A’s continue to roll, win their fifth in a row

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s beat the Indians at Progressive Field Tuesday night by a score of 5-3. With the win, the A’s improved their record to 24-25 and are just one game below the .500 mark.

Chris Bassitt started for Oakland. He had control issues as he walked six hitters in just 3 2/3 innings of work. Trevor Bauer went for Cleveland and he, too, had problems with control. He walked six in six innings of work. He allowed four hits and four runs.

The Indians drew first blood in the bottom of the first. The Indians’ All-Star shortstop, Francisco Lindor, led off with a solo home run to right center field. The A’s tied the score in the top of the second. With one out, Bauer walked Stephen Piscotty. Bauer then hit Jurickson Profar with a pitch to put men on at first and second. Bauer retired Robbie Grossman for the second out. Bauer then walked Ramon Laureano to load the bases. Bauer’s control issues continued as he walked Josh Phegley. Piscotty scored, and the A’s tied the game without the benefit of a hit.

The A’s scored two in the top of the third. With one out, Matt Olson singled to right field. Mark Canha, pinch-hitting for A’s DH Khris Davis, hit an opposite-field home run to put the A’s up 3-1. Davis, who was injured catching a ball in foul territory when the A’s were in Pittsburgh, started the game but was still feeling the effects of the injury. It was Canha’a third career pinch-hit homer.

The Indians got a run back in their half of the third. With one out, Carlos Santana hit his eighth of the year. The A’s still led 3-2.

The A’s increased their advantage to 4-2 in the fourth on the strength of back to back doubles by Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman. The Indians scored a run in the bottom of the inning.  With one out, Bassitt walked Leonys Martin. Left-fielder Oscar Mercado doubled to left-center to drive in Martin with the Indians’ third run. Bassitt walked the next hitter, and that brought out A’s manager Bob Melvin. Melvin removed Bassitt from the game and replaced him with Liam Hendriks. Hendriks got the last out of the inning.

The A’s bullpen held the innings scoreless and allowed just one hit the rest of the way. The A’s added an insurance run in the eighth when Profar slammed his seventh of the year to put Oakland up 5-3.

Game Notes: Stephen Piscotty reached base for the 21st game in a row. The A’s Liam Hendriks pitched two innings and allowed one hit.  Hendriks was credited with the win, and he is now 2-0 for the year. Ryan Buchter, Joakim Soria, and Blake Treinen all pitched for the A’s. Treinen earned his ninth save of the season.

The Indians’ Trevor Bauer saw his record drop to 4-3. He went six innings and allowed four hits, four runs, and six walks.

Up Next: The A’s meet the Indians in the finale of the three-game set Wednesday. Frankie Montas (5-2, 2.67 ERA) goes for the A’s. Montas went 8 2/3 innings in his last outing against the Detroit Tigers. Montas struck out 10 in that game. He will be opposed by Jefry Rodriguez (1-3, 3.45 ERA). Game time will be at 10 am.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Tarasenko takes Blues to Stanley Cup Final, beat Sharks 5-1

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AP Photo/Tom Gannam

By Pearl Allison Lo

St. Louis had to wait 49 years as Vladimir Tarasenko struck the game-winner, and the Blues put another dominant win together (5-1) at Enterprise Center to continue the San Jose Sharks’ wait for the ultimate trophy Tuesday.

Tarasenko’s goal capped his most successful round of the playoffs and St. Louis had their second multiple goal win in a row, winning the series 4-2.   

After suffering their second 5-0 loss of the playoffs, the Sharks did not get to rebound with a win and lost a chance at a third Game 7 after reaching the Conference Final for the first time since their Stanley Cup Final run in 2016.

The injuries that created absences in Game 5 for Joe Pavelski, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl loomed as they were unable to appear in Game 6 too.

Like last game, if goals scored off special teams were not counted, the game would have been a lot closer, but the offense was just as absent.

Goalie Jordan Binnington made 25 saves off 26 shots. Teammate Ryan O’Reilly assisted with both goals in the first and had three assists overall.

San Jose’s Evander Kane led all with five shots on goal and had two close chances in the second and third.  

