Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: Pirates get bang for their Buc with 6-4 win over A’s Saturday

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from apnews.com: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Gregory Polanco, right, and Bryan Reynolds (10) celebrate after scoring on a triple by Kevin Newman off Oakland Athletics relief pitcher J.B. Wendelken (57) during the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh on Saturday, May 4, 2019.

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Joey:

#1 The Oakland A’s wasted no time in the first inning of Saturday night’s game at PNC Park, getting three runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s always key to jump to a early lead.

#2 Taking a look at the scoring, Khris Davis singled to right to drive Matt Chapman home to score. Kendrys Morales hit his first triple of the year to drive Davis home to score, and Morales would score the third Oakland run of the inning on a Stephen Piscotty single to left field to help the offense in the A’s three-run rally.

#3 It didn’t last long as the Pirates Josh Bell hit a homer in the second inning off A’s starter Chris Bassitt and Bell came back in the bottom of the third and took Bassitt to deep center with a two-run homer to tie the game.

#4 The Pirates scored three more runs in the bottom of the seventh Kevin Newman hit his first triple of the season off A’s reliever JB Wendelken that drove in two runners on base to score and gave the Pirates a 5-4 lead. Francisco Cervelli then hit a 2-2 change up from Wendelken into left field that allowed Newman to score easily from third base for a 6-4 lead, which was the final.

#5 The Oakland A’s Frankie Montas (4-2, 2.97 ERA) gets the start against the Pirates Jordan Lyles (4-2, 2.42 ERA) to conclude the three-game series at PNC Park Sunday

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

An Earthquake strikes the MLS; San Jose much improved over last 5 games, gets 1-0 win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

USA Today photo: San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Magnus Eriksson (7) controls the ball between FC Cincinnati defender Mathieu Deplagne (17) and midfielder Frankie Amaya (24) during the first half at Avaya Stadium.

By London Marq

The San Jose Earthquakes have come a long way in their previous five games. After starting the season 0-4 and looking completely disconnected, they seemed to be well on their way to a bottom of the table finish. Since then, San Jose has found some swagger and momentum. With a 2-1-2 record over the past five matches, they have managed to climb back into playoff contention.

Give credit to the head coach Matias Almeyda, who in his first year with the Quakes has managed his team through adversity, despite mounting pressure. After two matches on the road, the Quakes returned to Avaya Stadium to host a struggling FC Cincinnati squad. Cincinnati entered play coming off of four straight shutout losses. Momentum seemed to be in San Jose’s favor. And that was where it would stay.

From the opening kickoff, San Jose was in control. Playing a more confident, aggressive style than earlier this season, the Quakes were able to dominate the ball. Being physical can come with a price, however, as San Jose found themselves with two yellow cards in the first 15 minutes.

One applied to Shea Salinas, the other to Cristian Espinoza. Jackson Yueill played an aggressive game in the offensive third. While none of his shots were on target, they were right around the posts causing the FC Cincinnati keeper Tyton fits. Hometown hero, Nick Lima, found pay dirt in the 22nd minute with a low strike to the far post from outside box.

San Jose would remain in control for the remainder of the half, taking their one-goal lead into the locker room. The tempo of the game wouldn’t change until the 51st minute when Cristian Espinoza made a critical mistake, pulling Cincinnati defender Deplagne down from behind as he moved towards the goal.

Espinoza would draw his second yellow with the foul and exited the match, leaving San Jose down a man for the remaining 39 minutes. With this, Cincinnati was able to capitalize and put some pressure on the San Jose goal. Quakes goalkeeper Daniel Vega, who appeared completely inept early in the season, made an absolutely sensational save to keep Cincinnati off the board. San Jose was able to endure the loss of Espinoza and ride the momentum to a one-goal win. With the win, they’ve move into seventh in the Western Conference and hold a potential playoff spot, for now.

A’s score first, but can’t hold on to get the win in Steel City

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
Pit score
Graphic: @Athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics shot out of the gate quickly on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, hanging three runs up on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. Khris Davis singled to right to drive Matt Chapman home to score. Kendrys Morales hit his first triple of the year to drive Davis home to score, and Morales would score the third Oakland run of the inning on a Stephen Piscotty  single to left field. That was a very promising start for the green and gold.

The Pirates put their first run up on the board in the home-half of the second inning when Josh Bell hit a Chris Bassitt 84 mph cutter over the right field wall.

