SAN FRANCISCO–Anyway you dissect it, this is a week of permanent transition for the Giants with the retirement of manager Bruce Bochy looming on Sunday.
But that’s not all the change. The Giants offered an interesting lineup on Thursday for the finale of the series with the Rockies without Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Buster Posey or Pablo Sandoval and Joe Panik for that matter.⁹⁷
With the exception of Evan Longoria, Bochy went with the new and the young to tangle with Colorado’s Kyle Freeland and the five relievers that followed him. And that group acquitted themselves quite well, racking up 12 hits (at least one hit against each of the six pitchers they saw) and eight runs in a 8-3 win that was a close game into the eighth inning.
Mike Yasztremski homered in the fourth–his 21st–and Mauricio Dubon in the seventh to support Tyler Beede and a host of relievers. Beede was dominant into the fourth inning where he left abruptly with an oblique injury while facing Ryan McMahon, the first batter of the inning.
At that point, Beede had struck out seven, while allowing no hits or walks. Afterwards, Bochy tried to make light of what was shaping up to be the best start of the rookie righthander’s season.
“I was kidding him, it probably wasn’t good timing, ‘But you know you’ve got a no-hitter going here, you want me to take you out?'” Bochy recounted.
Butch Smith followed Beede out of the bullpen and got through the fourth, but allowed the Rockies a game-tying run in the fifth.
With the Raiders in the midst of their 49-day stretch away from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Raiders will try to avoid a three-game losing streak as they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts in Week 4 action. Sunday’s game will mark the first time since 2013 that Oakland has played in Indianapolis, with the Raiders holding a 4-2 edge as the away team in the all-time series. Overall, Oakland is 8-7 all-time against the Colts in head-to-head locations.
The 16th matchup between the two teams will kickoff at 10:00 a.m. PDT from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Last week, the Raiders (1-2) lost to the Minnesota Vikings (2-1), 34-14, in Week 3 at U.S. Bank Field. Oakland quarterback Derek Carr went 27 for 34 for 242 yards and touchdowns to wide receivers J.J. Nelson and Tyrell Williams, but also threw an interception to Vikings safety Harrison Smith.
Nelson scored on a 29-yard flea-flicker pass midway through the second quarter that pulled the Raiders within two touchdowns, but that was as close as Oakland would get for the game.
With his 25th game with at least 100 passer rating, Carr tied Daryle Lamonica for second-most in franchise history.
Even as the Raiders were getting rolled by the Vikings, tight end Darren Waller had a career day for the Silver and Black catching 13 passes for 134 yards. Both the catches and yards were the most by a tight end this year in any game.
Through 3 games, Waller’s 26 catches ranks second behind Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen’s 29 for most in the NFL; and the most for a Raider through the first three weeks of the season in franchise history.
After dropping their first game of the season, the Colts have won two in a row and enter Sunday’s contest 2-1. Indianapolis took down the Atlanta Falcons, 27-24, in Week 4 at home.
Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett had a strong performance, completing his first 16 passes of the game before finishing 28 for 37 with 310 yards and two touchdowns.
Indianapolis scored on five of their seven possessions in the game.
Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will fly to London to take on the Chicago Bears for the NFL’s first game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week 5.
The Colts will head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in prime-time on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
#1 Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says he hopes the offense could provide more vertical shots and that the receivers can be more aggressive.
#2 Gruden did say that the offense needed to be more aggressive and that was before the release of Antonio Brown during the first three weeks of the season.
#3 In the first three games of the season, Raider quarterback Derek Carr has thrown 23 passes for 10 yards past the line of scrimmage and has completed 13 pass for 257 yards.
#4 Turning to baseball, at one time, the Oakland A’s had a two-game lead before Wednesday night. The A’s had just a 1/2 game lead and the Tampa Bay Rays keep winning, beating the New York Yankees on Wednesday and the A’s dropped two straight games and almost lost a third in Anaheim on Wednesday night, but thanks to a Matt Chapman home run, they came back with two runs in the ninth to win it 3-2 and hold a 1/2 game lead in the AL wild card.
#5 The PGA Tour Safeway Open starts today at Silverado Resort in Napa. Some of the big names at the event include the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Phil Mickelson and Hideki Maysuyama, a five-time winner.
#1 The A’s dropped two crucial games — one against Texas last Sunday at the Coliseum and another on Tuesday night in Anaheim. The A’s in never give up style, down 2-1 on Wednesday night in the top of the ninth, got a two-run jack from Matt Chapman his 34th to get the A’s a 3-2 one-run win.
