Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Canha homers in first game back; Khrush Davis belts two homers for A’s

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Photo credit: nbcsports.com

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Was the decision to designate Kendrys Morales for assignment the right thing to do. Morales joined the A’s after Matt Olson broke a bone in his right hand, Morales but ended up hitting .204, one homer and seven RBIs.

#2 Pitcher Edwin Jackson has been on 14 different major league teams, and this week, the Oakland A’s dealt him to that 14th team, the Toronto Blue Jays. Jackson is expected to get a start this week and he’ll join the Jays in San Francisco as Toronto is in San Francisco for a two game series. Jackson is 6-3, 3.33 ERA.

#3 Ironically, Mark Canha has come full circle after Morales replaced him on the roster. Canha now replaces Morales. Canha homered in his first game with the A’s on Monday night and Charlie talks about what it means to have Canha back in the lineup again.

#4 It’s a while, but Khris Davis slugged two home runs at Safeco Field on Monday night for his 11th and 12th homers of the season. Davis looks like he’s got that old swing back again.

#5 Taking a look at Tuesday night’s pitchers at Safeco, the Oakland A’s will be starting with Brett Anderson (4-2, 4.19 ERA) for the Seattle Mariners Mike Leake (2-4, 4.37 ERA).

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Both Bay Area teams in bottom of standings; Nothing new on Western Front

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nbcsports.com file photo: San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner gets ready to deliver, Bumgarner has been the talk of trade rumors which includes going to the Boston Red Sox.

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Sometimes you can tell how a baseball season might end after one-quarter of the season already is in the books. That might very well be the case this 2019 season. Some teams are so bad, that you really do not need two to four months to evaluate (find out their identity) because you know they just do not have it. It is simple as that. In the A’s case, we knew their identity of this young team last year, and the question was can they duplicate that success? In the Giants’ case, we knew they were not going to be in the picture, and during Spring Training, the big interest was to trade Madison Bumgarner.

The Houston Astros are ruling the American League West and the Los Angeles Dodgers the National League West. These two teams have an excellent possibility of facing each other in the World Series. This is not a prediction, but a good possibility, and not because they are on top as of today, but because they have the players and depth. It didn’t matter that the Seattle Mariners had their best start for season since 1977 in their inaugural season or that the Diamondbacks, who are almost like the M’s, trade a lot of their key players in the off-season and nobody expected them to be playing this well.

Of course, let’s get to our two Bay Area teams.

The A’s who surprised the world and won 97 games last year and made it to the postseason, did not have a set rotation from the offset of Spring Training. Hopefully, their #1 starter Shawn Manaea will be back soon to anchor their hurting pitching staff. Some injuries have hurt the A’s, who basically had the same team as last year, with some exceptions like Jurickson Profar at second-base, taking the place of the reliable veteran All Star Jed Lowrie, who went to the Mets, but has not played yet and is recovering from an injury in Syracuse, N.Y.

For the Giants, the time is getting close for trading Bumgarner with a high probability of trade before the July 31 deadline. It is all a matter of whether they can get a couple of young prospects for the future — nothing more, nothing less — rebuilding is in the air at Oracle. But there is a chance the Giants roster might look very different soon. Although their problem is that they are stuck with older players with large contracts.

For the A’s, the most important news is not on the field, but that they have cleared the way to eventually build their new ballpark. What location remains the big question. The chances of the A’s making it to the postseason again are as good as ever inside a weak division. They look like a Wild Card team.

Outside baseball, the Sharks and Warriors are in the middle of their respective playoff series, and that is nothing new.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez writes That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary and Barbara Mason does That’s Amaury’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Change Is In The Air: Last place Giants not hesitant to make moves with their season on the line

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — Derek Holland didn’t take his demotion from the Giants’ starting rotation without blowing off some steam. Gathering reporters after Saturday’s game, Holland didn’t mince words.

“To be honest, I have no idea what they’re doing,” Holland said. “I don’t mean (manager Bruce Bochy). It’s more from the front office. We keep changing a lot of things. I did a fake injury so I’m not happy about that. But at the end of the day I’m going to do what they ask me to do. I’m going to be here for my teammates. That’s what it’s all about.”

