, 2025 at Busch Stadium in St Louis (AP file photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Mauricio Segura:

#1 The Texas Rangers Joc Pederson doubled with three RBIs. Ranger pitcher Jacob deGrom struckout six batters and pitched shutout ball for five innings in the Rangers 9-6 win over the Sacramento A’s. What did A’s starter JT Ginn need to do try and shut the Rangers hitting down?

#2 The loss was a sweep as the A’s lost all three game to the Rangers and just couldn’t really get past the Rangers throughout the series. How did you see the A’s hitting in the series?

#3 deGrom had been struggling he was 0-4 in his last five starts resulting in Ranger losses. deGrom’s last win was back on July 22 in deGrom first appearance since the All Star break. deGrom had skipped a start during that stretch due to shoulder fatigue. Despite deGrom’s earlier struggles he’s got experience and he gave the A’s line up fits?

#4 It’s getting rough for the A’s, they have now been swept nine times this year and this was the first time they were swept at home since May 19-22 by the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers swept Sacramento in Texas for the first time this year. How frustrating how it got to be for Sacramento to have been swept that amount of times.

#5 On Monday the A’s open a six game road trip starting in St Louis. Starting pitcher for the A’s Monday Luis Morales (2-0 ERA 1.19) and for the St Louis Cardinals former A’s pitcher Sonny Gray (12-7 ERA 4.19) first pitch 11:115AM PT. How do you see this match up and can the A’s get it moving again on this road trip?

Join Mauricio Segura filled in for Barbara Mason who does the A’s podcasts Mondays 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. 

A’s Show Late Fight but Fall Short in 9-5 Loss to Rangers

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Jacob Wilson #5 of the Athletics looks on after hitting an RBI double against the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park on August 31, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Kelley L Cox/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The A’s will look to move past the rubble of the last weekend in August after being swept by the Rangers this weekend.

Sunday, the Rangers completed the sweep in 9-6 fashion in front of an announced 8,716 fans at Sutter Health Park. The first pitch was tossed in 97-degree heat.

J.T. Ginn, who has had a really up-and-down season for the A’s this season, got the nod for manager Mark Kotsay and the A’s looking to avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon.

Ginn wasn’t impressive and clearly didn’t have his best stuff. J.T. ran into trouble immediately in the game as he surrendered a two-run homer to Joc Pederson as the Rangers got off to an early start.

On the other hand, Ginn at least gave the A’s some length. Ginn was able to go six innings while allowing five runs on five hits while walking two and surrendering two home runs.

“I think there’s still a lot to work with, J.T.,” Mark Kotsay said after the game. “He did throw strikes today, which is a positive. The balls up on the sinker today is what they took advantage of today, really.”

Ginn elaborated after the game on his thoughts on the start.

“I think I just had some sinkers over the plate… I thought it was good to get through six innings. That’s something that has kind of been a struggle for me throughout the year, but I think I attacked the zone given the circumstances.”

The Bullpen

The A’s bullpen wasn’t sharp either on a forgettable Sunday afternoon in 100-degree temperatures.

Elvis Alvarado, who has really come into his own this season for the A’s, was only able to record one out in the seventh inning while giving up two runs on two hits and walking two.

Mark Kotsay elected to go with Eduarniel Núñez to clean up Alvarado’s mess and he did just that, striking out the two batters he faced in the seventh. In the eighth inning, Núñez ran into trouble of his own. He gave up two runs on two hits while also walking two in a rough inning. He would finish his outing tossing one and two-thirds innings.

Tyler Ferguson was the last man out of the pen for the A’s and gave up a run on two hits in the ninth inning for the A’s.

The Bats

The A’s bats were quiet most of the day. However, the A’s found some life late in the game in the eighth inning.

After the A’s loaded the bases with one out, Jacob Wilson doubled home a pair to pull the A’s to within six and make it an 8-2 game.

Brent Rooker came up next in the eighth and hit an RBI groundout to give the A’s their third run of the game. Yet, the A’s didn’t stop there.

Tyler Soderstrom hit an RBI double to the opposite field and Carlos Cortez followed with an RBI double of his own as the A’s drove in two more runs to make it an 8-5 game.

