Stanford football kickoff times announced

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By: Ana Kieu

The Pac-12 Conference television partners recently announced select kickoff times for four 2019 Stanford Cardinal football games. The Cardinal learned kickoff times and television designations for games against Northwestern, at USC, at UCF and against UCLA.

The Cardinal’s season opener at Stanford Stadium against Northwestern will kickoff at 1 pm PT on FOX. The Cardinal and Wildcats will meet for the eighth time, and the first time since 2015. Stanford has a 3-2-2 record against Northwestern. The two programs first met in 1933, playing to a 0-0 tie.

The Cardinal will travel to USC in Week 2 for a primetime showdown with the Trojans. That game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will kickoff at 7:30 pm PT on ESPN. Stanford and USC will play for the 99th time after the Cardinal posted a 17-3 win last season.

Stanford will travel to Orlando for a week three matchup with UCF. Kickoff against the Knights is set for 12:30 pm PT and will be televised on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. In the only meeting to date, the Cardinal defeated UCF 31-7 in 2015.

The final game time announced on Thursday was a Thursday night (October 17) showdown at Stanford Stadium between Stanford and UCLA. That game will kickoff at 6 pm PT on ESPN. The Cardinal and Bruins have met 90 times previously and Stanford has won 11 straight in the series.

The Northwestern game will serve as Cardinal Kids Day, the Bill Walsh Legacy Game and will be presented by Stanford Children’s Health. Kids in the eighth grade or younger get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket. More details will be announced at a later date, but you can always get the latest news by subscribing to the Cardinal’s emails at GoStanford.com/updates.

SJSU President Mary Papazian Appointed to NCAA Board of Directors

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By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University President Mary A. Papazian has been appointed to the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors.

Papazian’s term of service on the committee began at the close of the association’s May 2019 Board of Directors meeting and continues until the end of the August 2023 Board meeting.

“Representing San Jose State and the Mountain West on the NCAA Board of Directors is quite an honor,” said Papazian. “While the NCAA manages and governs intercollegiate sports for more than 1,100 colleges and universities, the heart of the association’s mission is providing opportunities for student-athletes to earn a college degree. That academic focus is one I gravitate toward and an area where I can contribute the most in this role.”

As an NCAA Board member, Papazian will be charged with helping to sustain and advance the Association’s mission, traditions, values and reputation. Board members regularly participate in committee meetings and conference calls and address a variety of issues. Last year, Papazian served as vice chair of the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum.

The 24-member Board of Directors committee consists of one university chancellor or president from each of the 10 FBS conferences; one Senior Woman Administrator from a FBS conference; seven representatives consisting of university presidents, an athletics director and a faculty athletics representative from FCS conferences; five university presidents from Division I institutions that do not sponsor football; and a student-athlete from a Division I institution.

“President Papazian’s role and service on the Mountain West Board of Directors will prepare her well in representing the league on the NCAA Board of Directors. The combination of responsibilities to both will enable her to transition in the Mountain West Board Chair position in 2020 and we look forward to her active participation,” said Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson.

“President Papazian has an incredible pulse on the daily life of a student-athlete.  She is keenly aware of the challenges, fortitude and exhilaration student-athletes experience as they navigate their daily lives.  She is a student-centered President, and will serve all students, regardless of their gender or sport,” said San Jose State University athletics director Marie Tuite.

Papazian joined San Jose State University as its 30th president on July 1, 2016. Recent milestones at SJSU include the opening of the new, $130 million Spartan Recreation and Aquatics Center; a series of Town Hall meetings hosted by SJSU’s Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change; and the launch of a new, 10-year strategic plan known as Transformation 2030. Next week, SJSU and its Division of Intercollegiate Athletics will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the future construction of a new Football Operations Center.

About San Jose State University
The founding campus of the 23-campus CSU system, SJSU provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study offered through its eight colleges.

With more than 35,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, SJSU continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce.

The university is proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60% of whom live and work in the Bay Area.

About San Jose State Athletics
San Jose State sponsors 22 (nine men’s and 13 women’s) NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 470 student-athletes annually. In football, the Spartans are a member of Division I’s FBS, the NCAA’s highest level of competition.

