Moving Up: A’s, Chapman at their best in series-clinching rout of the Angels

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By Morris Phillips

The A’s have their best record of the season to date, now can they sustain their success?

Oakland stymied the Angels for the second day in a row, slugging their way to a 12-3 win to capture three of the four-game set in Angel Stadium of Anaheim, giving the A’s a statement weekend in the AL Wild Card chase.

But the A’s finished the series without Khris Davis and Stephen Piscotty, and continue to operate without closer Blake Treinen as well as suspended, staff ace Frankie Montas. In 14 of their next 22 games, they’ll face the first-place Astros and Twins, as well as the Rangers, currently in possession of the second wild card spot.

Given the adversity and the upcoming schedule, can the A’s continue their ascent? Sunday’s winning pitcher, Chris Bassitt, thinks so.

“It’s kind of absurd that we’re even in this position,” Bassitt said. “It just shows how good this team can be when we’re all healthy.”

Baseball-Reference’s Playoff Odds says yes, in that statistics-based simulation, the A’s are favored to over take the Indians and Rangers, and capture the second wild card spot with a modest–by recent AL playoff records–88-74 record. That simulation is heavily weighted on what the A’s have done in their previous 100 games, including a partial sample of their blistering 2018 finish. If so, the A’s will qualify for the second, consecutive season and most likely end up with a much better matchup at Tampa Bay, as compared to last season’s trip to Yankee Stadium.

The biggest sign the A’s are headed in the right direction? Their performances on the road have improved dramatically. They started the season by dropping 15 of their first 20 road contests. Since then, they’re 17-5 when traveling.

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: A chat with Orioles TV announcer and former pitcher Jim Palmer

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photo from camdenchat.com: Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer winds up to throw a pitch in 1966 is interviewed by Amaury Pi-Gonzalez.

By: Amaury Pi-González

Through the years, I always look forward in talking with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, who’s currently on Baltimore Orioles television as a color announcer with play-by-play man Gary Thorne. On the visit this season by the Orioles to the Oakland Coliseum this past June, I had the chance of talking again with Palmer. Sometimes, we chatted at Oakland, other times at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

He is not shy and always wants to talk baseball, even thought a generation of fans saw him a lot on television as a model for Jockey Underwear. A lot of non-baseball fans recognize him more for that. Not the first time this happened in advertising and baseball, another great Hall of Fame player, The Yankee Clipper (Joe DiMaggio) was introduced to a non-baseball audience generation as a pitch man for Mister Coffee, a very popular coffee maker.

The Orioles were my número uno team since I arrived to the US as a young kid in Miami. One of my first jobs was as ball boy and bat boy for the O’s when they had their Spring Training home at Miami Stadium. I remember all the players then like John “Boog” Powell, Davey Johnson, and many more under manager Billy Hitchcock. Those years Miami did not have any MLB, NFL, NBA, or NHL teams so the biggest attraction was the O’s in Spring Training aside from the University of Miami Hurricanes football team.

Jim Palmer is a special guy. A great career that took him to the Hall of Fame, Palmer pitched for 19 seasons from 1965-1984, which ended with 268 wins and 152 loses and an ERA of 2.86. In four of the 19 seasons he won over 20 games in a row from 1970 to 1973.

He was part of a record that will probably will never be broken. In 1971 with the O’s, he was one of four starters on that staff to win 20 or more games. They were Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, and Jim Palmer. Palmer is the only living pitcher amongst the four.

Q: “Will we ever see that again, four pitchers on the same team with 20 wins?”

JP: “Probably not, and Pat Dobson is the one most people forget when that question is asked.”

Q: “You have a unique statistic during your great career. Pitched for 19 years and never gave up a Grand Slam, how come?”

JP: “That’s easy, I usually walk the guy.”

Q: “Your memories of this Oakland Coliseum?”

JP: “I always did well here,this is a typical pitchers ballpark, I always enjoyed this place” Ironically his best outing against the A’s was not at Oakland. On August 13,1969, Palmer no-hit the A’s for an 8-0 win at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. He walked six A’s, struck out eight and was 11-2 at that time. He would win five games and lose two to finish with a 16-4 record and a 2.34 ERA.”

Since the O’s visit Oakland just once per year, he promised we will talk more and I am looking forward for the next time Jim Palmer comes to town.

During batting practice, an hour prior to the game that night, rap music was played very loud at the Coliseum, he rolled his eyes and I asked him, “Are you a fan of rap music?”

JP: “No, not really.”

