San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: A lot of good things are happening to the Quakes

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On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. Nick Lima was in the USMNT’s lineup in Sunday’s match against Venezuela.

2. Chris Wondolowski was named MLS Player of the Month.

3. The Quakes began their US Open Cup run Tuesday night at Avaya Stadium against Sacramento Republic FC.

4. The Quakes will face Spanish La Liga side Real Valladolid at Avaya Stadium on Tuesday, July 16.

5. The Quakes’ next home match will be on Wednesday, June 26 against the Houston Dynamo.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcast each week for SportsRadioService.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants getting key pitching in recent wins

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On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 Shaun Anderson looks like a keeper he pitched an effective game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night, going six innings, four hits, two runs, six strikeouts and three walks.

#2 Giants closer Will Smith brought his A game with the bags juiced in the top of the ninth. He got his 16th save in 16 tries.

#3 The Padres had a short time lead in the top of the fifth 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth when the Giants scored twice and Padres manager Andy Green said that they had a shot at winning the game, but just didn’t have enough to get over the hump.

#4 When the Padres acquired star third baseman Manny Machado, the Padres thought they had their road paved to postseason, but now the Padres are two below .500 and in fifth place just a place above the Giants.

#5 Friday the 14th, the Milwaukee Brewers and Giants open a three-game series with the Brewers sending out starter Zach Davies (7-0 ERA 2.41) against Giants starter Drew Pomeranz (1-6, 7.16 ERA).

Michael Duca does the Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raptors take down the Warriors 114-110 to win their first NBA Championship

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors lost a thriller to the Toronto Raptors 114-110 in Game 6 at Oracle Arena Thursday night.

The Warriors, trying to overcome adversity with the loss of Kevin Durant in Game 5, and Klay Thompson late in the third quarter of Game 6, gave it their all, but it was not quite enough.

The Warriors showed no quit. They played with the hearts of the champions that they are. They played with courage. They did not have a full roster throughout the Finals. They lost DeMarcus Cousins in the first round against the Clippers. Cousins found his way back and played in five of the six games in the Finals. They lost Kevin Durant in Game 5 of the second round series with the Houston Rockets. They shocked the NBA by beating the Rockets in Game 6. They lost Klay Thompson in Game 2 with a strained hamstring. He missed his first game ever in the playoff. Thompson was injured late in the third quarter after he was fouled. Thompson made the two free throws and then went to the locker room. He did not return to the game. Kevon Looney suffered a shoulder injury, and he, too, missed a game. Looney should everyone what he is made of. He came back to play and played well. He had to leave Game 5 as he experienced severe pain in the injured area. He was on the floor on Thursday night.

The Raptors won a very hard-fought series. They are the champions of the NBA for the first time in their history. The Raptors, coached by first-year head coach Nick Nurse, won the Larry O’Brien Trophy 4-2. The Raptors trade with the San Antonio Spurs brought them two key players, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, who arrived to Toronto in exchange for DeMar DeRozan. How good was Leonard? Leonard, who was Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, showed that he was an excellent offensive player as well. Leonard was awarded the Bill Russell Trophy for being the Finals MVP.

The Warriors had to figure out a way to stop the Raptors’ big men. The Warriors had trouble all series with Pascal Siakam, Serge, Ibaka, and Marc Gasol. The Raptors’ Fred VanVleet, coming off the bench, showed that he was an excellent sixth man, and he was called upon to guard Steph Curry. The Raptors’ plan for Thursday night’s game was to double team Curry every time he handled the ball. Klay Thompson had the hot hand in the first half as he put 18 on the board.

The first 24 minutes of the game was extremely competitive. The Raptors’ Kyle Lowry was hot at the start of the game. Lowry knocked down 15 in the quarter. The Raptors led 19-12 about midway through the first quarter. The Warriors knew what was at stake and met the challenge. They trailed by one 33-32 at the end of the first period. The second period was nip and tuck all the way to the end of the half. There were 14 lead changes in the first half. Toronto led 60-57 at the intermission.