#2 You look at that score last night in Anaheim 2-1 going to the ninth, manager Bob Melvin just had to have that bad feel in his stomach that the club was going to go down three in a row, but these never give up A’s have a hero every night when they win a game.
#3 Talk about A’s starter Frankie Montas’ return back in the rotation. He misses 60 games and he comes back pitches six innings and gives up four hits and an earned run, two walks and six strikeouts.
#4 Jerry talk about the relievers the A’s used four relief pitchers and they held it together to beat the Angels in the Big A. Everybody is up to beat the A’s in the wild card drive and the A’s are doing everything to stay at the top.
#5 A’s are headed for Seattle to open up a four-game series with the Mariners on Thursday, who can be tough customers in their own right. The Mariners, who got two hits and shutout 3-0 on Wednesday night by the Houston Astros, are not too happy and are looking to take things out on the A’s, but the A’s will scratch and claw to try to keep their heads above water in the AL wild card race.
According to Mark Soltau, Colby Parkinson didn’t see it coming.
Last November on Senior Day against Oregon State, Parkinson — a junior tight end — tied a school record by catching four touchdown passes from then junior quarterback K.J. Costello — all in the first half — in Stanford’s 48-17 win. Coming into the contest, Parkinson had 17 receptions and no touchdowns, but finished with six grabs for 166 yards.
Parkinson scored on a variety of routes, finding pay dirt from 5, 9, 28 and 75 yards.
“It was a great game and fun to be part of,” Parkinson said. “I don’t think I caught a ball twice on the same person.”
Leading into the game, junior tight end Kaden Smith and senior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside had been Costello’s favorite targets. But Arcega-Whiteside didn’t play after sustaining an injury the week before at Washington.
“It’s just kind of how it evolved,” Parkinson said of his first half. “We always put in different plans for different people in certain games and we have matchups that we like. The ball was coming my way.”
After playing in Smith’s shadow, Parkinson showed he was a threat.
“We did some things to get him singled up,” said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football. “I don’t know that he was enough of a name to have specialty coverage for. That game really proved how special he can be.”
The contest had special meaning for Parkinson, who grew in Simi Valley, Calif. That week, the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County and Woolsey Fire west of Los Angeles were raging in Northern and Southern California. Additionally, a shooting near his hometown in Thousand Oaks, took the lives of 12 people.
“It was almost sentimental,” Parkinson said. “It was pretty cool to hopefully give some of my friends and family back home something to watch.”
This season, the 6-foot-7, 251-pound Parkinson ranks second on the squad with 17 receptions for 178 yards, but has yet to score. With Arcega-Whiteside and Smith now playing in the NFL, opposing defenses have made stopping Parkinson a priority, often jamming him at the line of scrimmage and double-teaming him.
“You’ve seen it in the first four games – I’m not getting the same looks I was getting last year,” said Parkinson, who will try to help Stanford (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) snap a three-game losing streak at Oregon State (1-2, 0-0 Pac-12) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. “It seems like they’re game-planning for me, which is definitely a compliment.”
The coaching staff is working hard to find ways to free him up.
“It’s incumbent on us to move him around and show his versatility,” Shaw said. “At the same time, if they want to take him away, other guys have to make plays.”
All Parkinson cares about is winning.
“I’m happy not to catch a single pass if that means other people are getting open,” Parkinson said. “It’s absolutely a team sport, especially in that way.”
Plagued by penalties and near misses, the Cardinal offense has only produced four touchdowns.
Parkinson is confident the offense is close to clicking.
“Absolutely,” Parkinson said. “I feel great at practice this week. I’ve kind of changed my attitude. It was easier for me last year having those established vertical threats like JJ and Kaden. We have great talent on this team. It’s been tough, but I’m excited about where we’re going.”
SLOW START: Stanford’s losses have come against No. 22 UCF, No. 21 USC and No. 13 Oregon, who are a combined 9-3. Although many consider the Cardinal’s first four games the toughest stretch in the country, Shaw offered no excuses.
“We haven’t been up to our standards,” Shaw said. “Injuries aren’t the reason for our record.”
Eliminating mistakes, better execution and making plays are the Cardinal’s keys going forward.
“I trust the mentality of this football team,” said Shaw. “I think we all are a little frustrated, which I think is a positive, because we should be frustrated. We’re not going to press and scrap a lot of things. We need to tweak some things and improve the things we’re doing.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
HANGING TOUGH: Costello is questionable for Oregon State. He injured his throwing thumb early in the game after hitting an Oregon helmet with his follow through on a pass.
“He fought through it the whole game and made some great throws late in the game,” Shaw said. “It’s hard to say how much it affected him.”