Like it or not, Holland and his teammates are on watch, the byproduct of a 17-23 start to the season and an 8 1/2 game deficit in the NL West. Tyler Beede is the next man up in the team’s starting rotation, replacing Holland after the veteran was far too generous in Denver Tuesday in his return from the injured list. In snowy conditions, Holland allowed seven runs on seven hits, including three home runs. Holland was lifted with two outs in the third inning, trailing 7-2, as Bochy preferred Trevor Gott to face the dangerous Trevor Story with a runner on third.

“He was without his breaking ball,” Bochy said of Holland. “He didn’t have a feel for it and it’s hard to pitch here without it.”

When the Giants open a two-game set against the Blue Jays Tuesday, Tyler Beede will be the starter, not Holland. But that’s not the only change as the Giants attempt to climb out of a hole.

After that game, catcher Aramis Garcia was recalled along with Beede. Drew Pomeranz was placed on the list with a lat strain. Buster Posey will miss both games against Toronto as he still dealing with the effects of a concussion.

Brandon Belt is dealing with a calf strain suffered in Friday’s game. That opened the door for Pablo Sandoval, who homered and doubled on Sunday while replacing Belt.

On Saturday,  Dereck Rodriguez was sent back to minors with a mandate to find his control. Rodriguez allowed 12 earned runs in his two, most recent starts along with his ERA sitting at 5.05.

Finally, outfielder Aaron Altherr was claimed off waivers from the Phillies. Altherr smacked 19 home runs for Philadelphia in 2017, but was hitting just .034 this year when he was demoted. To make room for Altherr, pitcher Andrew Moore was designated for assignment.

A’s hit five homers, but still lose 6-5 to Seattle in extra innings

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photo sfgate.com: In this multiple-exposure photo, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi throws against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 13, 2019, in Seattle.

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s were in Seattle to start a nine-game road trip. Mike Fiers, who pitched a no-hitter against Cincinnati last Tuesday, started for the A’s. The Seattle Mariners countered with lefty Yusei Kikuchi. Fiers lost his bid for a second no-hitter in the first inning when Mitch Haniger led off with a solo blast.

The A’s hitters hit four solo homers to give the A’s a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. The M’s tied the game in the 8th when they scored three runs. The A’s reclaimed the lead when Ramon Laureano hit a solo home run with two out in the top of the tenth. It was the A’s fifth dinger of the night. The M’s answered with two runs in their half of the tenth to win 6-5.

The A’s had home runs from Mark Canha in the second, Khris Davis in the sixth and in the eighth, Matt Olson in the seventh, and Laureano in the 10th.

The M’s scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game. Trivino walked Haniger to start the frame. Haniger was erased on a fielder’s choice. The next hitter, the ever-dangerous Edwin Encarnacion, walked on a 3-2 pitch.

The pitch was over the lower part of the plate and above the knees, but the home plate umpire called it a ball. A’s manager Bob Melvin was seen screaming at the umpire from the dugout. The next hitter, big Daniel Vogelbach, hit Trivino’s pitch over the 401-foot marker in center field to tie the game. Melvin went after the ump again and was tossed out of the game.

As mentioned above, Laureano homered with two out in the tenth to give Oakland the short-lived lead. Joakim Soria, who struck out the side in the ninth, issued a walk to Vogelbach with two out in the inning.

The Mariners had the speedy Dee Gordon run for Vogelbach. Gordon then stole second to get into scoring position. Domingo Santana doubled to left to drive in Gordon with the tying run. M’s catcher Omar Narvaez singled to end the game as the M’s won 6-5.

Game Notes: Mike Fiers went five innings and allowed just two hits and one run. Yusmeiro Petit did not allow a run in his two innings of work. Trevino allowed three runs, and Soria took the loss.

Up Next: The A’s conclude the two-game series Tuesday night in Seattle. Brett Anderson goes for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Seattle’s Mike Leake.