It was more of the same in the third quarter. The lead changed hands several times. The Warriors were leading 83-80 when Klay Thompson was fouled going in for a layup. Thompson hit the floor, grasping his left leg as he was in a lot of pain. He headed to the locker room. Someone reminded the Warriors that if he could not make the free throws, he could not return to the game. Thompson returned and sank the two free throw to give the Warriors the lead 85-80. After making the two free throw, Thompson went to the locker room. He did not return and was seen leaving the arena on crutches. The third quarter ended with the Warriors nursing a two-point lead 88-86.

In the fourth quarter, with Klay Thompson out of the game and Steph Curry on the bench, Toronto regained the lead 94-93. Curry came back in with about nine minutes left to play. Curry hit a three to put the Warriors ahead 99-96. The teams tied at 99 and at 101. Toronto went on a 7-1 run to lead 108-102. Draymond Green made a three and DeMarcus Cousins put in a layup to close to 109-108 Each team scored two to make it 110-108 with 18.5 seconds left to play. The Warriors trailed by just one 111-110 with 18.5 seconds left. The Warriors’ defense stiffened, and the Raptors turned the ball over with 9.5 seconds left. The Raptors’ defense smothered the Warriors, and Green called for a timeout. The problem was that the Warriors were out of timeouts and they were charged with a technical foul and loss of possession. The Raptors made the free throw. With 0.9 seconds on the clock, the Raptors inbounded the ball. Kawhi Leonard was fouled and made both free throws. The Raptors won 114-110 and dethroned the Warriors as NBA champions.

Game Notes: For those that care, here are the stats–Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 30, Curry had 21, Andre Iguodala 22, Cousins, 12. Draymond Green had a triple-double with 11 points, 19 rebounds, and 13 assists.

The Raptors were led by Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, who both tallied 26. Kawhi Leonard and Fred VanVleet had 22. Van Vleet knocked down 12 points in the fourth quarter. Serge Ibaka had 15.

The Warriors played their final game at Oracle Arena. Oracle has been their home for 47 years. They will be playing at the Chase Center in San Francisco when the 2019-20 season starts in October.

The Warriors will have to make decisions regarding several players. Will they bring back DeMarcus Cousins and Kevon Looney? Will they give Klay Thompson a max contract? Kevin Durant will not play next season due to his Achilles tendon injury. Durant can opt to stay a Warrior next year even if he doesn’t play. Other teams in the NBA might be willing to offer him a four-year max contract knowing that he won’t play next season. Will Shaun Livingston retire? How will they improve the bench? Who will they get in the draft? Lots of decisions and just about three months before the players come back to start practice in late September or early October.

I know the players feel they swallowed a bitter pill. They will need to take a couple days off to erase the bitterness. They know they have the best fans in the NBA that will support them as they resume their quest for another championship next year.

Giants hope to extend streak this weekend

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By Jeremy Harness

The Giants are riding a rare wave of momentum as they head into a key weekend series against a top-flight opponent.

After dispatching of the San Diego Padres in a two-game sweep at Oracle Park, the Giants will face the Milwaukee Brewers, who made it all the way to the National League Championship Series a year ago.

The Brewers are at the top of the NL Central with a 39-29 mark and have a reigning league MVP in Christian Yelich, and he appears to be on track to win the award again.

Yelich is on a torrid pace once again this season, as he currently has 25 home runs and has driven in 54 runs, to go along with a gaudy .345 batting average. Mike Moustakas isn’t too far behind Yelich in the stats category, as he has 21 homers as well as 45 RBI.

Milwaukee will send a hot hand to the mound Friday night, as Zach Davies (7-0, 2.41 ERA) will take the ball against Giants lefty Drew Pomeranz (1-6, 7.16 ERA), who is not so hot.

On Saturday, Madison Bumgarner (3-6, 3.83 ERA), who suffered a hard-luck 1-0 loss to the Dodgers Sunday afternoon and did not fish the ball out of McCovey Cove like Max Muncy instructed him to after he took hilarious exception to Muncy’s low-key celebration of the solo homer he hit off Bumgarner, will take the ball against Milwaukee’s Jimmy Nelson (0-1, 12.00 ERA).