Saint Louis scored their sixth straight goal at just 1:32 into the contest, since the Sharks last scored in Game 4. David Perron had his sixth point of the series. The goal was originally credited to Sammy Blais. The Blues ot a 2-on-1 where Brent Burns stopped an initial shot by O’Reilly. Burns was not able to stop the pass though when the puck came back to O’Reilly. The pass went to Blais in the dot of the left faceoff circle and Perron was able to redirect the puck past Jones.

In between first period goals, a lower body injury occurred to an unusual man on the ice, referee Wes McCauley. He was replaced by referee Gord Dwyer.

Seven seconds into the first penalty of the game, Saint Louis doubled their lead. O’Reilly won the draw, passed to Tarasenko who did a back-and-forth with Colton Parayko and Tarasenko fired the puck over goalie Martin Jones’ shoulder from inside the right faceoff circle. It was Tarasenko’s eighth straight point and second straight goal.

San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic led with three shots on goal in the first period.

The next goal came at 6:40 of the second. Because of injuries, the Sharks’ Dylan Gambrell was in the game for the first time since April 26. He took advantage, splitting the Blues’ lead with his first NHL point and goal. It also stopped San Jose’s scoreless streak from hitting 100 minutes. Jones got the second assist as he blocked Patrick Maroon’s shot on the other end and sent the puck to Joonas Donskoi. Donskoi then made a long pass to Gambrell within the far blue line, who scored far side versus Binnington.

It was looking up until San Jose had their second penalty at 10:57 and Saint Louis scored their second power play goal 10 seconds before their advantage ran out. Logan Couture whiffed on a chance before the penalty.

It was Brayden Schenn’s second straight point and first goal since April 18, which came during the opening round of the playoffs against the Winnipeg Jets. Robert Thomas kept the puck from going out, and eventually also got the puck to Alex Pietrangelo, who shot from the point. The puck hit Jones’ right pad and Schenn was able to scoot the puck in right before Joakim Ryan got his stick there.

It was Pietrangelo’s 11th assist of the playoffs and 

The Sharks outshot the Blues 10-3 in the final frame.

San Jose got their advantage early in the third period when Maroon was whistled at 1:36. The Sharks kept in a clearing attempt and the power play was characterized by Kevin Labanc hitting the crossbar in between the net getting knocked off its moorings twice.  

Tyler Bozak made it 4-1 and the puck might have gone off San Jose’s Gus Nyquist at 13:05 and Ivan Barbashev provided the final tally on an empty net at 17:45.

For a team now looking towards next year once again, longtime player

NBA Finals podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors look like they could go all the way; Toronto or Milwaukee on deck

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On the NBA Finals podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 From all the looks of it, the Golden State Warriors look like they can go all the way at this point. Talk about their possible opponents for the next round in Toronto or Milwaukee.

#2 The Warriors did it without Kevin Durant. What does that show as either the Raptors or Bucks are going into the NBA Finals?

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Youth Is Served: Acuna and Soroka lead the way in Braves’ 4-1 win over the Giants

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — Gotta start somewhere, right?

Ok, the first inning: the Giants have failed to start ballgames with any force, now a season-long theme. And the Braves’ Ronald Acuna is fast becoming a leadoff hitting, first inning sensation.

Both trends were at work on Monday with the Braves powering past the Giants 4-1 at Oracle Park in the opener of a four-game series.

Acuna greeted Andrew Suarez in his season debut with a leadoff homer–the first of two on the evening for the Braves’ young star–and Mike Soroka mowed down Giants’ hitters for eight innings in the visitors’ eighth win in their last 10 games.

The Giants first of two hits on the evening didn’t transpire until the sixth, when Brandon Crawford homered off Soroka. They’ve been outscored 47-7 in the first inning in 2019, and Giants’ opponents are hitting a robust .304 in the frame.

Acuna doesn’t need a particular spot in the batting order to be productive. The 21-year old Venezuelan has his career on a superstar track with 37 home runs and 95 RBI in his first 168 games. But he prefers leadoff, and it shows. He’s hit .400 batting leadoff in the 10 games of the Braves’ current streak, and he’s started each of the last two with homers.