Asked if he considered inserting junior backup Davis Mills, Shaw said, “Honestly, I think there were only two errant throws the entire game. He put the ball on the money a couple times with guys in his face. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do the job.”
INJURY UPDATE: Junior offensive tackle Foster Sarell is probable and senior offensive tackle Devery Hamilton is doubtful.
Sophomore cornerback Ethan Bonner, senior cornerback Treyjohn Butler and junior strong safety Stuart Head could return to practice and might be available Saturday.
DEFENSIVE FORCE: Fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill is first in the Pac-12 in sacks with four and second in tackles for loss with six. He leads the team with 28 tackles and has one forced fumble and two hurries.
“I thought we came out with more fire,” Toohill said of last week’s 21-6 defeat to Oregon. “That really should be our standard. I think we really need to bring the same juice every game.”
ALL OUT: Sophomore wide receiver Michael Wilson likes being physical and goes hard until he hears a whistle on every play. He developed that mentality in youth football.
“I just have the desire to out-work my opponent,” Wilson said. “Coach Shaw really wants that to be the theme of the Stanford football team. It has been in the past. I like to bring professional brutality. If you keep attacking over and over again, a lot of guys aren’t going to like that.”
Asked about the team’s offensive struggles, Wilson said, “People love to see big plays made and we want to make big plays. That’s why we put in all this work throughout the offseason.”
The danger is trying to force things.
“In a way, you kind of have to let the game come to you,” Wilson said. “I think when you try too hard to make a play, that’s oftentimes when you don’t. You have to have this calm way about it. We’ve got guys across the board that can make plays. Hopefully, it starts this game.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
BACK TO CLASS: Autumn quarter classes began Monday.
“It’s definitely gotten more hectic, but we’re Stanford men, and this is what we signed up for,” Wilson said. “I love it. School is a big part of why I came here. I love the challenge.”
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS: Toohill is impressed with Oregon State’s offense and knows stopping it will be a challenge.
“Great running backs and receivers,” Toohill said. “Like any Pac-12 offense, they can put up a lot of points. I don’t think their record reflects how good they are. There are no easy weeks in the Pac-12, so you always have to be on your game.”
Quarterback Jake Luton, now in his sixth year of college football, has thrown for eight touchdowns and hasn’t been intercepted. Running back Jermar Jefferson has rushed for 270 yards and averages 5.7 yards per carry, while wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins has snared five scoring passes and averages 15.1 yards per catch.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
NOTES: Shaw typically watches film of the last game at least three times by Sunday night … Shaw on playing at Reser Stadium: “Every time I think of Corvallis, I think of that third down chainsaw (played over the PA system). It’s unnaturally loud. It’s a great atmosphere, it’s loud and those guys are going to be fired up.” … Junior tight end Tucker Fisk and sophomore fullback Jay Symonds made their first collegiate catches against Oregon … Fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 321 yards and has caught 10 passes for 88 yards.
QUOTE: “I’ve never seen a guy that has so much natural wiggle. He’s like a magician with his body.” — Michael Wilson on freshman running back Austin Jones
Mamma Mia! What a game! The A’s snapped a two-game losing streak when Matt Chapman hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to defeat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 at Angel Stadium on Wednesday night.
The A’s knew that the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees for the second night in a row, and if they A’s were to lose, they would find themselves a 1/2 game behind the Rays in the race for the first Wild Card.
Players, coaches, managers, and fans know that teams have to cash in when they have a chance to score. Failure to take advantage of opportunities leads to frustration. When that happens, teams lose games they should win. That was the situation for Oakland. The A’s failed to score in the first, second, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. They found themselves trailing 2-1 after eight. A loss to the Angels would have been devastating. Here’s how they pulled off the win. TheAngels had their closer, Hansel Robles, in the game to shut the door. A’s shortstop, Marcus Semien, who is a candidate for Most Valuable Player, led off the ninth with a single. The next hitter, Ramon Laureano, who homered in the fifth, laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Semien into scoring position. The A’s needed one run to tie the game if they hoped to salvage the win. A’s manager Bob Melvin was probably thinking to get the contest into extra innings and hope to win it in overtime. Matt Chapman, who had been in a slump, had other thoughts. He sent the first pitch from Robles and sent it over the trees in center field. The ball traveled 436 feet, and the A’s led 3-2. It was Chapman’s 35th home run of the year.
A’s closer Liam Hendriks set the Angels down to secure the win for Oakland.
Game Notes: Frankie Montas made his first start after returning from an 80-game suspension. Montas pitched well as he went six innings and allowed four hits and one run.