Jeff Samardzija (3-5, 3.72 ERA) will be on the mound for Sunday’s series finale against Brewers righty Chase Anderson (3-1, 3.80 ERA).

A’s start a 10-game homestand against the Mariners on Friday night

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By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s finished a three-city, 10-game road trip on Wednesday in Tampa Bay. The A’s had a successful trip as they went 6-4 on the trip. They are off today, and resume play Friday night against the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are in last place in the AL West. They got off to a good start, but things have gone south for them since mid-April. Scott Servais manages the M’s, and people in the Pacific Northwest are sensing that Servais may not be leading the club shortly. There are rumors that he will be replaced, but these are just rumors.

The M’s won the first four games between the two teams. The A’s swept the three-game series when the M’s were in Oakland in late May. The M’s will have lefty Marco Gonzales pitch Friday night. Gonzales beat the A’s on March 20th in Oakland. He is 6-6 and has a 4.75 ERA. Chris Bassitt will pitch for Oakland. Bassitt is 3-2 and has a 3.57 ERA. Friday night’s game will start at 6:37 pm and the A’s will have the first fireworks show of the season after the game.

The A’s will send their ace, Frankie Montas, to the mound on Saturday. Montas (8-2, 2.84 ERA) hasn’t lost a decision since April 29th vs. the Red Sox. Since then, he is 4-0 with a 2.74 ERA. The M’s plan to use an opener to pitch the first inning. They will bring in Wade LeBlanc from the bullpen to pitch in the second. LeBlanc has gone 14 innings and is 1-0 and has a 1.93 ERA in the last two outings coming out of the pen. Sunday’s game will feature the M’s Mike Leake going against Mike Fiers. Leake is 5-6 and has a 4.26 ERA. Leake is 1-2 in seven starts against the A’s the past two seasons. Fiers is 6-3, and he won his last start 4-3 against the Tampa Bay Rays last Tuesday.

The M’s lineup will not be the same the last time they were in Oakland. They have several key players on the Injured List. Shortstop J.P.Crawford is out with an arm injury. Outfielder Mitch Haniger, who absolutely loves to kill the A’s, suffered a ruptured testicle injury and will not be available. Third baseman Ryon Healy, the former Athletic, may be available. Finally, the king Felix Hernandez, who made his living beating the A’s, will also not be available.

The M’s still have players that can do damage. The A’s pitchers will have to find ways to slow down hitters such as Edwin Encarnacion, Dee Gordon, Tim Beckham, Kyle Seager, Daniel Vogelbach, Domingo Santana, Mallex Smith, and Mac Williamson.

The A’s lineup is potent. They have players up and down the lineup that can hit the ball out of the park. Their defense is solid. Third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson are Gold Glove candidates. Both players can hit the ball out of the park, too. Marcus Semien has been solid all year. Semien, who had trouble fielding his first two seasons with the A’s, worked hard to improve, and the results are showing. Jurickson Profar is playing better. His fielding has improved, and his batting average is on the rise. Both Semien and Profar have some pop in their bats. Catcher Josh Phegley, playing every day for the first time in his career, has given the A’s some offense from the catcher’s spot in the lineup. Outfielders Ramon Laureano, Stephen Piscotty, and Robbie Grossman are not easy outs. DH Khris Davis is one of the most feared sluggers in baseball.

The A’s enter the game with a record of 35-34. Seattle is 29-42. The M’s are playing the Twins in Minnesota on Thursday. The Twins are leading 10-1 late in the game. It appears the Mariners will drop to 29-43 and will be 7 1/2 games behind the A’s.

The A’s would like to add to the M’s woes this weekend. The weather has cooled down a bit and, hopefully, the fans will come out to see the A’s play. Fireworks on Friday night, and on Sunday, the A’s will be giving away a Khris Davis bat courtesy of Ashy Lumber. It will also be Youth Baseball and Softball day and Prostate Cancer Awareness Day. Sunday is Father’s Day, and taking a baseball day with the family is a great way to celebrate.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Blues-Bruins involved in hard-fought finals; Warriors cry for Durant; plus more

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On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 The St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins played a long hard fought NHL Finals that went seven games in a back-and-forth series.