In the ninth inning, the A’s got one more run as Lawrence Butler doubled home JJ Bleday, who pinch-hit for Brett Harris and walked earlier in the inning.

The A’s finished the game with those six runs and managed to tally nine hits in the contest.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay was pleased with the fight his club showed, albeit coming up short.

“I thought the effort and the fight that we had in the eighth inning shows a lot about the club and easily could have shut it down today down by eight runs in the eighth inning, and they didn’t.”

Up Next

The A’s head on the road to take on the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday at 11:15 a.m. PDT. It is a rare tough day away game followed by a day home game where the visiting team must travel east.

Luis Morales (2-0, 1.19) is set to go for the A’s as the Cardinals will send Sonny Gray (12-7, 4.19 ERA) to the hill in the matinee affair.

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. 

Not done yet–Giants rout Orioles 13-2, now 5 out in NL Wild Card

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Justin Verlander is congratulated upon entering the dugout after pitching five innings against the Baltimore Orioles at Oracle Park on Sun Aug 31, 2025 (Bay Area News Group photo)

By Vince Cestone

SAN FRANCISCO–The San Francisco Giants, all but left for dead, are not done yet, as they beat the Baltimore Orioles 13-2 at Oracle Park on Sunday afternoon.

With the New York Mets losing 5-1 against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on Sunday afternoon, the Giants pulled to within 5 games of the third National League Wild Card spot.

The Giants still have an uphill road to climb, with a 1.9% playoff chance, according to Fangraphs, but with the Mets playing the next three games against the 80-58 Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park and the Giants playing the lowly Colorado Rockies for the next three games, the Giants have a chance to cut that deficit down to three or four games.

Even if the Giants ultimately fall short, an improbable late-September playoff push could prove to be a valuable experience for the likes of younger players Luis Matos, Drew Gilbert, Casey Schmitt, Jung Hoo Lee, and Heliot Ramos.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Here’s what happened in Sunday’s game.

The Giants started off with a bang, as Rafael Devers crushed a home run to get the Giants going in the first inning. That’s all the Giants would need as Justin Verlander earned his third win of the year, going five shutout innings, amassing 10 strikeouts.

Devers would end up going 3-for-5 with a home run and double. He was a triple short of the cycle.

Verlander wasn’t perfect though–he pitched through two walks in the first inning and a walk and single in the second and fifth innings. His best inning came in the fourth when he struck out the side.

“He’s a battler,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “He threw a lot of breaking balls today against a team that hits the fastball pretty good. So, going into games, it’s not like he’s not prepared…it was nice to be able to get him another win.”

The Giants offense came through for Verlander, which wasn’t the case for much of the year. The Giants scored 13 runs on 16 hits for the future Hall of Famer.

The Giants tacked on two more runs in the third inning and four more in the 4th inning. The Giants four-run, fourth inning rally included six hits and a two-run triple by Drew Gilbert, who was acquired in the Mets trade for ace reliever Tyler Rogers.

With the help of an error by Orioles shortstop Luis Vasquez, the Giants added three more runs in the 6th inning.

San Francisco wasn’t done–scoring three more runs in the eighth inning off of Orioles catcher Alex Jackson, a position player who came into pitch with the score 10-0 Giants.

The Orioles would score two runs in the ninth inning off of reliever Spencer Bivens.

Melvin says it was important for the Giants to finish August strong, ending the month with a 5-1 homestand, including a sweep of the Chicago Cubs.

“We needed to play better,” Melvin said. “We needed to play better at home too. So, to sweep the Cubs and take two out of three here, swing the bats better, score some runs, you know, going into Colorado feeling good about ourselves offensively…we think we’re in a much better place.”

Giants third baseman Matt Chapman left the game in the 6th inning after fouling a ball off of his foot. He was down for about a minute but got back up and finished the at-bat. He walked, but Casey Schmitt pinch ran for him, likely as a precautionary measure with the score being 8-0 Giants at the time.

The Giants have a golden opportunity to make up more ground in the Wild Card standings for the next three games. If they’re going to make a late-season push to get back into serious playoff contention, now is the time.