The A’s improved to 95-63 and have four games left in the regular schedule. They will be in Seattle to finish the season. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is three. They lead the Rays by a 1/2 game and have a two-game advantage over the Cleveland Indians. The Indians lost to the Chicago White Sox Wednesday night.
Ramon Laureano hit his 23rd homer in the fifth. It was his first home run since returning from the IL. He also made an excellent defensive play in the fourth. With a man on first, he caught a ball as it was slicing to the right-field line. He unloaded a laser and nailed the runner as he was trying to make it back to the base.
The A’s line score was three runs, 12 hits, and no errors. The Angels’ line was two runs, six hits, and no errors. Joakim Soria was the winning pitcher, and Hansel Robles was the loser.
The A’s were one for 14 with runners in scoring position before Chapman homered in the ninth. They had chances, but couldn’t get the hit when needed.
A’s center fielder Mark Canha suffered a left groin strain in the bottom of the seventh and had to leave the game.
Time of game was three hours and 29 minutes. 38,685 fans watched the A’s come from behind and defeat the Angels.
Up Next: Lefty Sean Manaea will go for Oakland Thursday night in Seattle. He will be making his fifth start since coming back from a shoulder injury. The King, Felix Hernandez, will go for Seattle. Game time at 7:10 p.m.
The 49ers are 3-0 for the first time in 21 years, and following the bye week that they are currently on, they hope to keep that streak going against a dangerous – but beatable – opponent.
The Cleveland Browns, who gave the Los Angeles Rams a battle last Sunday night but fell 20-13 when they failed to convert in the red zone in the final minute, will make their way into Levi’s Stadium for a Monday night game on Oct. 7.
The Browns boast a few formidable weapons on offense and an improved defense under coordinator Gregg Williams, but they have been wildly inconsistent this year. They have sandwiched a big win over the New York Jets with the loss to the Rams and a 43-13 beatdown at the hands of the Tennessee Titans.
Cleveland has game-breaking wideouts in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, Jr. as well as a young quarterback in Baker Mayfield, who does not lack confidence in the slightest case.
However, Mayfield has served as a microcosm of the team as a whole, as a lack of consistency has wreaked havoc on an offense that oozes potential. He has completed 57 percent of his throws this year, to go along with three touchdowns but has also been intercepted five times.
He has struggled in his decision-making at times, and coupled with a 49ers’ pass rush that has set the tone for a defense that has been the key to the team’s 3-0 start, this clearly favors San Francisco.
However, the 49ers have an injury issue that they will need to deal with. Starting corner Ahkello Witherspoon has a foot sprain that is expected to keep him for at least one month, so they will need to find a competent replacement for him in the interim.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants haven’t been winners at home. The Rockies have struggled on the road. And rookie Jaylin Davis hasn’t exactly tore it up since he received his well-deserved major league promotion.
Something had to give.
It turned out that something was the centerfield fence where Davis’ shot flew past on its way to deciding Wednesday’s Rockies-Giants game for the home team, 2-1. The Giants got an important 34th win at home, making it much less likely that they will finish the season with the worst home mark in franchise history.
And Davis became the third major leaguer this season to homer for the first time in a career in a walk-off situation. To say Davis was warmly greeted by his teammates at home plate would be an overstatement. The greeting too heavily leaned on ice cold Gatorade for that. But it was warm in the sense that no one wanted to go extra innings after Tuesday’s 16-inning marathon. Davis took care of that with one swing.
“It couldn’t come at a better time his first home run,” manager Bruce Bochy said of Davis. “I’m sure the team was gassed after last night, and here we’re looking at extra innings and going through the pitching again. So great timing.”
The Giants and Rockies have spent the last two nights reminding themselves and the fans of their struggles one last time before the season concludes. On Tuesday, they played 16 innings with just one hit with runners in scoring position between the two clubs. Wednesday wasn’t much better as the two clubs went 1 for 19 with runners in scoring position.
Both starting pitchers impressed, but both would admit they’ve done things in a smoother fashion. Colorado starter Tim Melville allowed four hits and a walk, but he couldn’t locate the strike zone, elevating his pitch count with 29 balls among his 75 pitches.
Jeff Samardzija had a bounce back season, but Wednesday he had issues locating the strike zone as well. And after six innings and 111 pitches, the veteran right-hander was lifted, one inning prior to the Rockies wiping out Samardzija’s razor thin, 1-0 lead.