#2 How much of the injuries to the Golden State Warriors Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant played in their struggle to win games in the finals?

#3 Talk about Warriors team president Bob Meyers, who cried after game five when Durant went down with the Achilles injury. Meyers taking much of the responsibility for the decision on putting Durant back in now lost for at least a year.

#4 The New England Patriots are filing tampering charges against the Houston Texans for trying to talk to the Patriots Director of Player personnel Nick Caserio. The Texans general manager Brian Gaine attended a post Super Bowl ring celebration at Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s house as did Caserio. Some conversation or interest of Caserio took place and hence the tampering suit.

#5 When you have mob names like the Surgeon (Louis Alfredo Rivas Clase) and a woman named the Venezuelan or Red, these are just two of the names that help coordinate the shooting of former Red Sox star David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic. It was also reported that two other men were involved and a total of six people were involved in the planning of the shooting of Ortiz.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s close out road trip, taking 2 out of 3 from Rays; Oakland City Council questioning new A’s ballpark

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photo from newsday.com: Oakland Athletics’ Ramon Laureano connects for a grand slam off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Colin Poche during the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

On the A’s on podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The Oakland A’s Ramon Laureano’s grand slam was certainly a huge part of the A’s 6-2 win on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

#2 The A’s had a decent road trip, finishing two games over .500 at 6-4, a nine-game swing that took them to Anaheim, Arlington, and Tampa Bay.

#3 The A’s Matt Olson is swinging the bats he clouted his 11th home run of the season with a home run off Rays pitcher Yonny Chirinos.

#4 Tampa has a potent line up being first in their division and very difficult to get a win at Tropicana Field and the Rays being tied with the New York Yankees in the American League East for first place the A’s came away from Tampa with two wins out of the three game series.

#5 The A’s still have a lot of work in front of them as they open up a ten game homestand starting Friday night against the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners will start Marco Gonzalez (6-6, 4.77 ERA) and for Oakland Chris Bassitt (3-2, 3.57 ERA).

#6 With the Oakland City Council not ready to vote on moving forward with approving the plans at Howard Terminal for the A’s new ball park.

#7 Oakland City Councilman Dan Kalb didn’t beat around the bush he made it clear that Council members want a full understanding about how finances for infrastructure and one of their biggest issues is on public transportation while the gondola from 12th Street BART to Jack London Square is a start Kalb is asking the A’s for a more comprehensive plan for public transit for the public to get to and from the ball park.

#8 In answer to the Council’s concerns on these issues, Oakland A’s media relations manager Catherine Aker said the team is working on an infrastructure plan. The A’s are expected to ask the city for $200 million for infrastructure plans.

#9 This was the same amount the Oakland Raiders asked for in order to build a new stadium, but the Raiders never got a deal with the city. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said public tax dollars will not be used for the project but a special tax around the new ball park a district tax will help pay for the infrastructure plans, including taxes coming from the 3,000 housing units and a 400-room hotel.

Listen for Jerry’s podcasts each Thursday on Oakland A’s baseball at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: David Ortiz Shot for $8K Bounty

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz was shot Sunday in Santo Domingo for an $8,000 bounty according to the latest police reports from his hometown of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. While $8,000 would only pay for a couple of months rent in a San Francisco apartment, in the D.R.–a poor Caribbean country of 12 million people, $8,000 is a lot of money. As a matter of fact, that is the equivalent of $400,000 Dominican pesos.

Ortiz was shot at a bar as part of a plot that also included two cars, a motorcycle and at least a half-dozen men, Dominican police revealed Wednesday. That was the motive behind the attempted murder of Big Papi, a national heroe in the baseball rich island. During the ambush, Ortiz and two others were wounded. Dominican police investigators believe the conspirators met hours before the ambush, hoping to collect the $8,000 bounty. Ortiz was shot inside the Dial Lounge and Bar. Witnesses captured one man, a shooter of Ortiz, beat him and waited until the police arrived. The police instantly put him in jail.