The Spartans’ primary conference affiliation is with the Mountain West. Selected teams belong to the MPSF, the WAC, and the GCC.

SJSU has 10 NCAA team championships and 52 NCAA individual titles. 62 Spartans competed in one or more Olympic Games. SJSU athletes have won seven gold, six silver and seven bronze medals at the Olympics.

Giants break skid with 3-1 win over Marlins

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The Giants snapped a seven-game losing streak Thursday afternoon, when they downed the Miami Marlins, 3-1, at Marlins Park.

In the process, they salvaged the finale of a three-game series.

Tyler Beede had a solid outing for the Giants, as he went six innings and surrendered only a run on five hits. He walked three and struck out four, but he did not factor in the decision. Instead, Reyes Moronta, who pitched a scoreless seventh during which he gave up only a walk, picked up his second win of the season.

In fact, as well as he pitched, Beede would have stood to take the loss, as he left the game trailing 1-0. However, Mike Yastrzemski, Hall of Famer Carl’s grandson, tied the game at 1-1 by bringing home Brandon Crawford with a single in the top of the seventh.

One inning later, Crawford himself drove in a pair of runs with a ground-rule double, as he drove home Buster Posey and Brandon Belt. On the down side, Crawford was the only Giant who had more than one hit on Thursday.

For the Marlins, starter Sandy Alcantara shut out the Giants for six innings, as he surrendered only a pair of hits as well as five walks. He, like Beede, ended up with a no-decision.

Like the Giants, Miami only had one player who had more than one hit, as Garrett Cooper had a pair of singles.

Raptors win Game 1 of the NBA Finals 118-109

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Toronto Raptors, playing for the first time in the NBA Finals, beat the Golden State Warriors 118-109 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night. The Raptors’ two players, Marc Gasol and Kawhi Leonard, who has been named Defensive Player of the Year, kept the Warriors at bay after taking the lead for good late in the first period.

The Warriors, still without Kevin Durant, put Jordan Bell in the starting lineup alongside Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry. The Warriors’ small lineup had trouble with the Raptors big men. Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam killed the Warriors with their offense. Siakam knocked down a career playoff-high of 32 points. The young man from Cameroon played well on both ends of the court. Gasol, acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in February, tallied 20 and he was a force on defense. The Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard, hobbled with a knee problem, scored 23 to help the Raptors to the win.

The Raptors led by four at the end of the first quarter. The Raptors extended the lead to 10 at the end of the first half. Curry was the only Warrior in double figures in the first half. The Raptors held the Warriors to just 36% from the floor. The Raptors, on the other hand, shot 50% from the floor.

The Raptors led the entire second half. The closest the Warriors came was when they closed to within three 90-87 in the fourth quarter. The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala appeared to hurt his leg late in the game. The Raptors won 118-109.

Game Notes: The Warriors had three players in double figures. Steph Curry finished with 34. He knocked down four threes. It was the sixth playoff game in a row that Curry had 30 or more points. Klay Thompson had 21 points, and Draymond Green had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. The Warriors bench helped but not enough. Kevon Looney had nine. Jonas Jerebko, Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, and Alfonzo McKinnie each had six.

DeMarcus Cousins played in his first game since tearing a quadriceps muscle in Game 2 against the LA Clippers on April 18th. He played just a few minutes and appeared to get tired quickly.

The Warriors play Game 2 Sunday night in Toronto. They will have to figure out a way to stop Siakam, Gasol, Leonard, Danny Green, and Fred VanVleet. If they should win, the Warriors will have three of the last five games at Oracle Arena.

Sunday’s game starts at 5 pm.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Giants Stuck With Heavy Contracts of Under-Producing Players

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The Opening Day Payroll of this 2019 MLB season for the San Francisco Giants was $138,030,231. The estimated CBT payroll is different at $155,030,231. CBT is commonly known as the Luxury Tax. The threshold for 2019 is $206 million. The Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees are over that figure.