Two errors on the same play–Brandon Crawford’s throwing error, then Brandon Belt’s inability to corral the ball–allowed Josh Fuentes to race home from third base, tying the game in the seventh. That play also prevented Samardzija from going for a career-best tying 12th win.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A pair of controversial calls in the second half were too much for the San Jose Earthquakes, fighting for their playoff lives, to overcome in a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night at Avaya Stadium.
The loss is the fourth in a row for San Jose and continued a winless September. They are on the outside looking in as they currently sit in eighth place in the Western Conference with 44 points, one point behind FC Dallas and Portland, who are currently tied for the seventh and final playoff spot with only two games remaining in the season.
The Quakes were without the services of two of their top players, Chris Wondolowski and Cristian Espinoza, as they were both suspended for the match after getting ejected in their last match against Atlanta United FC. It was also the second time this season they were without their head coach Matias Almeyda, who was also ejected from the match last week.
San Jose (13-14-15) went with a 4-4-2 lineup with Danny Hoesen and Vako serving as the main strikers.
The Quakes drew first blood in the 35th minute when Guram Kashia sent a ball into the box that Hoesen chased down to the middle of the end line. He then fed a pass between the legs of Jack Elliot to an on-running Jackson Yueill, who one-timed the ball passed Union goalkeeper Andre Blake into the back of the net for his third goal of the season.
Carlos Fierro came very close to giving San Jose a 2-0 advantage in the 41st minute when he was all alone to the right of the box when Blake came out to challenge Fierro and made a point-blank save that ricochet back to the goal, but was calmly swept away by Elliot.
Philadelphia’s (16-9-7) best chance to score in the first half came early on in the 16th minute. Marco Fabian’s shot from the left side of the box was stoned away by Quakes goalkeeper Daniel Vega.
The first of the two controversial calls came at the start of the second half. An offsides call on Hoesen took away a goal from the Quakes in the 46th minute. After a pretty give-and-go between Hoesen and Yueill just outside the box, Yueill’s shot was saved by Blake. Magnus Eriksson cleaned up the rebound in what he thought was his seventh goal of the season. However, Union head coach Jim Curtin challenged the call and won to the dismay of the Avaya faithful.
Philadelphia scored the equalizer in the 70th minute when Ramon Gaddis dribbled in from the right side and while falling down serviced a ball back into the middle of the box where captain Alejandro Bedoya needed all but three touches before firing a shot back towards the left side of the goal for his fourth goal of the season.
The Union struck again six minutes later to snatch the lead away when substitute Fabrice-Jean Picault centered a ball from near the left sideline into the middle where Kacper Przybylko had inside position on Kashia, and was able to head the ball into the back of the net for his team-leading 15th goal and the eventual game-winner.
Once again, San Jose was on the wrong end of a controversial call late in the match. Aurelien Collin dragged down Andres Rios near the end line in the 80th minute that referee Baldomero Toledo initially ruled a penalty on. However, after the video review, the penalty call was overturned despite evidence to the contrary.
Despite having seven minutes of stoppage time, the Quakes couldn’t score the equalizer and were left wondering “what if?” as time expired in the match and possibly their season.
GAME NOTES: Union defender Kai Wagner was issued a yellow card in the seventh minute after pushing down Eriksson from behind. In the 23rd minute, Quakes midfielder Judson was issued a yellow card for his sliding tackle attempt on Fabian. Both Haris Medunjanin was issued a yellow card in the first minute of stoppage time in the first half for unsportsmanlike conduct. Przybylko received a yellow card in the 57th minute for unsportsmanlike conduct against Florian Jungwirth.
Corner kicks: San Jose–6, Philadelphia–6
Offsides: San Jose–6, Philadelphia–1
Wondo sat in the stands alongside the San Jose Ultras, the superfan group that sits in the south endzone during every game.
Yueill’s goal snapped a three-game streak where San Jose had conceded the first goal of the match.
UP NEXT: San Jose plays its final home game of the season on Sunday, September 29 against the Seattle Sounders at 4:15 pm at Avaya Stadium.
On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:
#1 The Giants conclude their regular season at home with the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers. What are some of the things that manager Bruce Bochy will be looking for to close out the season?
#2 It will be someone else’s team next season. Will the feel and direction of the club be completely different?
#3 From what you’ve heard, do you see a new manager coming within the organization or a total new face from the outside who will want to build from the bottom up?
#4 Just reminiscing about some of the Giants from this season, Pablo Sandoval talk about what he meant to the club.
#5 Madison Bumgarner pitched to a 9-9 record and a respectable ERA at 3.86. Do you see him coming back or choosing to go to another club?
Michael Duca has done the SF Giants podcasts each week during the 2019 season and will join us for Cal Bears basketball at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