Bell came back to haunt the A’s again in the bottom of the third inning with two out and Starling Marte on at first. Bell hit his eighth home run of the season over the center field wall off a 93 mph sinker that tied the game at 3-3.

The A’s retook the lead in the fifth inning when Khris Davis hit a single to center field that drove Matt Chapman home to score the fourth run of the contest for Oakland.

Pittsburgh broke this game open in the bottom of the seventh inning when they scored three runs. Kevin Newman hit his first triple of the season off Wendelken that drove in two runners on base to score and gave the Pirates a 5-4 lead. Francisco Cervelli then hit a 2-2 change up from Wendelken into left field that allowed Newman to score easily from third base. After seven complete innings, the Pirates held a 6-4 lead.

Pirates (15-15) focus

Pit bell hr
Josh Bell hits one of his two home runs Photo: @Pirates
  • Josh Bell was the star of the game for Pittsburgh. He hit two home runs, picked up three RBI and scored two runs. Bell is batting .291 for the Pirates.
  • Gregory Polanco went 2-for-5 for Pittsburgh on Saturday. He hit a double and scored a run for his team in the win.
  • Outfielder Bryan Reynolds had a good night for his team, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Reynolds also scored a run.
  • Michael Feliz picked up his first win of the season working in relief.
  • Felipe Vazquez recorded his ninth save of the year preserving the win for his team.

A’s (15-20) spotlight

Pit Bolt NBCS
Skye Bolt gets his first major league hit Photo: @NBCS
  • Matt Chapman had a 2-for-4 game scoring two runs. He hit a double and a triple in the game.
  • Khris Davis picked up two RBI and scored a run in his 2-for-4 night for Oakland. Davis played left field in the game because there is no designated hitter because this is a National League ballpark.
  • The A’s are hoping that this was a breakout game for Kendrys Morales who went 2-for-4 with the bat scoring a run and adding an RBI.
  • Skye Bolt, who was just called up to the majors, picked up his first major league hit in the game.
  • Starting pitcher Chris Bassitt did not figure into the final decision. The loss was charged to J.B. Wendelken (0-1) who pitched 1.0 innings giving up three runs (all earned) off four hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Up next

The third and final game of the series will be played on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AM Bay Area time. Frankie Montas (4-2, 2.97 ERA) will take the hill for Oakland. The Pirates will counter with Jordan Lyles (2-1, 2.42 ERA).

Sharks Beat Avs 2-1, Retake Series Lead 3-2

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 Saturday. With the win, the Sharks took a 3-2 lead in the second round playoff series. Four Sharks (Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns) had four shots on goal in the game, but Tomas Hertl had eight. It was hardly surprising that he had both goals for San Jose. Tyson Jost scored for the Avs. Sharks goaltender Martin Jones made 21 saves in the win, while Philipp Grubauer made 37 saves for the Avs.

The Sharks held Nathan MacKinnon to a single shot in the game. After the game, Sharks forward Logan Couture was asked what the team’s game plan was against MacKinnon: “Our game plan against him is try and not to let him play in the offensive zone. It’s pretty difficult to do. He’s such a good player, he’s going to get his looks, he’s going to get the puck in the neutral zone. But I thought for the most part we limited, you know, maybe, his chances to the outside. He still gets looks, he’s such a good player.”

The Sharks put the puck in the net during the first period, a nice shot to the top corner from Kevin Labanc off a Joe Thornton feed. But it was called back because Timo Meier had his stick lifted near Mikko Rantanen’s face. It did not seem to make contact but the officials called it a penalty worthy of a disallowed goal. That was the second time in these playoffs that a Sharks goal was called back for a questionable penalty, but this time, the Sharks killed the penalty. They did not allow a shot in that power play.

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer was asked about the team’s reaction to that non-goal after the game: “I liked how we were playing. I loved how we started, I liked our first period I thought we were putting a lot of pressure on them. I thought, I could tell we were ready to play and committed to what we wanted to do. So it’s not as frustrating when that happens when your team is playing the way it is, because we knew that we were going to get opportunities for some more.”

At the end of the first period, the Sharks had won 59% of the face-offs and led in shots 12-6.

The Sharks were out-shooting the Avalanche consistently, despite suffering back-to-back penalties in the second period. The Avalanche still scored first, late in the second period. JT Compher took a shot off the rush and Jones kicked out a rebound. Brent Burns got to it first but he didn’t get all of it when he tried to clear it to the corner. It went into Tyson Jost’s skates and ended up behind Jones. It was Tyson Jost’s first of the playoffs. Assists went to Compher and Samuel Girard.