Game 2 Blues: Sharks get outworked by the desperate Blues in 4-2 loss on home ice

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By Morris Phillips

SAN JOSE — Want to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup? You’re going to need contributions from a variety of sources.

On Monday night, Robert Bortuzzo was the unlikely source that propelled the Blues in their 4-2 Western Conference Finals-tying win at the SAP Center. The veteran defenseman went the first 30 NHL playoff games of his career without scoring a goal, then in Game 2, turned slick skating opportunist in beating Sharks goalie Martin Jones late in the second period with the game winner.

“That was pretty smooth by him, but he’s got that in his arsenal,” Blues goalie Jordan Binnington said of Bortuzzo.

“He’s a big guy with a good set of hands so it’s nice to see him rewarded,” said Alexander Steen.

Bortuzzo jumped into the rush, slipping past an unsuspecting Joe Thornton, where Tyler Bozak’s pass put Bortuzzo in position for a point blank opportunity that he backhanded into the upper left corner. Ironically,  Bortuzzo was a healthy scratch in the final three games of the Stars-Blues series, but against the bigger Sharks, and likely to match up against Thornton, the defenseman was on the ice and his contributions were potentially series altering.

Bortuzzo scored just two regular season goals, and has lit the lamp just 16 times in 366 career regular season and playoff appearances. That paucity of scoring didn’t interfere with his star turn in Game 2.

“It’s not really my game, but (goal scoring is) definitely something that goes in the back of your mind,” said Bortuzzo. “It was just a rush of emotion.”

In the tense, third period Bortuzzo dropped to the ice, blocking Kevin Labanc’s high velocity slapper that could have drawn the Sharks even with 10:04 remaining. Instead, the Sharks failed to even the score as the Blues have held the opposition scoreless in all six third periods of their road, playoff wins.

The Blues, desperate not to return home down 2-0, blocked 20 shots in the game and delivered the majority of the impactful hits along the boards. Bortuzzo also set the tone, sending San Jose’s Marcus Sorenson careening into the boards midway through the first period.

Logan Couture enlivened the SAP Center with a pair of second period goals two minutes apart that wiped out a 2-0 deficit.  Couture’s first goal was shorthanded off a takeaway and seemed to lift the malaise that enveloped the home team. But coach Peter DeBoer drew a different conclusion.

“I thought Logan Couture was pretty good, a couple of other guys … It’s tough to win this time of year if you don’t have everybody going, and I thought they got contributions from everybody, like we did in the first night,” DeBoer explained.

Binnington continued his eye-catching maiden voyage on the roller coaster that is the NHL playoffs. The rookie net minder stopped 26 shots (11 in the third period) and won for the ninth time. Binnington is one win way from becoming just the 10th rookie goaltender to win 10 times in a single playoffs.

The Sharks have dropped Game 2 at home in each of their 2019 playoff series, after winning Game 1. The Sharks have split a pair in Game 3, winning in Denver to take a 2-1 lead on the Avalanche in the conference semis.

The series, tied 1-1, resumes Wednesday in St. Louis with the pivotal Game 3.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: How does Holland get in front of the media? It should’ve been kept in house

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dallasnews.com photo: Starting pitcher Derek Holland #45 of the San Francisco Giants throws in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 8, 2019 in Denver, Colorado.

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Giants pitcher Derek Holland said he faked an injury, which the Giants countered by saying Holland had a left bruised index finger. The Giants say medical records back up the injury while Holland was listed as injured and demoted from a starter to the bullpen.

#2 Holland was listed with the injured bruised finger and sat last month, Holland has insisted he was not injured and the Giants general manager Farhan Zaidi said, “The guy gets hit by a truck, he can’t walk out on the field. That I guess an unequivocal injury, but there’s a lot of gray area beyond that.”

#3 Holland, no doubt, was disappointed that he was forced to sit for the April 29th injury, and said there was nothing wrong with him and he really wanted to pitch.