San Francisco plays the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field at 1:05 p.m. PDT on Labor Day. Giants rookie right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (1-3, 8.78 ERA) will take on the Rockies’ right-hander Chase Dollander (2-11, 6.55 ERA).

For the Giants, go time is now.

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O: Sale back with Braves after 60 day IL; Former Dodger star Buehler released by BoSox; plus more

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Chris Sale pitching for the Atlanta Braves against the New York Mets at Truist Park in Cobb County on Wed Jun 18, 2025. Sale had been out with a rib cage injury since June and returned Sat Aug 29, 2025. (AP file photo)

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:

#1 The Atlanta Braves reinstated left hand pitcher Chris Sale off the 60 day IL. Sale started Saturday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. Sale had been suffering from a fractured left rib cage June when he dived for a ground ball. Sale had pitched 4.2 inning of relief in his last rehab start in Triple A last week.

#2 Walker Buehler who was the cat’s meow during his days with the Los Angeles Dodgers and who got the final out in last season’s World Series and was suppose to be the star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox this season but was released Friday. The Sox said he wasn’t able to help in their playoff push in the bullpen. Buehler signed a $21.05 million contract and went 7-7 ERA 5.45. Charlie do you see someone picking up Buehler?

#3 The New York Mets Jonah Tong made his MLB debut going five innings and allowing one earned run striking out six. They also were swinging the bats with six home runs and set a team record for most home runs in a game in their 19-9 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night.

#4 Documents from Pete Rose’s deceased bookie Ronald Peters shows that Peters ran a bookmaking and narcotics operation. Some of the information in the file was in the 1989 Dowd report by MLB. The documents focus on Rose’s deceased bookie, Ronald Peters, and a mid-1980s investigation into narcotics and bookmaking operations that Peters ran. Some of the information in the released Rose file appears to have been covered in the 1989 Dowd report, commissioned by Major League Baseball. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred removed the lifetime ban and Rose is eligible to get elected into the Hall of Fame can he make it?

#5 Cleveland Guardians general manager Chris Antonetti said that the recent decision between the Guardians and Carlos Santana to leave was between both sides. Santana had asked for an opportunity to play for another team and was granted waivers on Thursday. Antonetti said that the Guardians are much appreciated of Santana’s time with Cleveland.

Join Charlie O for the MLB The Show podcasts Sundays 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. 

Rangers Hand A’s 9-3 Loss Despite Barnett’s MLB Debut

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Lawrence Butler #4 of the Athletics is congratulated by Brent Rooker #25 after Butler hit a solo home run against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the third inning at Sutter Health Park on August 30, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The A’s and Rangers were back in action on Saturday night in game two of a three-game series.

The A’s lost game two of the series 9-3 against the Rangers at Sutter Health Park.

Mason Barnett started for the beleaguered A’s rotation in what was his MLB debut on Saturday. Barnett, who was drafted in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft by the Royals, spent two plus seasons in the organization before being acquired by the A’s. The A’s acquired Barnett from the Royals in a 2024 trade where the A’s sent Lucas Erceg to the Royals in the deal.

In his minor league career, Barnett is 22-17 with a 4.44 ERA in 78 games in which 72 were starts. Mason was 6-2 with Triple-A Las Vegas this season while pitching to a 6.13 ERA in 25 games.

On Saturday, Barnett pitched well in his debut but the runs began to add up in his outing. Mason gave up eight hits and five runs across four-plus innings of work while walking none and striking out one. The last straw in his outing would be a home run to lead off the fifth inning that prompted Mark Kotsay to go to the bullpen.

Mark Kotsay spoke after the game about the outing from Barnett.

“He attacked the strike zone and he got beat with pitches in the middle of the plate,” Kotsay said. “Early on it looked like the fastball had some life and he was getting some popups, but I think they picked up the release point and stayed on the breaking ball pretty well.”

Mason Barnett, who spoke to the media after the game, reflected on his MLB debut and how it went.

“I was super excited for it for sure,” Barnett said. “Obviously not what I wanted, and at the end of the day we didn’t win and I think that’s the most important. I’ve got to move forward from here and make the adjustments I need to make.”

Barnett continued on what the moment was like for him after years of grinding in the minor leagues.