With the second period ticking away, the Sharks tied it up with a power play goal. At 19:40, Logan Couture took a shot from the slot off an Erik Karlsson feed. Tomas Hertl, lower down in the slot, deflected the shot past Grubauer to tie the game. The goal was not called back. It was Hertl’s seventh of the playoffs. Assists went to Couture and Karlsson.

In the second period, the Sharks won 63% of the face-offs, and had a shot lead of 29-15. Nine Avs players had shots on goal, while 13 Sharks had at least one shot.

The Sharks got an early power play in the third, courtesy of a high stick from Nikita Zadorov 31 seconds in. The Sharks got just one shot on that power play. After that, the Sharks did an excellent job of kicking Colorado out of their zone, but could not get themselves set up at the other end.

When they finally did get some extended zone time, the Sharks scored. Marc-Edouard Vlasic took a quick shot that hit the goaltender and dropped into the blue paint next to him. Tomas Hertl was battling for space in front of the net. Despite being pushed over the goaltender at the last second, he got a stick on the puck and pushed it over the line at 6:26. Assists went to Vlasiuc and Joonas Donskoi.

The Sharks went back on the power play at 7:31, when Zadorov went back to the box, this time for roughing. The Sharks got four shots on that power play.

The Avalanche pulled their goaltender with over two minutes left in the game, but did not score again. The Sharks tried to score in the empty net a few times but missed.

Game 6 will be on Monday night at the Pepsi Center in Denver at 7:00 PM PT.

Injury notes: Joonas Donskoi was back in the lineup, and Joe Pavelski made an appearance Saturday, waving to the fans from the tunnel. Pavelski is skating again, but there is still no timetable for his return to play.

Warriors fall to Rockets 126-121 in OT, but still lead series 2-1

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

There is nothing like playoff basketball. The Warriors and Rockets played a thriller Saturday night at the Toyota Center.

It was a game the Rockets needed. If they lost, they would have trailed 3-0 and no team in NBA history has come back trailing 3-0. The Warriors came back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter, and the game ended tied 112-112 after 48 minutes of play. The Rockets outscored the Warriors 14-9 in the five-minute overtime period to come away with a 126-121 win. The Warriors still lead the series 2-1.

The game saw the Rockets grab the lead in the second period. The Warriors scored just one point in a little over four minutes to start the second period. The Rockets, who trailed by nine in the first period, ended the second period with a nine-point lead. Houston’s Eric Gordon killed the Warriors as he was making 3-point shots that put the Rockets in the lead. The Rockets made six 3-pointers in the first half, and the Warriors made just three 3s. The Rockets led 58-49 at the halfway point.

The Rockets increased the lead to 83-70 late in the third quarter. The Warriors Kevin Durant took control of the game with the help from Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson. The Warriors went on a 24-10 run to take a 94-93 lead after Durant knocked down a three. The two teams swapped the lead several times in the final stanza. Thompson kicked in with 10 points to keep the Warriors in the game. The Warriors led by two 112-110, but the Rockets scored the last two points of the quarter to force overtime. The Rockets had a chance to win, but Thompson forced a jump ball when he stopped Chris Paul’s drive to the basket with just 1.5 seconds left.

The Rockets scored the first basket in overtime, and the Warriors were never able to take the lead. With Houston leading 114-113, Eric Gordon hit a three. Andre Iguodala knocked down a three to make it 117-116. Houston increased the lead to 121-118. The Warriors failed to score, and Houston’s James Harden buried a three to put the Rockets up by six. Durant was fouled attempting a three, and made all three free throws to bring the Warriors close 124-121. Harden made the final bucket of the night.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors’ starting five scored 114 points, and their bench contributed only seven points in the loss. Kevin Durant led the team with 46 points. Draymond Green had another outstanding game as he finished with a triple-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Andre Iguodala finished with 16 points and knocked down three threes. Steph Curry had 17 and Klay Thompson had 16.

James Harden led the Rockets with 41. He hit five threes. Eric Gordon was second on the Rockets with 30. He made seven threes. Chris Paul had 13. Clint Capela had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. P.J.Tucker was outstanding on defense and scored seven points late in the game to help Houston win.