I told him “Don’t feel bad, I am still listening to Sinatra.”

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez does A’s baseball Espanol for KIQI 1010 San Francisco and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Pillar and Posey help Bumgarner get fifth win defeat Diamondbacks 10-4

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photo by sfgate.com: San Francisco Giants’ Kevin Pillar, right, celebrates with Evan Longoria (10) after hitting a two-run home run off Arizona Diamondbacks’ Robbie Ray in the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 30, 2019, in San Francisco.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Kevin Pillar and Buster Posey helped out Madison Bumgarner with their bats in the series finale.

Pillar and Posey combined for seven hits, while Bumgarner went seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits, walking no one and striking out nine and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-4 before 31,778 at Oracle Park.

With the victory, the Giants ended the month of June with a record of 14-13, their first winning month since going 18-10 in June of 2018.

It was a Pillar two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning that got the Giants going, as he hit his 11th home run of the season.

Pillar added a two-run single in the bottom of the third inning that helped the Giants to the victory and split the four-game series.

Posey doubled in the bottom of the first inning, and then singled in the third and fifth innings, before walking to load the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning for Evan Longoria with nobody out.

The three hits by Posey match his season-high and marked his second three-hit game in three appearances. During the span, Posey is hitting .750 (6-for-8) with two doubles, two runs scored and two runs batted in.

Pillar hit a solo home run, singled twice and hit a double, as it was his first four-hit since July 13, 2018 for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

It was the fifth four-hit game of Pillars career, who picked up two during the 2017 season and one during the 2015 season.

The five runs batted in by Pillar are a career-high, to go along with his career-high tying four hits.

Longoria then singled in Brandon Belt, who walked to lead off the inning against reliever Matt Andriese. Pillar then followed it up with his fourth hit of the game, as he singled to left to score pinch hitter Alex Dickerson, who singled while pinch hitting for Tyler Austin, who walked and struck out twice before leaving the game.

Mike Yastrzemski got in on the act, as he hit a two-run double to left field to score Longoria and Pillar.

The sixth and final run of the inning came when pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval singled off of T.J. McFarland that scored Yastrzemski.

In all, the Giants sent 10 men to the plate, scored six runs on five hits, as they blew the game wide open.

The Diamondbacks attempted to get back into the game in the top of the eighth inning, as they scored three runs off of reliever Derek Rodriguez.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was ejected in the top of the fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes with home plate Mike Muchlinski, and it was fourth all-time ejection for Lovullo in his managerial career.

It was not a good day for Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray, who went just four innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walking three and striking out five and saw his record fall to 5-6 on the season.

NOTES: With the nine strikeouts on the afternoon, Bumgarner tied Tim Lincecum for second place all-time in San Francisco Giants lore with 1,704.

Juan Marichal is the all-time San Francisco Giants leader in strikeouts with 2,281

Will Smith was named as the lone All-Star for the Giants, as he is 1-0 with a 2.16 earned run average with 21 saves in 21 chances this season for the Giants.

Smith is the first Giants left-handed reliever to go to the All-Star Game since Gary Lavelle made the All-Star team in 1983

The 21 saves to start the season are the second most by a Giants reliever to start a season, trailing only Rod Beck who saved 28 in a row to begin the 1994 season.

In his Giants career, Smith is tied for second place with Craig Lefferts with 35 saves by a left-hander, Lavelle is currently the all-time leader in saves for a left-hander with 127.

UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija takes the mound on Monday night, as the Giants open a brief three-game road trip against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The Padres will counter with Logan Allen.

Kevin Durant signs four-year $164 million deal to play with the Brooklyn Nets

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file photo from sfgate.com: Former Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant #35 gets help off the floor in his last hurrah for Golden State with the injured Achilles tendon in the first half of game 5 against the Toronto Raptors.

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Golden State Warriors lost a key player to free agency on Sunday. Superstar forward Kevin Durant decided to leave the Warriors, a team that he won two championships with, to play for the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets were active Sunday signing point guard Kyrie Irving and center DeAndre Jordan. They will have to wait a year for Durant to play for them as he will be recovering from an Achilles tendon injury that will sideline him for the entire 2019-2020 season.