#4 Holland says the front office doesn’t know what their doing with the exception for Giants manager Bruce Bochy. Holland said, “I did fake an injury. I’m not happy about that. But at the end of the day I’m going to do whatever they ask me to do.”

#5 Morris has the Giants day off report tonight. On Tuesday, the Giants host the Toronto Blue Jays for two games. The Jays will start Trent Thornton (0-4, 5.06 ERA) and the Giants will start Tyler Beede (0-1,18.69 ERA). Both pitchers are looking for their first win of the season.

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

Home Heroics Take A Day: A’s fail to rally, lose series finale to the Indians

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — No longer stuck in last place after winning four of five, the A’s could have leapfrogged the Mariners, Rangers and Angels in the AL West on Sunday by sweeping the Indians at the Coliseum.

Instead, they couldn’t muster a third day of last at-bat heroics, losing the series finale to Cleveland, 5-3. Now the A’s face a far, different reality: hitting the road for a nine-game trip–where they’ve been dreadful–while staring at a season-worst 7 1/2 game deficit behind the first place Astros.

Call it the Mother’s Day swing, and we’re not talking about Dallas Braden parading his grandmother across the diamond. At some point, the A’s figure to play better baseball, but they don’t want to get to far behind in the division. Back-to-back playoff appearances would be great, but the A’s want no part of the crap shoot as a wild card again.

“You’re not playing great, you’ve got to find ways to win the games,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We did, obviously some dramatic and late. The offense still isn’t what we expect it to be. It will come around.”

Offensively, the A’s weren’t much better than they were on the 1-8 road trip that ended a week ago. They foraged 43 hits and a barely bearable 17 runs on the six-game home stand, but they won. Winning four of six was a nice bounce back, but not quite what 5-1 would have meant.

“Would have liked to sweep them today, but [if] we keep winning series, we’ll be in a good spot,” said Matt Olson, who advanced his offensive game by homering for the first time this season.

Giants edge Reds 6-5

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By: Lewis Rubman

San Francisco Giants: 6 | 10 | 2

Cincinnati Reds: 5 | 11 | 0

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants sent Madison Bumgarner (2-4, 3.99) to the mound this afternoon, hoping to salvage one victory in this week end’s series against the resurgent Reds. The Redlegs, after saving their honor by beating the A’s in the series finale at the Coliseum, enjoyed a three game winning streak, started Tyler Mahle (0-5, 3.69 ERA). San Francisco went into contest sitting at the bottom of the NL West standings with a three-game losing streak, the last two losses coming against Cincinnati, and a won-lost record of 16-23. In spite of their recent success on both sides of the bay, the Redlegs woke up this morning as the NL Central’s cellar dweller at 16-22.

In the opening frame, the Giants’ defense was as shaky as 5.9 on the Richter scale. Catcher’s interference by Erik Katz allowed lead off batter Nick Senzel to reach first base. He advanced to second on Katz’s subsequent passed ball. Senzel stopped at third after Eugenio Suárez singled to left, which he followed up with an uncontested steal of second. Both men scored on José Iglesias’s single to left center, where Kevin Pillar bobbled the ball for an error that allowed the runner to advance to second. He tried to score on Kyle Farmer’s single to center, but Pillar redeemed himself by throwing the Reds’ shortstop out at home.

The Giants evened the score on Pablo Sandoval’s homer to left in the second. The Panda’s blast came with Steven Duggar on second, which he had reached on a double to right center.

Doubles were Bumgarner’s undoing in the top of the second. José Peraza and Nick Senzel hit back to back two baggers with two outs to put the Rhinelanders back in the lead, 3-2. Bumgarner limited the damage by striking out Joey Votto for the second time in as many innings. It was Bumgarner’s fourth of the game.

Yasiel Puig, relentlessly booed by the Giants’ faithful all series long, gave them another reason to voice their displeasure by leading off Cincinnati’s sixth with a first pitch homer to left, his seventh round tripper of the campaign. The Reds were up 4-2.

That inning was Bumgarner’s last. He left after throwing 107 pitches, 71 of them strikes. Two of the four runs he allowed were earned. He gave up eight hits and four walks. His strikeout total was seven. Sam Dyson replaced him.