The Giants’ larger salaries per year are those of Buster Posey ($22 million) plus Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Mark Melancon, Evan Longoria, and Madison Bumgarner. Some of the most recent Giants like Cueto and Longoria have multi-year deals for more than $100 million. Samardzija signed for $90 million and Melancon signed for $62 million. Cueto and Melancon have been hurt and Longoria, who was a franchise player for the Tampa Bay Rays, is not the same player after 10 years of great production. Longoria seems to be done.

In 2018, in his first season for the Giants, Longoria hit .244 with 16 home runs and 54 runs batted in. This season, Longoria has hit for a .220 average with six home runs and 19 runs batted in. Others like Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford are not starving, but are big disappointments. For example, Belt currently sports a .230 average with eight home runs and 20 runs batted in. Since he began his career with San Francisco in 2011, Belt has never hit more than 18 home runs and 82 runs batted in during a season at first base, which is supposed to be a power position. Crawford is currently hitting .209 with three home runs and 13 batted in.

I hear people talking about bringing the fences in at Oracle Park because the Giants do not hit well there, but everybody else that comes to play the Giants hit plenty of home runs. It is not the park for the Giants’ lack of hitting, it is the players. They won three World Series at the same park, which has been SBC, Pac Bell and AT&T. It’s now Oracle. Since the inauguration of this beautiful park, the dimensions have been the same, so instead of focusing on the fences, the Giants should focus on the team.

The Giants simply got old, and they are playing not the same type of baseball that everybody else is playing today — home runs, home runs, and more home runs. Since MLB got a new ball this year, which is much lighter (a good friend of mine in this business told me, “Amaury, the ball is on Steroids.” Yes, and everybody is hitting home runs, except for the Giants.

You do not need Statcast or any other of the new and fancy baseball analytics to tell you that the Giants have spent more that most teams in baseball and got little in return for their money. On July 31, we will likely see this team trade Madison Bumgarner and perhaps reliever Will Smith. Only God knows who else, but they need more than a tune-up, they need a new engine.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish voice of the Oakland Athletics. He was born in Cuba and has lived in the Bay Area since 1969. He has broadcasted for the A’s, Giants, Mariners, and Angels — a veteran of radio and television. He has been inducted to BARHOF (Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame) in 2010, Cuban Sports Hall of Fame (Miami), and The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame (San Francisco), and nominated multiple times for the MLB Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters.

Preview of the A’s series with the Astros this weekend

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click2houston.com file photo: Carlos Correa #1 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2017 in Houston, Texas.

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Houston Astros will be in town to play three games against the A’s this weekend. The Astros are in first place in the AL West. The Astros have a record of 37-20 and have a comfortable 7 1/2 game lead on the second-place Oakland A’s who are 29-27. The A’s and Astros have played five times this year, and the Astros lead the series 4-1.

The Astros, who won the 2017 World Series, are loaded. They have several All-Stars on the team, but they have been bitten by the injury bug. Jose Altuve, who was the 2017 MVP, is on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain. There are reports that he will be coming off the IL on Friday.

The strangest injury is to Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who said he fractured his rib while getting a massage at his home.

“I’m extremely disappointed about not being on the field with my teammates. I sustained the rib fracture during a massage at my home on Tuesday,” Correa said.

Correa added that getting the injury the way he did was strange and unusual.

“To sustain an injury in such an unusual way makes it even more frustrating. However, I will work hard to get back on the field as quickly as possible to help our team achieve our goal of winning another championship.”

Correa is expected to miss four to six weeks of action.

The shortstop, went on the IL yesterday with a broken rib. The injury occurred while he was getting a massage in his Houston home. He will be out for four to six weeks.

Centerfielder George Springer has a grade two left hamstring strain and will not play this weekend.

Aledmys Diaz, who was filling in for Altuve at second base, is also on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain.

Nevertheless, the Astros are still an excellent team. They have a solid rotation featuring Justin Verlander, a former Cy Young award winner and MVP, Gerrit Cole, Brad Peacock, and Wade Miley. Their bullpen is solid with Will Harris, Chris Devenski, and closer Roberto Osuna.

The Astros probably will move Alex Bregman from third to shortstop. Bregman is a power hitter and will be a candidate for MVP this year. First baseman Yuli Guriel will move from first to third. The Astros brought up Jack Mayfield to play second. Tyler White will fill-in at first.