The big question is, why did Durant decide to leave the Warriors. Golden State offered him a five-year deal worth $ 221 Million. The answer has to be that he was unhappy here with the Warriors. He had a massive dustup with Draymond Green early in the season. The two players didn’t speak for a while, and that may have been a factor even though Green apologized to Durant. Another factor may have been the injury that he sustained in Game Five of the NBA Finals with Toronto. Durant had suffered a calf injury in the series with the Houston Rockets. The team may have asked him to return to action before that injury was healed. No one knows what the Warriors’ doctors told him about the possibility that he might make it worse if he played.

The Warriors did agree to terms with a five -year $190 million contract with Klay Thompson. Klay will be out for at least nine months as he recovers from surgery to fix a torn ACL in his left knee. The Warriors want to re-sign Kevon Looney.  Looney is being courted by the Houston Rockets. Looney proved his worth as he played inspired basketball in the Finals after suffering an injury to his collarbone. The Warriors may try to get DeMarcus Cousins back. The most the can offer Cousins is about 6.3 million. Cousins could help fill the gap left by Durant’s departure. Cousins may stay to get a better deal a year from now. Shaun Livingston may retire, and that is another hole that the W’s will have to fill.

The Warriors should be competitive next year with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala still on the roster. Players such as Damian Jones, Jordan Bell, Alonzo McKinnie, and Quinn Cook will have to step up if the Warriors are to be successful next season. The fans are hoping the GM Bob Myers might have something rolled up in his sleeves to help make the team better. It will be a very different season for the Warriors as they start to play next year at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s win four of last five games; Oakland just 1 1/2 out of the wild card; plus more

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photo from mercurynews.com:  Jurickson Profar #23 congratulates Matt Olson #28 of the Oakland Athletics on his three run home run against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the third inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 28, 2019 in Anaheim, California

On the A’s podcast with Joey F:

#1 The A’s continue their winning ways after defeating the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night in a 4-0 shutout at the Big A in Anaheim the team now are 4-1 on the current road trip

#2 Oakland starter Brett Anderson pitched 7.2 innings of shutout ball surrendering just two hits, two walks and striking out three.

#3 A’s closer Liam Hendricks shut the door on the Angels in the eighth and ninth innings pitching 1.1 innings and striking out two hitters.

#4 The A’s Matt Chapman not only noted for his great defense at third base hit his 20th home run on Saturday night

#5 Starting pitchers for game three of the series in Anaheim on Sunday: For Oakland Chris Bassitt (4-3 ERA 3.86) and for Los Angeles Andrew Heaney (1-1 ERA 4.99)

A’s podcast with Joey Friedman are heard each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

MLB podcast with Daniel Dullum: SF CEO Baer returns after domestic abuse suspension; Yanks-Sox slugfest in London; plus more

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President and CEO Larry Baer will reportedly wield less power upon his July 2 return from suspension. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

On the MLB podcast with Daniel:

1 Larry Baer will return as Giants president/CEO but with less power

2 Yankees, Red Sox light up scoreboard in London

3 Benches clear after Cincinnati Reds Yasiel Puig hit by pitch; reliever calls him ‘stupid as f–k’

4 Fernando Rodney ties obscure save record

5 Mets apologize for putting two living players in memorial montage of 1969 Mets

Daniel Dullum does the MLB podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s shutout Angels 4-0 on Saturday night in Anaheim

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Halos Anderson
Brett Anderson gave up just two hits on Saturday night Photo: @Athltetics

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics won their second consecutive game over the Angels on Saturday night 4-0. The A’s combined strong pitching and key hitting to stop “the Halos” in their tracks.

The win upped the Athletics record to 45-39 for the season and made them 4-1 on this six-game road trip. They are 7.0 games behind first-place Houston and 1.5 games back of second-place Texas. Oakland is now 1.5 games out of the Wild Card race.

Pitching was key for the A’s

Brett Anderson had an outstanding start for the Athletics on Saturday night. He was able to work 7.2-innings of shutout baseball. Anderson allowed just two hits, two walks and struck out three Los Angeles batters. He threw 100 pitches (63 strikes). Anderson’s record improved to 8-5 for the year.

Liam Hendricks came in to close out the game for Oakland. Hendricks worked 1.1-innings giving up one hit and striking out two. It was not a save situation for Hendricks.

A’s used their power to score

Halos Chapman
Chapman hit home run #20 on Saturday night Photo: @Athletics

Oakland put three runs up on the board in the fifth inning. Marcus Semien doubled to left field to send Jurickson Profar home to score. For Semien, it was his 19th double and 42nd RBI of the season.

Also in the fifth inning, Matt Chapman hit a two-run home run (20) with Semien on base. That gave the A’s a 3-0 lead.