“It changes the way you play for the rest of the game,” Acuna said, sounding poetic through the translation of Franco Garcia. “Because the adrenaline kicks in.”

“He’s a different guy there. We tried (having Acuna bat cleanup), and I think it probably would’ve worked, but there’s just something about that spot that he comes alive,” said Braves’ manager Brian Snitker.

Acuna doubled down in the seventh with a solo shot off Nick Vincent. 22-year old Austin Riley homered in the sixth off Suarez, the third home run in Riley’s first six games as a major leaguer.

Suarez pitched well, allowing three runs in six innings, striking out five and walking four. But as manager Bruce Bochy noted, the home runs were the difference in winning or losing.

“He lost Markakis and then had the next hitter (Riley) 0-2 and just hung a breaking ball. He gave us a chance to win the game, but offensively, we just got completely shut down,” Bochy said.

Soroka cruised, retiring the first 15 batters he faced. The 21-year old Alabaman is 5-1 in seven starts after striking out seven, walking none in eight innings of work. He covered the stint in 94 pitches, starting 18 of 26 batters he faced with strikes.

Soroka’s yet to allow more than a run in any of his seven starts. Crawford’s home run cost him statistically: he saw his ERA soar to 1.01.

“He’s one of those guys, you don’t know if he’s five up, five down or what the score is,” Snitker said. “He just keeps pitching and making pitches.”

Shaun Anderson makes his second start on Tuesday. He’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Julio Teheran in the 6:45 pm start.

Warriors overcome a 17-point deficit to sweep the Trail Blazers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors downed the Portland Trailblazer 119-117 to sweep the Western Conference Finals. They now advance to the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive year. They join the Boston Celtics as they and the Celtics are the only teams to reach the Finals for five seasons in a row.

The Warriors won their fifth game in a row with superstar Kevin Durant on the sidelines. DeMarcus Cousins, who injured a quadriceps muscle in the series against the LA Clippers was not available either. Andre Iguodala hurt his calf in Game Three in Portland and was questionable for Monday’s game. Warriors coach Steve Kerr opted to not play Andre. Kerr made changes in the starting lineup, and they paid off as the W’s won. It was not easy as they had to do it in overtime, but they did it.

The Blazers who had a 17-point lead in game two, and an eighteen-point point in game three, were able to gain a 17-point advantage in game four. The Blazers’ Damian Lillard, who suffered a rib injury and wasn’t at his best in games 2 and 3, was determined to play better and lead his team to a win. Blazers’ head coach, Terry Stotts, shuffled his lineup and inserted seven-foot-one -inch Meyers Leonard in the lineup. Leonard, who was averaging about six points a game, had the game of his life. He scored twenty-five points in the first half and knocked down five threes.

The Warriors, without Andre Iguodala, started forwards Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie. It was the first time that either player ever started an NBA Playoff game. The Warriors were hoping the “next man up” philosophy would work and it did.

The first period was very fast and furious. Both teams raced up and down the court. There were nine lead changes in the first quarter alone. The Warriors finished the period with a slim 36-35 lead. Steph Curry had 12, and Klay Thompson added 10 to pace the Warrior attack. Portland’s Meyers Leonard put 14 on the board, and CJ McCollum had 8, and Lillard added 7.

The Blazers, behind Leonard, McCollum, and Lillard outscored the W’s 34-29 to finish the first half leading 69-65. They led by eleven 66-55 late in the second period. Steph Curry made two three and a deuce to end the half trailing 69-65.

The Blazers knew it was now or never. They knew that they had to put away the Warriors. They knew that the Warriors had come back from significant deficits in game 2 and 3. They knew that if they hoped to win, they had to shut down the W’s offense and, at the same time, find a way to break down the Warriors defense. They held Draymond Green to just two points in the first half. Without Iguodala, could Draymond do it again? He answered the question. Yes, he did it again. The Blazers led 98-78 late in the third quarter. The Warriors scored the last eight points of the quarter to trail by eight 95-87. The Warriors knew that they had work to do in the final period, but an eight-point deficit is not impossible to overcome.