Bumgarner got a no decision because Brandon Belt’s second career pinch hit home came in the bottom of the seventh with Brandon Crawford on base, knotting the game up at four. That was the last pitch for Mahle, who also left the game with a no decision. All four of the runs scored against him were earned, and he struck out eight Giants, while walking only one. He threw 93 pitches, 61 of them strikes. His replacement was Zach Duke.

Belt had pinch hit for Dyson, so Reyes Moronta took the mound for San Francisco in the top of the eighth. Cincinnati loaded the bases on him with a single that ended a 12 pitch at-bat by Suárez, a walk to Puig, and a single by Iglesias. Dyson rose to the occasion by striking out Kyle Farmer. When switch-hitting catcher Tucker Barnhart was announced as a pinch hitter for Curt Casali, Bochy countered by calling on lefty Tony Watson to relieve the right-handed Moronta. Watson walked Barnhart, and the Reds went ahead, 5-4. But Watson got Jesse Winker, pinch-hitting for Duke, to force Puig out at home, Watson to Vogt, who had replaced Kratz behind the plate. Crawford made a nice catch on Peraza’s hard line drive to end the troubles, but Cincinnati led 5-4.

The worm turned in the bottom of the eighth, with David Hernández now on the mound for the Reds. Evan Longoria led of with a single to left and advanced to third on Sandoval’s double to right center. Both runners stayed put when Mac Williamson grounded out to short. Then Crawford struck out, and it looked like another disappointing loss was in store of San Francisco. But Kevin Pilllar singled to center. Longoria scored easily, and the panda capped his day by sliding home with the leading run.

Wil Smith closed it out for the Giants with a 1-2-3 ninth, including two strike outs.

The win went to Watson, now 2-0. The save went to Smith, his 10th. The loss went to Hernández, now 0-2 with a blown save.

The wind played havoc with fly balls most of the afternoon, but what else is new? This is, after all, San Francisco.

Tomorrow will be a day off for the Giants. They’ll host the Blue Jays in San Francisco on Tuesday at 6:45 pm.

NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals podcast with Daniel Dullum: Sharks set tone in Game 1 with Meier lighting up the lamp

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photo from nbcsports.com: The San Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier can’t contain the thrill of scoring one of his two goals in the Sharks win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday in game 1 at SAP Center in San Jose.

On the NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals podcast with Daniel:

1 Timo Meier scores twice, Sharks rout St. Louis in Game 1 of Western Conference Finals

2 Sharks’ Brent Burns has played much more than anyone in this year’s Cup playoffs

3 NHL Odds: Sharks given worst chance among remaining teams to win Stanley Cup

4 NHL explains controversial overturn of goal in San Jose-Colorado Game 7

5 Edmonton fires Ken Hitchcock, names Holland GM

Daniel does the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s get that walkoff feeling as the comeback team in series with Cleveland

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photo from mercurynews.com: Oakland Athletics reliever Liam Hendriks (16) throws in the ninth inning of their MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, April 4, 2019.

On the A’s podcast with Joey:

#1 The Oakland A’s came away on Saturday with their second straight walkoff win over Cleveland in a narrow 2-1 win. In baseball, the critics once said signs of a good club is one that can come back from behind.

#2 The A’s have improved their home record to 14-9 at the Coliseum and have taken the first two games of this current series with Cleveland.

#3 The Oakland A’s Liam Hendricks, who started the ballgame as an opener, succeeded in striking out a batter, surrendering one hit and pitching one inning the opener concept in this one worked out.

#4 The A’s reliever Aaron Brooks came in the second inning and pitched four innings giving up four hits and striking out four and his game plan worked out in setting the Cleveland order down.

#5 The A’s and Cleveland conclude this three-game series at the Coliseum. Jefry Rodriguez (0-2, 2.41 ERA) he’ll counter against newly recalled Daniel Mengden (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who was just recalled from the A’s triple A affiliate Las Vegas.

Joey does the A’s podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com