The Warriors shot 44.2% from the floor. They were 14 for 33 from three-point range. The Rockets shot 48.4% from the floor and made 18 threes in 43 tries. The Rockets outrebounded the Warriors 55-35. They had 17 offensive rebounds, and the Warriors made seven. The Warriors protected the ball well as they committed only eight turnovers. The Rockets turned the ball over 13 times.

Game 4 will be in Houston Monday night. Play will start at 6:30 pm.

Reds hit 5 home runs in 9-2 rout of Giants

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

After their miraculous comeback in the series opener on Friday night, the Cincinnati Reds were going to allow the San Francisco Giants do it to them two nights in a row.

Backed by five home runs and a strong performance by Tanner Roark, the Reds evened up the four-game series with a 9-2 thrashing of the Giants at Great American Ballpark.

Roark pitched 6.2 innings, giving two runs, while scattering four hits, walking two and striking out seven and picked up his second win of the season.

Once again, Dereck Rodriguez did not fare so well on the mound, as he went five innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits, walking four and striking out just one, as he fell to 3-4.

Yaisel Puig got the Reds on the board in the first inning, as he singled to left field to score Jesse Winker.

Just a 1/2 inning later, the Giants tied the game up, as Steven Duggar singled to right field to easily score Kevin Pillar.

Unfortunately, the Reds would break the tie and take the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning, as Tucker Barnhart grounded into a fielders choice that allowed Jose Peraza to score the eventual game-winning run.

After Joey Votto walked, Eugenio Suarez launched a three-run home run that broke the game wide open for the Reds.

Barnhart drove in his second run of the game, as he a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Derek Dietrich followed up his two home run game from Friday night and hit a solo home run, his third of the series in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Nick Senzel, who made his major league debut on Friday night made it back-to-back home runs, as he hit his first major league home run that extended the Reds lead up to 8-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning.

That would have been the second home run of the game for Senzel, but Pillar made a sensational catch that ended the bottom of the third inning. Pillar climbed the center field wall, grabbed hold of it and pulled the ball back into play.

Senzel was robbed of a hit by Pillar in the bottom of the first inning in his major league debut on Friday night, as he made a diving catch that denied Senzel of his first major league hit.

Duggar continued his hot hitting, as he singled in the top of the seventh inning to score the Giants’ second and final run, when Brandon Crawford scored, after he doubled with one out in the inning.

Switch-handed pitcher Pat Venditte made his Giants debut in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he pitched two innings.

The only hit that Venditte allowed was a solo home run to Puig in the bottom of the seventh inning.

NOTES: Evan Longoria was scratched from the lineup after he experienced tightness and inflammation in his left shoulder. Longoria is considered to be day-to-day, and was replaced in the starting lineup by Pablo Sandoval.

To make room for Venditte on the roster, Tyler Beede, who started Friday nights opener was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Matt Kemp was released by the Reds not even four months after he was acquired by the team from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kemp, who is currently on the injured list after suffering a broken rib when he collided with the outfield wall at Petco Park in a game against the San Diego Padres on April 23 was hitting just .200 with one home run and five runs batted in. Kemp was acquired from the Dodgers along with Puig, pitcher Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer.

UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija will take the mound on Sunday afternoon, as he will face the Reds for the first time in nearly two years. The last time Samardzija faced the Reds was on May 14, 2017, an 8-3 win by the Giants. Samardzija is 2-1 with a 3.53 ERA.

Luis Castillo, who was the National League Pitcher of the month for April, will make his first start in the month of May. Castillo is 3-1 on the season with a 1.45 ERA.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Matt Harrington: Crucial Game 5 for Sharks, Avs tonight; Canes sweep Isles out of playoffs; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Covers

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Matt:

#1 With the San Jose Sharks Joe Pavelski skating on Wednesday and wearing full head gear with mouth protector, how soon is he expected to come back?

#2 The Sharks’ Erik Karlsson has skated much better. He has four shots against Colorado in 25:24, which is much better than he shot against Vegas in the first round.

#3 Carolina Hurricanes goals from Teuvo Teravainen and Greg McKegg got the New York Islanders goalie pulled. The Canes goalie Curtis McElhinney stoppd 26 shots — that’s his second best of his postseason career. Carolina picked up a 5-2 win to sweep the New York Islanders in four games.

#4 The Dallas Stars’ Jason Spezza picked up a crucial goal and Stars goalie Ben Bishop stopped 38 shots in the Stars’ 2-1 win over the Blues to take a 3-2 series lead.