“I was super excited, super pumped. I was excited to get out there and I feel like after the first inning I kind of settled in a little bit…”

The Bullpen

The A’s bullpen kept the A’s in the game early on Saturday while tossing five productive innings. However, the A’s pen let the game get away from them late.

Hogan Harris relieved Mason Barnett in the game and tossed a scoreless fifth inning, giving up just one hit.

Tyler Ferguson came in to pitch the sixth inning, giving up two hits but managing to escape the inning unscathed.

Sean Newcomb, who the A’s have relied on a lot in recent weeks in high-leverage situations, wasn’t sharp in the seventh inning as he gave up two runs on three hits and was only able to get two outs. Osvaldo Bido came in and got the final out of the seventh before pitching a scoreless eighth, giving up one hit.

Bido ran into trouble in the top of the ninth as he surrendered a two-run homer to allow the Rangers to expand their lead to 9-3. All in, Bido finished with two and a third innings pitched, giving up two runs on three hits in his outing.

The Bats

For the second night in a row, the A’s offense failed to keep pace with their opponent.

The A’s only managed eight hits, three runs, and walked only once against a solid Rangers pitching effort.

The A’s first two runs came in the third inning when Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker hit solo home runs on opposite ends of a Shea Langeliers lineout. It got the A’s on the board and at that time they only trailed 4-2. However, the A’s weren’t able to do much else until late when Carlos Cortes hit an RBI double. That would be all the A’s could muster in their 9-3 defeat at the hands of Bruce Bochy and the Rangers.

Nick Kurtz Injury Update

The A’s announced that the MRI on Nick Kurtz’s right oblique came back clean and he does not have a strain. Mark Kotsay said before Saturday’s game that Kurtz should be back “sooner than later” (according to a tweet from MLB.com writer Martín Gallegos).

Up Next

The A’s will look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Rangers on Sunday at 1:05 PM PST at Sutter Health Park.

The Rangers are slated to send Jacob deGrom (10-6, 2.79 ERA) to the hill countered by A’s righty J.T. Ginn (2-5, 4.96 ERA).

Demystified: Valkyries Complete Season Sweep Of The Mystics With 99-62 Blowout

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–An extended break from game action was just what the Valkyries needed. Coach Natalie Nakase felt her team’s defense had slipped a notch, and she used the additional practice time to address that issue.

The message was delivered so acutely, the team produced its best defensive first half of the season on the path to a 99-62 blowout of the visiting Mystics at Chase Center on Saturday night.

Could the expansion Valkyries have come up with a better start to their week-long push at home that will undoubtedly decide their playoff fate? Probably not.

The season-low 22 points allowed to Washington in the first half fueled a 29-point lead at the break, and ultimately kept all 10 healthy players comfortably under 30 minutes of playing time for the game. With five games in eight days to conclude their home schedule, wear and tear matters greatly. Especially with Cecilia Zandalasini and Tiffany Hayes currently unavailable due to injury.

Without those two, Nakase had her available group pack the paint defensively and rush the passing lanes. That plan was followed succinctly as the Mystics were limited to 35 percent shooting  for the game while the hosts racked up nine steals, four by Leticia Amihere in the first half alone.

That allowed the Valkyries to coast, leading by 35 after three quarters along with a slew of 37 point leads in the fourth.

“Maybe we can improve our reading (of the defense) but tonight was a perfect execution of our gameplan,” Janelle Salaun said of the team’s 40-minute defensive effort.

Balanced scoring seems preordained at this point for the selfless Valkyries, and they did it again on Saturday with Salaun leading with 20 points Carla Leite adding 19, Kaila Charles with 16 and Veronica Burton 15. The team’s assist total of 21 lead to 23 made field goals.

The Valkyries remained in the eighth and final slot for the playoffs with the win, but increased their lead over the ninth place Sparks to 2 1/2 games. They completed the four-game season sweep of the Mystics with the win as well.

The Valkyries have an opportunity to sweep the Fever on Sunday and leap ahead of Indiana in the standings. Home games against the Liberty, Wings and Lynx follow Sunday’s showdown before the Valkyries finish the regular season with two road games.