The Astros signed Michael Brantley as a free agent. He is playing well in left field. Jake Marisnick will be in centerfield, and former A’s fan favorite, Josh Reddick will be on patrol in right field. Reddick is having a solid season for Houston and is one of the reasons the Astros are in first place.

The A’s will face Brad Peacock on Friday night. The former A’s pitcher found a home in Houston and has really improved. Peacock is 5-2 with a 3.19 ERA. He pitches well in night games as he has an ERA of just 1.38. Peacock is 3-0 since going to a full windup. Mike Fiers will go for the A’s. Fiers is 4-3 with a 5.00 ERA. Fiers is 1-2 with a 7.32 ERA in four career starts against Houston.

The A’s will have to be on the top of their game as they face Justin Verlander on Saturday and Gerrit Cole on Sunday. Lefty Brett Anderson (6-3, 3.86 ERA) has been consistent for Oakland this year and has gone six innings or more in four of his last five starts. Chris Bassitt (3-1, 3.27 ERA) starts on Sunday.

The A’s, who won 10 in a row before being beaten in the last two games by the LA Angels, would like to get back on the winning track against the Astros. It may be difficult, but the A’s have players that can do a lot of damage. Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, Stephen Piscotty, Mark Canha, and Josh Phegley all can send the ball flying out of the park. The A’s DH Khris Davis may return soon.

The A’s have played solid defense this season, and the offense can be formidable. The starting rotation has been better of late. The bullpen has had its ups and downs, but it is still one of the better ones in the American League.

The A’s would like to take two out three from the Astros. The club would love to have the stand packed to see two good teams have a go at it.

Marlins hold on, keep sad-sack Giants sinking

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By Jeremy Harness

Twenty-two years ago, the Giants and the then-Florida Marlins went toe-to-toe in the National League Division Series, a series that saw the Marlins move on and eventually win the World Series.

Fast forward to 2019, and now the two teams are battling it out as two of the worst teams in baseball.

The Marlins technically have the inferior record at 19-34, but based on how the two teams have played the past two days, that is hard to believe. Miami downed the 21-33 Giants by a score of 4-2 Wednesday night at Marlins Park, less than 24 hours after the Marlins bombed them, 11-2.

The Giants may have three World Series banners floating around Oracle Park, but they sure have been hanging a lot of L’s these days.

Wednesday was the seventh straight loss for the Giants, and despite winning three World Series in five years, they stand a chance of finishing the decade with a losing record. Depending on who you talk to, that fact is either very funny or tragic indeed.

After Miami took the early lead with a run in the third, Brandon Belt’s solo home run tied the game in the fourth. The Marlins then scored three unanswered runs over the next four innings, and the Giants could not recover.

Madison Bumgarner had a solid outing, going six innings and gave up only a pair of runs on six hits, walking one and striking out four. However, his record fell to 3-5, as he was the victim of the Giants’ miserable offense, which is statistically one of the worst in the majors.

To pour a little more salt into the wound, former Giants closer Sergio Romo, who had a big hand in the World Series run and put the finishing touches on the 2012 Fall Classic, nailed down the save for the Marlins, although he did surrender a run on two hits in the process.

Despite all of this, there is some good news, in that you don’t have to look very far to find a good baseball team, and the tickets are more than half the price. The A’s have recently gone on a 10-game winning streak and are heading toward the top of the American League standings.

To add to the good cheer, the Golden State Warriors are heading to their fifth consecutive NBA Finals, a series that starts Thursday night in Toronto against the Raptors.

Angels outlast the A’s to win a wild one 12-7

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By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Los Angeles Angels won the rubber match of the three-game series 12-7. The A’s never led in the game. They fought back from a 5-1 deficit to score two in the seventh and two in the eighth to tie the game. The Angels scored two in the ninth and Oakland came right back with two to knot it again and send the game into extra innings. The roof fell in in the eleventh when things went south for Oakland. The Angels’ first two runs in the inning came without the benefit of a hit. The Halos did have two hits in the eleventh, and that put three more on the board.