#5 Columbus and Boston are tied in their series 2-2 and a crucial Game 5 is tonight in Boston. Matt tells us his expectations in this one.

Matt Harrington does commentary each Saturday on the NHL Stanley Cup podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs/San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Jones, a huge instrument in shutting down Avalanche for Game 5 tonight

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @BayAreaSportsHQ

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs/SJ Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Judging from the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche, does Len see this series going to seven games?

#2 How much of a difference in goal has Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer made in this series he’s been 93% average in league? His big game was game four when he shutout the Sharks 3-0 saved 32 shots in game four.

#3 Also, not to take anything away from Sharks goalie Martin Jones, whose save percentage is .910 in the postseason, which is up from his regular season save percentage of .896.

#4 Although the series is tied at 2-2, it’s important to note the Sharks won two of the first three games of this series and can lend into Game 5.

#5 The Avalanche’s Nathan McKinnon has six goals and seven assists in eight playoff games. How important is it for the Sharks defense to key in on him in Game 5?

#6 The Sharks have not been able to put a decent power play together in this series going 1-11.

#7 Thornton, Sorenson, LeBanc have combined for one assist in the last three games

#8 Hertl and Kane do not have a point in the last two games, Pavelski is a no show and will not play

Len Shapiro is covering the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Playoffs series and podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

After an objection review, Country House declared winner of the Kentucky Derby

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @KentuckyDerby

By: Ana Kieu

For horse racing fans, the Kentucky Derby is the greatest two minutes in sports. This year’s was Country House. Last year’s winner was Justify.

Rain poured in Louisville, Ky. for about an hour before the post time. As a result, officials were forced to downgrade the track condition to sloppy for the third year in a row.

Despite a muddy track at Churchill Downs, the 65-1 Country House won the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Country House, however, was technically not supposed to be the winner. The favorite, Omaha Beach, was pulled out of the race days ago.

There was a controversial objection on the field and the officials reviewed a light touch between Maximum Security and Country House. Jockeys briefed while the judges watched replays of the race. The official results and payouts were determined after the completed objection review.

The initial winner was Maximum Security, who was immediately disqualified after the objective review. Maximum Security was 4-1.

During the objection review process, Maximum Security jockey Luis Saez told NBC that he did all he could to help his horse stay straight after he became scared of the muddy surface.

Maximum Security trainer Jason Servis said, “He straightened up right away and I don’t think it affected the outcome of the race.” Servis reportedly prayed to the racing gods.

This was the first time in Kentucky Derby history where the horse who finished first was disqualified.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: A’s, Giants on the road for Cinco de Mayo weekend

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: youtube.com

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, and it is the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, Mexico in 1862, which marks a Mexican military victory over the French forces of Napoleon. It is NOT Mexican Independence Day, that is on September 16. But Cinco de Mayo is a popular day that ironically is celebrated much more in the US than in Mexico.

What? How can that be.The San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Bay Area is one of the most wealthiest areas of the country. The South Bay and Silicon Valley is leading the way when it comes to the world’s technology. Today, the nine-county Bay Area has a population of over seven million people and we are denied to have one our teams at home? For the record, it also happens in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, three metropolitan areas with two major league teams who play less than 50 miles apart.

The MLB’s 30 team schedule is truly a crazy one, with interleague games since 1997, beginning with the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants in Arlington, Texas. That day, Texas and three other games on the West Coast, teams from the National League, played teams from the American League during the regular season for the first time. In the end, they played a total of 214 games spread over three periods, the last ending on September 3.

I was working that first ever interleague game, broadcasting for the Giants when they played the Rangers in Arlington. On June 12 ,1997, a historical first interleague game where the Giants beat the Rangers 4-3. Mark Gardner (7-2) got the victory for the Giants, while Darren Oliver (3-8) was charged with the loss for the Rangers, and Rod Beck saved his 20th game for the Giants. I remember it well and I still have a souvenir they passed in the press box for that historical day.

It is a shame with the great weather we are enjoying in the Bay Area, baseball fans will not be able to attend a game this Cinco de Mayo. However, on Monday, September 16, the A’s will be at home hosting the Kansas City Royals, so you can celebrate Mexican Independence at the Coliseum that day. Also, on September 16, the Giants have an off-day in Boston and will begin a three-game set against the Red Sox the next day. Oh, yes…interleague play!

Anyways, Feliz Cinco de Mayo amigos!