Curry hit a three to start the fourth quarter. Portland hit two-threes to go up by eleven 101-90. The Warriors defense started to throttle the Blazers’ offense. The Warriors went on a 14-3 run to tie the game at 104. Portland’s Rod Hood made a bucket, but Kevon Looney countered with one of his own to tie it at 106. Draymond gave the W’s the lead 108-106. Lillard made a three and Leonard added a bucket to put Portland ahead 111-108. Klay Thompson knocked down a three to tie it, and the game went to overtime.

The Warriors fell behind 115-114. Alfonzo McKinnie made a bucket to give the W’s the lead 116-115. Draymond Green made his only three-pointer of the game to provide the W’s their most significant lead of the night 119-115. Lillard connected on a two-point shot to close the gap to two 119-117. Neither team could relax. With 3.3 seconds left, Portland had the ball. If they made a two-point bucket, they would have tied the game and forced another 5-minute overtime period. If they made a three, they would have won. The Warriors held on, and Portland could not get off a shot. The Warriors win and end the Blazers’ season.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors bench players all performed well in Monday night’s win. Jordan Bell had seven, Alfonzo McKinnie was in double figures with 12. Kevon Looney continued his excellent play. He had a double-double with 12 points 14 rebounds. He, again, did a superb job getting offensive rebounds. Klay Thompson had 17, and he was tasked with trying to shut down Portlands CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. The Warriors had another first as they had two players that had a triple-double. Draymond Green, held to two points in the first half, finished the night with 18 points, 14 boards, and 11 assists. Step Curry had his fifth game in a row with 30 or more points. He tallied 37 and had 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Shay Livingston added 8, coming off the bench.

Meyers Leonard led Portland with 30 points and 12 rebounds. McCollum finished with 26. Damian Lillard had a double-double for Portland with 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 12 assists. Zach Collins was the other Blazer in double figures with 10.

The Warriors outrebounded the Blazers 55-28 The W’s had 15 offensive rebounds. Portland had six. The Warriors had 10 steals and 5 blocks.

The Warriors will now have a few days off as they await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks lead the Series 2-1. Game four will be played in Toronto Tuesday night.

A’s down the Indians 6-4 to win fourth in a row

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won their fourth game in a row downing the Cleveland Indians 6-4 on Monday in Cleveland. The A’s offense was paced by solo home runs by Jurickson Profar and Matt Olson. Matt Chapman hit a two-run blast in the ninth to give the A’s a three-run cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth.

The A’s scored one run in the second, one in the third and one in the fourth take a 3-0 lead. Profar homered in the second, Olson in the third, and doubles by Robbie Grossman and Josh Phegley produced the A’s third run in the fourth.

The Indians put one on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Indians’ third baseman Jose Martinez doubled leading off the frame. He went to third on a ground out and scored on Omar Mercado’s single. The A’s still lead 3-1 after five.

In the bottom of the sixth, Indians’ second baseman Jason Kipnis led off with a double. Anderson retired Carlos Santana for the first out. It was at this point that Bob Melvin came out of the dugout and after a short conference with Anderson, removed him from the game. Yusmeiro Petit relieved him and retired the next two hitters.

The A’s added a run in the seventh. Shortstop Marcus Semien doubled down the left field line, and when Mercado misplayed the ball, he went to third. Matt Chapman singled to drive him in with the fourth run of the game for Oakland. The Indians got the run back in their half of the seventh when the Indians’ catcher Roberto Perez led off with a home run. Ryan Buchter came in to pitch, and he retired the next three Cleveland hitters.

The Indians made it a 4-3 game in the eighth. Lou Trivino had control issues. With one out, Trivino walked Kipnis and Santana. He struck out Jake Bauers for the second out. Ramirez singled to drive in Kipnis. Trivino walked Perez to load the bases. A’s manager Bob Melvin made his decision. He brought in closer Blake Treinen to get a four-out save. Treinen got Martinez to ground out to end the inning.