The A’s started Liam Hendriks as the “opener.” He struggled through his first and only inning of work on Wednesday. Hendriks threw over 30 pitches Tuesday night in two innings of action against the Angels. He retired the first hitter he faced. He gave up a single to Tommy LaStella and walked Shohei Ohtani and Jonathan Lucroy to load the bases. Hendriks retire Kole Calhoun for the second out. The Angels’ left-fielder, Cesar Puello, who was recalled from Salt Lake City before last night’s game, singled to right to put two on the board for LA. The Angels lead 2-0 midway through the first inning.

In the bottom of the third, with two out, A’s shortstop Marcus Semien blasted his seventh home run of the year into the seats in left field. The A’s trail 2-1 after three.

Daniel Mengden was sailing along nicely until the top of the fifth. With two out, Mengden issued a free pass to Kole Calhoun. Cesar Puello, who drove in the Angels first two runs, reached on an infield single. Brian Goodwin, playing center field in place of Mike Trout, singled to right-center-field to drive in Calhoun with the Angels third run. Mengden struck out Luis Rengifo to end the inning.

In the top of the seventh, the Angels’ Cesar Puello, who, in his first game against the A’s, has been the hitting star. With a man on first and no out, Puello slammed his first home run of the year into the left-field seats to give the Angels a 5-1 advantage. The A’s rallied to plate two runs in their half of the seventh. Justin Anderson was now pitching for Los Angeles. The first hitter he faced, Matt Olson, walked. Stephen Piscotty followed with a double to send Olson to third. Anderson plunked Mark Canha with a pitch to load the bases with no out. The next two hitters, Jurickson Profar and Ramon Laureano, each hit into a fielder’s choice and that enabled Olson and Piscotty to cross the plate. The A’s trail 5-3 after seven.

The A’s tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. Marcus Semien led off the inning with a single. The Angels’ reliever Luis Garcia retired Robbie Grossman and Matt Chapman. A’s first baseman Matt Olson, who had struck out twice and walked in his first three plate appearances, took Garcia deep with his seventh bomb of the year. The game is tied 5-5 after eight.

The Angels broke the tie in the top of the ninth. A’s closer Blake Treinen hit Kole Calhoun with a pitch. He struck out Puello for the first out. The second out was recorded on a strange play. Brian Goodwin hit a slow roller to third baseman Matt Chapman. Chapman’s throw to second was grabbed by Marcus Semien. Calhoun was safe, but he strayed off the base and was tagged out by Semien. Treinen was not able to retire Luis Rengifo for the final out. The light-hitting (.206) shortstop doubled to drive in Goodwin. Jared Walsh singled to drive in Rengifo with the Angels’ seventh run of the game. The A’s were down to their last three outs. Mark Canha led off the bottom of the ninth with his ninth of the year to make it a 7-6 game. Jurickson Profar doubled, and Ramon Laureano singled to put men on at first and third with no out. Josh Phegley, who pinch-hit for Nick Hundley in the seventh, drove it Profar with a sacrifice fly to left that tied the game at seven.

The Angels put five on the board in the top of the eleventh. Murphy’s Law was in effect as whatever could go wrong for A’s pitcher, Lou Trivino. Trivino hit a batter, walked three, one intentionally, threw a wild pitch, saw his catcher have a passed ball and have two runs score without the benefit of a hit. The Angels did have two hits later in the inning. Tommy LaStella’s single drove in the third run of the inning for the Angels. Jonathan Lucroy also singled to drive in two more to torture his former teammates. The A’s could do nothing in the bottom of the eleventh, and they lose to the Angels 12-7.

Game Notes-The time of game was four hours and thirty-six minutes. 21, 185 fans were on hand to witness a very wild and woolly affair.

The Angels improved to 26-29 while Oakland fell to 29-27. The A’s used, eight pitchers. Lou Trivino was the losing pitcher.  The Angels used six, and their reliever, Noe Ramirez, was the winning pitcher.

Ramon Laureano extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Stephen Piscotty reached safely in a career-high 25 consecutive games.

Former A’s catcher Jonathan Lucroy recorded his 1100th career hit with a single in the tenth inning.

The Angels did not play Mike Trout Wednesday is his out with a sore foot. The Angels also gave Albert Pujols the day off, too.