In the top of the seventh inning, Josh Phegley hit a single to right field that allowed Profar to score again. That put the A’s up 4-0.

The four-game series concludes on Sunday

Oakland will send Chris Bassitt (4-3, 3.86) to the hill to face off against Andrew Heaney (1-1, 4.99). The first pitch is scheduled for 1:07 PM.

Aces fight back to beat Indiana in overtime, 102-97

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20190629 - A'ja Wilson 08

Photo credit: Sports Radio Service/Shawn McCullough

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces trailed by as many as eight points, but rallied to force overtime and got 12 point from Liz Cambage in the extra time for a 102-97 win over the Indiana Fever at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“I thought we played a decent basketball game,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “I thought Indiana played phenomenal. They came in with nothing to lose and raised up from all over the court and made shots and led most of the game. Give them a lot of credit for that.”

A’ja Wilson scored a career high 39 points, shooting 14 for 20 from the field while playing just over 40 minutes.

“I kind of get into this zone and this place where I can’t feel anything I just know that I have to score this basketball, I have to produce for my team,” said Wilson.

Cambage struggled throughout the night but stepped up big in overtime.

“I just played horribly tonight until overtime,” said Cambage.  “I just came out to play [in OT]. Maybe it’s pressure, I don’t know what it is, but I need to get it together and work it out.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 7-5 on the season heading into a game on Tuesday at noon against the Chicago Sky at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces out-rebounded Indiana 50-32.
  • The Fever shot 13 for 24 from three point range.
  • The Aces shot 48.1% from the field.
  • It was PRIDE night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center with 4,581 in attendance.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 21 Kayla McBride
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Greinke remains undefeated at Oracle Park in Diamondbacks win 4-3

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photo from sfgate.com: Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke works against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 29, 2019, in San Francisco

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Eduardo Escobar came up with the biggest hit of the night when the Arizona Diamondbacks needed it the most.

Escobar singled to center field off of Sam Dyson in the top of the seventh inning, as the Diamondbacks hung on to defeat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 before a crowd of 31,600 at Oracle Park.

Drew Pomeranz pitched well for the second straight game, as he went five innings, walking just two and striking out seven.

If you remember in his last outing against the Colorado Rockies on Monday night, Pomeranz gave up two runs in five innings and matched his career-high in strikeouts with 11. The 11 strikeouts by Pomeranz were the most by a Giants pitcher since the pitchers mound was moved back to its current distance of 60 feet six inches in 1893.

Pomeranzs 10.94 strikeouts per nine innings is sixth-best in the National League, amongst pitchers with a minimum of 60 innings pitched.

Kevin Pillar dropped a fly ball off the bat of Adam Jones for an error that led the Diamondbacks breaking the 0-0 tie in the top of the seventh inning, and the ball glanced off his glove that allowed Tim Locastro to move up an additional 90 feet.

Dyson came up with the defensive play of the game, as he snared a Ketel Marte comebacker and ran LoCastro back towards third base, where he tagged him out.

After the Marte fielders choice, Escobar lashed his base hit to right-center field that proved to be the only run that Zack Greinke would need on the evening.

Greinke went seven innings, allowing zero runs, on five hits, walking no one and striking out six on his way to his ninth win of the season for the Diamondbacks.

in his career, Greinke is 6-0 with a 1.19 earned run average at Oracle Park and has not allowed a run in his last two starts, 15.0 consecutive scoreless innings.

Mark Melancon replaced Dyson in the top of the eighth inning and immediately found him in trouble, as he walked Christian Walker, then Nick Ahmed singled and then Alex Avila singled to load the bases. Melancon then regrouped to strike out LoCastro; however, then Brandon Crawford committed a throwing error on a single by pinch hitter Ilemaro Vargas that got by Pablo Sandoval for an error that allowed both Walker and Ahmed to score.

Jones lengthened the Diamondbacks up to 4-0, as his single just got by a diving Brandon Belt at first base that allowed Avila to score.

The Giants got out of the inning, as Belt made a great play at first base, as he snared the Marte hit, threw to Crawford for the second out, who in turn, threw to Belt, to turn the double play and end the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Pillar walked to lead off the inning, and after a Joe Panik ground out to Yoan Lopez, pinch hitter Tyler Austin to put runners on first and second base; however, Belt struck out and then pinch-hitter Buster Posey popped out to end the inning.

Austin made the defensive play of the game in the top of the ninth inning, as he got turned around on the warning track on an Escobar hit and dove to make a great catch on the warning track.