The A’s added two insurance runs in the ninth when Matt Olson homered with a man on to make it 6-3. Treinen retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the ninth. He did not get by Francisco Lindor. Lindor homered to make it 6-4. Treinen got Kipnis to ground out to preserve the win.

Game Notes- Brett Anderson improved his season record to 5-3. He was diagnosed with a cervical strain. It is nor known at this time if he will have to go on the 10-day IL. Blake Treinen earned his 8th save of the season.

The A’s are now 23-25 are in third place in the AL West just 1/2 game behind the second-place Texas Rangers.

The A’s will send Chris Bassitt to the hill Tuesday night. Bassitt is 2-1 with an ERA of 1.93, and he will be opposed by the Indians’ Trevor Bauer. Bauer is 4-2 and has an ERA of 3.76. Game time will be at 3pm.

Aces introduce their new acquisition, center Liz Cambage

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20190520 - Liz Cambage

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough (Sports Radio Service)

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces pulled off one of the biggest trades in the WNBA’s 23 year existence.

Last Thursday, the Aces traded point guard Moriah Jefferson, forward Isabelle Harrison and their 2020 first round draft pick to the Dallas Wings for center Liz Cambage.

Cambage led the WNBA in scoring last season averaging 23 points per game and also averaged 9.7 rebounds per game.

Not only does the 6-8 Australian center fill a need for a dominant presence in the paint for the Aces, but she also brings much needed leadership to a young Las Vegas team.

“Liz is perfect for our town and our team,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “We needed a big power player on the inside, but the most important thing about Liz is that she’s a smart basketball player. She knows the game, she knows how to involve her teammates and she brings an attitude that we don’t presently have, a toughness and an attitude of how you play basketball.”

“I am very excited to be here,” said Cambage. “Now teams can’t double-team me.   What, are you going to leave A’ja [Wilson] open? Are you going to leave the girls open on the 3-point line?  We have so many strengths in every area.  It is so exciting.”

But despite being very happy to be in Las Vegas now, Cambage struggled on her road to Sin City.

She was drafted in 2011 at the age of 20 by the Tulsa Shock, but was very unhappy with her first year in Tulsa and with the organization.

“I was drafted to a team that I was open to not wanting to be a part of.  When I came to the league, I was looking to be nurtured, I wanted to grow and I wanted to be looked after and cared for, but I was thrown in the deep end and I was just another object,” said Cambage in tears at her introductory press conference.  “My first year in Tulsa, I cried on the phone every night to my mum and my agent because I just wanted to be out of there.   The Tulsa Shock didn’t care and it ruined me to the point where I had to step away.”

From the day she was drafted in 2011, she only played three seasons in the WNBA (2011 and 2013 in Tulsa and 2018 in Dallas – formerly the Tulsa Shock).  Outside of the WNBA, Cambage played three years for three different teams in China, averaging 30.5 points per game.

After the acquisition of Cambage, the Aces are now considered the favorites to win the 2019 WNBA championship.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Ted Williams & Hispanic heritage

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Photo credit: @MH_Investment

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Ted Williams, also known as Teddy Ballgame, is the last man to hit .400 over a full season. In 1941, Williams, as a member of the Boston Red Sox, played 143 games (the season was a total of 154 games) with an average .406, drove-in 120 runs, received 147 bases on balls and struck out just 27 times. By any measure, that was one of the greatest seasons for anybody in the history of the game. The Hall of Famer played his entire 19-year career with Boston. Many agree he was the best pure hitter ever.

Williams was born in San Diego, California. His mother was Maria Hernandez-Benzor, born in Ciudad Juarez — near El Paso,Texas. The El Paso–Juárez region is the largest bilingual, bi-national work force in the Western Hemisphere.

The Hispanic Baseball Museum is the only museum of its kind in the country. It was established in San Francisco, California in June 1999, as a nonprofit institution 501(c)(3). This Museum is dedicated to recognizing the contributions made to baseball by its Hispanic players. Ted Williams is in The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame — not only because he was a great player, but also because his mother was born in Mexico. When the museum first reported this, many ignored this fact, but when Williams played, this country was not really looking at people’s heritage. Williams was a very private man who dedicated himself to the game with a stellar career. In the 1940’s, US demographics were not what they are today — the amount of Hispanic-American players was just a handful unlike today’s 35%.