 

The line score for the Angels was 12 runs, 16 hits, and no errors. The A’s line was 7 runs, 12 hits, and two significant errors.

The A’s are off Thursday and will face the AL West Division leaders, the Houston Astros, at the Coliseum for three games starting Friday night. Mike Fiers (4-3, 5.00 ERA) will pitch for Oakland and Houston will counter with former Athletic Brad Peacock (5-2, 3.19 ERA) Game time is at 7:07 pm.

 

 

 

 

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Giants look to end skid tonight in Miami; A’s jets are cooled drop second straight game after long win streak

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Photo credit: @sfgiants_fanly

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 The San Francisco Giants have now lost six straight games. The latest loss was on Tuesday night in Miami where they were crushed by the hosts, the Miami Marlins, 11-3. The Marlins did most of their damage with four runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth.

#2 The Oakland A’s gave it their all, but couldn’t get their 11th straight win as the LA Angles scored twice in the top of the ninth to get a two-run lead over the A’s at the Oakland Coliseum in a 6-4 Angels win. The A’s took another loss for the second straight loss to the Angels on Wednesday afternoon 12-7 in extra innings.

#3 The San Jose Earthquakes are 5-2-6. They have won three out of their last four games and are on the road to face the DC United. The Quakes have a confidence about them that you didn’t see before.

#4 The NBA Finals are coming on Thursday night. The Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors will battle in Toronto in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

#5 The Boston Bruins and St Louis Blues played some old fashion physical hockey in Game 1 on Monday night at TD Waterhouse Garden. The Blues were up by two goals until the Bruins’ Sean Kuraly scored a third period goal to snap a tie and assisted on another goal to help the B’s get a 4-2 win. The Blues and B’s battle again tonight in Boston for Game 2.

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

Will the A’s go on a new 10-game winning streak?

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By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND — The A’s were red-hot and recorded a 10-game winning streak after an 8-5 win over the Angels on Monday. The A’s achieved 10 straight wins for the first time since 2006. Then, the A’s winning streak snapped following the Angels’ 6-4 win on Tuesday. But it wasn’t a genuine Angels win as most, if not all, folks said the umpires cost the A’s. That was one of the worst ways to lose a game.

The A’s are currently in second place in the AL West, trailing the first place Astros by 7 1/2 games. The A’s should be just fine, so let’s get to the umpires. In case you missed it, Joakim Soria thought he was out of the inning. The A’s relief pitcher delivered what appeared to be strike three to Angels DH Shohei Ohtani. However, Josh Phegley was unable to hold onto Soria’s curveball, which caused home plate umpire James Hoye to flinch like he was going to ring up Ohtani. Instead, Hoye called it ball two. Two pitches later, Ohtani singled home two go-ahead runs and the Angels won 6-4 to snap the A’s winning streak.

Soria wasn’t happy with Hoye and argued balls and strikes with Hoye. Apparently, Hoye had enough of the shenanigans and threw Soria out of the game.

“There’s a human factor in the game and that’s the beauty of the game. I understand he’s human,” Soria told the Associated Press. “He thought it was a ball, he called it. The only problem is because of the mistake I gave up two runs and we lost the game. … In that specific situation you cannot miss. I understand he’s human. He’s there for a reason, too.”

But the pitch remains in question and there’s not much you or I could do about it unless if the MLB confesses their wrongdoing and apologizes for their mistake in the game.

Anyways, I believe the A’s can go on a new 10-game winning streak. The A’s put themselves in a good spot with their recent surge and the bottom of their lineup has impressed and perhaps shocked the downers as Jurickson Profar, Ramon Laureano and Josh Phegley have heated things up during the red-hot streak. Phegley made a solid case to be considered as an All-Star. Phegley’s seven homers and 32 RBI could support his cause.

The A’s can punch their tickets to the postseason like they did last year, but can they survive the playoffs? That’s the question and we’ll see what happens down the stretch.

Meanwhile, A’s DH Khris Davis has been progressing and taking some swings, but it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to play against the Astros this weekend at the Coliseum. If he continues to progress, then he might get off the IL and head out onto the field.