Down to their last at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, Sandoval led off the inning with a single off of Andrew Chafin. That would be the end of the line for Chafin, who turned the ball over to Yoshihisa Hirano, who committed a throwing error on an Alex Dickerson dribbler up the first base line. That would be the only batter that Hirano would face.

Stephen Vogt provided the crowd with instant gratification, as he parked a three-run home run onto the arcade.

This was the second home run of the season for Vogt, and both of them have come in the ninth inning. His previous home run came on May 3 against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark that tied up the game, in a game that the Giants would eventually win 12-11 in 11 innings.

Unfortunately, the Giants could not muster that tying run, as closer Greg Holland, who surrendered the three-run home run to Vogt was able to re-group to get Crawford to strikeout, Pillar to fly out to LoCastro in center and then Panik struck out to end the game.

NOTES: Prior to the game, it was announced that the Giants have signed first-round selection Hunter Bishop, along with second-round pick Logan Wyatt, fourth-round pick Tyler Fitzgerald and eighth-round pick Caleb Kilian.

Giants President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer will return to the organization on Tuesday.

Board Member Rob Dean will take the role as chairman of the team, and will continue to as the designated control person with Major League Baseball.

Baer released a statement earlier this afternoon.

I write this today after four months away from the Giants, the team I have loved since childhood and the organization I have served most of my adult life. Our hundreds of Giants employees, millions of Giants fans and the community-at-large have been on my mind every day, and I am truly sorry for letting you down.

While my time away has been difficult on many levels, it has allowed me opportunities for introspection and, with the help of some wonderful people, growth. Ive been able to step back and take stock of myself as a person and as a leader. I am wiser for it, and the work continues. The journey of self-discovery, like so much in life, is ongoing and never-ending.
The overwhelming emotion I feel right now is gratitude. I am appreciative beyond words for the hard work and professionalism of the Giants staff and executive team during this difficult period, and Im looking forward to thanking each of them in person.

The Giants are in a major transition on and off the
field. This includes some structural changes, which I fully embrace. Major League Baseball is a complex and ever-changing industry, now more than ever. Success requires leadership that listens to and learns from all voices, that leverages the ideas and talent of every person in every department, along with tapping the resources and energy of our fans and the Bay Area community. I am looking forward to spending the next weeks and months listening, learning and discovering how, together, we can best serve this great organization and community.

UP NEXT: Madison Bumgarner will look for his fifth win of the season, as he takes the mound in the series and home stand finale on Sunday afternoon for the Giants, while Robbie Ray will toe the rubber for the Diamondbacks.

The California Clasíco

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By London Marq

STANFORD, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes and Los Angeles Galaxy are two of the original ten clubs that Major League Soccer debuted with, in 1996. The league has since bloomed and now has twenty-four teams. Separated by nearly 400 miles the Earthquakes and Galaxy continue to have one of the hottest rivalries in the league.

Known as The California Clasíco, the rivalry spans the entire 23-year history of Major League Soccer and has seen game 57 games between the regular season and the playoffs. Not only is this a geographical rivalry, but it is also marked by games that will never be forgotten. During the 2003 playoffs, San Jose scored 5 goals in a single match after being down 4-nil (on aggregate) to win the game and the series. It is one of the greatest games in MLS History and is the greatest comeback. The rivalry has exemplified the best of soccer in the United States, featuring some of the all-time greats from the U.S. such as Landon Donovan and Chris Wondolowski.

MLS soccer needs more rivalries like the California Clasíco. The league continues to expand year by year and MLS had the 3rd highest average attendance among the major sports leagues in the U.S. in 2018. Still, they struggle to gain the respect commanded by other sports. The lack of a lucrative and primetime television contract holds MLS from its true potential. But with the World Cup being hosted by the United States in 2026, it is likely that soccer will continue to grow as a priority in the American sports realm.

On June 29th, the Galaxy and Earthquakes went toe-to-toe once more at Stanford University in front of a sellout crowd of over 50,000 people. In 2017, Atlanta United set the MLS record for attendance with a crowd of nearly 75,000. With more expansion in the future for MLS, the league will continue to gain notoriety. But in order to thrive, MLS needs to invigorate rivalries between clubs that players and fans alike can invest in. Casual fans want to believe that soccer holds more weight than a 1-1 draw. They want to see exciting goals and enthralling storylines. MLS needs to take a long look at how they market themselves. An examination of the long history of the California Clasíco would be a great place to start.