Some players still do not want to admit their heritage. For example, Reggie Jackson, whose full name is Reginaldo Martinez Jackson. He of Puerto Rican descent. He is also in Cooperstown and speaks a little Spanish. I have spoken to him on many occasions, like, say, when he played and after he retired. Some people do not feel comfortable admitting their heritage, but in today’s world, things have changed, and if you asked them directly, most players will not hesitate to tell you about how proud they feel of their lineage.

Decades ago, some players were shy, like the first Puerto Rican Ruben Gomez to pitch in a World Series. Gomez was with the New York Giants, who won Game 3 against the Cleveland Indians. Considering that, Jackie Robinson was the first to break the color barrier in 1947. Many Latin players, even those who are fair-skinned, were conscious that there was so much discrimination perpetuated on them. The media even made fun of how they spoke English. It was a tough environment for many of them. The great Roberto Clemente was often misquoted and he did not like it.  Orestes “Minnie” Minoso, who was born in Cuba and dark-skinned, told me that he never complained, but lived and played during those very difficult times. Also, Orlando Cepeda told me it was very difficult and said: “During those days,the white player was #1, the black player was #2 and the Latino player was #3 in baseball.”

But those years are now in the past. It is a part of history, and even though some people do not want to talk about it, it happened and no country can erase its history. For Ted Williams, it was a totally different situation. Although he was of Hispanic heritage, he was also white, and one of the best players of his generation — a mega star. As a matter of fact, many who played with or against Williams during those years did not know about his heritage. They would have been very surprised if they learned Ted Williams’ mother was Mexican.

In case you missed it: Cardinal DB Paulson Adebo named to Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list

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By: Ana Kieu

All-American defensive back Paulson Adebo was one of 42 student-athletes named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy preseason watch list last Friday.

As a sophomore, Adebo was named second-team All-America by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Adebo’s the youngest Cardinal defensive player to earn FWAA All-America recognition and joins Christian McCaffrey as the only Cardinal sophomores to make the list.

In his first year of action, Adebo led the country with a school-record 20 pass breakups and 24 passes defended. A first-team All-Pac-12 selection, Adebo also led the team and was third in the Pac-12 with four interceptions in 2018.

Harrison Phillips was a finalist for the award in 2017 and Chase Thomas was a finalist in 2013. Owen Marecic was awarded an honorary Lott IMPACT Trophy in 2010.

The 42 (Ronnie Lott’s number) nominees represent the finest in college football — defensive players who have had the biggest IMPACT on their teams both on and off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Candidates will be evaluated during the season with a Player of the Week chosen each week (and his school receiving $1,000 for its general scholarship fund). The four finalists will attend the 15th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy banquet on December 9 in Newport Beach.

Adebo and the Cardinal begin the 2019 season against the Northwestern Wildcats at Stanford Stadium on August 31.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Panda takes D-Backs deep in 10th inning for gamer 3-2

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On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval can do it all, play all positions on the diamond, including pitch, but on Sunday at Chase Field in Phoenix Sandoval was clutch and got a game-winning 10th inning homer for the Giants in their 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

#2  Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford contributed with a game saving defensive stop in the ninth inning. The D-Backs Adam Jones hit a ball to Crawford’s right who dove to stop and get up and fire the ball to first base to retire Jones and strand a runner at third.

#3 On Sandoval, he has had a great series against the D-Backs. He hit an eighth inning home run on Saturday to help the Giants in their 8-5 win. Sandoval hit one against the D-Backs pitcher Yoshihisa Hirano to left field for his 40th home run at Chase the most of any opposing hitter to visit that park.

#4 Giants reliever Will Smith is coming along. He picked up his 11th save in 11 outings certainly the go-to to close games for manager Bruce Bochy.

#5 Giants are back at Oracle Park on Monday night to face a very tough Atlanta Braves club. The Braves will start Mike Soroka (4-1, 0.98 ERA) the Giants will start Andrew Suarez (0-0, 0.00 ERA).

Morris Phillips does the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com