Two other suspects were arrested. According to the D.R. police, this attack involved several people who arrived in two cars and a motorcycle, per Ney Aldrin Bautista, Director de la Policia Nacional (Translation: Director of the National Police). At this time, the Dominican police has not revealed who paid the bounty for the murder of Ortiz. The investigation continues. As of today, the Dominican Police now have six people in custody who revealed that somebody hired 10 people to kill Ortiz.

After a successful second surgery, Ortiz is resting comfortably in a Boston, Massachusetts hospital. Of all the countries outside the United States, the D.R. remains as “Numero Uno” as far as major league talent today.

Anderson, Pillar lead Giants to 4-2 win over the Padres

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — In a close game, the Giants aren’t so bad.

Keeping it close was good enough to squeeze past the Padres, 4-2 on Wednesday night, and capture the two-game set at Oracle Park. A quality start from Shaun Anderson, timely hitting and Will Smith closing the door were the highlights of the evening.  Now the Giants need to work on that formula increasing in frequency.

In 2019, the Giants have enjoyed one and two-run ballgames, winning 19 of 33. It’s the other 33 ballgames decided by three runs or more that have doomed them, winning just nine of 33. If you’re the Giants, you’re more likely to get blown out than blow someone out, and therein lies the problem for the last-place club.

That and winning home games (the Giants are 13-20 at home)… just not an issue on Wednesday. The Giants made the key plays, offensively and defensively, and the Padres, losers of 11 of 16, threw the ball away, and couldn’t manage a key hit.

Anderson led the transformation by pitching six, solid innings and picking up the win. His key frame was the first, when he coaxed a double play ball off the bat of Franmil Reyes to end the inning and keep the game scoreless when the Padres threatened to get the jump off a bases loaded, one out situation.

“Huge pitch. That’s the ballgame,” said manager Bruce Bochy with the benefit of hindsight. “Big turning point in the  game. What a job (Anderson) did, throwing six, solid innings.”

Kevin Pillar got the Giants on the board in the second on a solo shot, then trailing 2-1 in the fifth, the Padres gave the struggling Giants’ offense a boost, courtesy of a pair of miscues. Throwing errors by rookies Josh Naylor and Fernando Tatis contributed to the Giants taking the lead.

Winning close games demands a closer, and Will Smith handled that, converting for the 16th time in 16 chances. Smith escaped a bases loaded situation by getting Manuel Margot to pop out to end it.

“We put ourselves in a position to win,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “It just wasn’t enough to get over the hump.”

The Padres and Giants opened the season in San Diego with the home team winning three of four, while showing off their big, off-season acquisition, Manny Machado. That advantageous start had the Padres dreaming of the postseason. But Wednesday’s loss dropped them two games below .500 for the first time all season.

The Giants’ modest win streak marks the first time since early April they’ve captured consecutive, home games.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: World Cup–US Women no match for Thailand in 13-0 blowout; Kings to host Summer League at Golden 1; plus more

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Photo credit: @BostonGlobe

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 In the World Cup, US Women downed Thailand 13-0, Alex Morgan scored five goals and there was no mercy rule as the US Women kept pouring it on in Reims, France. The US took it to Thailand right from the kickoff.

#2 The win by the US topped the old record when Germany took it to Argentina in an 11-0 win in the 2007 World Cup.

#3 The Sacramento Kings will be hosting a California Classic Summer League at Golden 1 Center from July 1st through 3rd. Fans will get to take a look at the following teams: the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.

#4 With the Summer League coming up, where does Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton stand? He has been accused of sexual assault. His accuser is also holding the Warriors and Lakers legally responsible for the attacks. Is the Luke Walton case going to be a distraction or can Luke guide the Kings and get past it?

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes won a friendly 4-3 over Sacramento Republic FC on Tuesday night at Avaya Stadium. Earthquakes star Chris Wondolowski said that the team is in a zone a winning mental state right now, and even though it was like a preseason game, the Quakes are pushing to win and won’t take any prisoners right now.

#6 Former San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence hit another one off the fence for the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night against the Red Sox. Pence chalked up his 14th home run for an inside-the-park home run against the Boston Red Sox. Pence has been in the zone this season. He’s also got the Rangers clubhouse pretty loose right now.

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com