Shea Langeliers (23) of the Sacramento A’s and currently on the IL and out for the rest of the season gave it his all in 2026 and was voted the starting catcher for the American League during last month’s All Star Game in Philadelphia. Langeliers if he had not got injured might be playing for another team before the MLB trade deadline. (AP photo)
The Trade Frenzy is over, and the A’s Front Office was on Vacation
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
Amaury Pi-González
True, nobody was expecting the A’s to acquire pitcher Tarik Skubal from the Tigers, but they were as quiet as anybody that I can remember when it comes to an important trade deadline. (Tarik Skubal was born in Hayward) considered the most talented pitcher in the game, was acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers. I think Rob Manfred, the Commissioner, should give the World Series Trophy to the Dodgers by the end of this month; why wait?
The A’s are still a developing team. Catchers were in high demand. A’s All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers underwent a successful medial meniscectomy and PRP injection in Los Angeles on July 28, which is expected to end his 2026 season. I consider him the best all-around A’s player, one of the best catchers in baseball. Shea is having his best season, hitting .263 with 23 homeruns and 51 runs batted in. Defensively, his metrics are among the best for catchers.
As far as catchers go. I was very surprised that the Baltimore Orioles traded their great catcher, Adley Rutschman, to the Boston Red Sox. The Orioles made the postseason in 2024, and less than two years later, Rutschman became the best catcher traded this weekend.
Not long ago, Rutschman was considered the face of the Orioles franchise. Good catchers are usually not traded because once a catcher changes teams, he will have to learn how to receive and work with pitchers that he has never worked with. Although some great catchers were traded. Perhaps the best example was Gary Carter, a Hall of Fame catcher.
Carter was traded from the Montreal Expos to the New York Mets, but it was not during a trade deadline but months after the season ended, on December 10, 1984. I have followed the Orioles since I was a kid and was their ball boy and sometimes bat boy during the Orioles Spring Training in Miami, back in the day. In other words, since my teen years, the Orioles have been my first love in baseball and the team deep in my heart.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has been open for 87 years, established and dedicated in June 1939, and there are twenty (20) catchers inducted in Cooperstown.
Catching is the one position that takes a load mentally as well as physically, and then you have to guide your pitcher to execute the pitch you want; a catcher is like having another manager, but on the field.
The phrase “tools of ignorance” is most frequently credited to a major league catcher; according to some historical and baseball sources, it is attributed to fellow catcher Bill Dickey. But it was said because of all the gear that a catcher has to wear, it doesn’t take anything away from intelligence. And execution, directing the pitcher on every pitch he receives.
True that the A’s did not make any news in this trading cycle, but nobody really expected them to do much, maybe anything. They have other priorities; after all, this is a franchise in the middle of transition, not only players, but stadiums, cities, billionaires like Mark Cuban investing in the franchise; who knows, Cuban could own the A’s sooner than you think.
We get it: the A’s are not only a team not contending, 22 games under. 500 while owning penultimate place, but a team that still feels like they cannot keep up with the herd. The A’s have a very good young and aggressive lineup, but they forgot one very important side of the game: pitching, unless you are planning to win most games 15 to14.
Quote: The catcher is in the middle of everything. He sees it best. -Johnny Bench
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Oakland Ballers Jeter Ybarra won the knock out round against the Red Pocket Mobiles sending the Ballers dugout onto the field to celebrate at Raimondi Park in Oakland on Sat Aug 2, 2026 (photo by Oakland Ballers)
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–For all the on field sound and fury of this week in Oakland Ballers baseball, the most significant event may have occurred behind closed doors. On the Pioneer Baseball League’s players’ Monday day off, its owners got together and voted to place a new team in Irvine, CA in 2027. Ballers co-founder and CEO Paul Freedman announced the decision on the team’s You Tube channel during the team’s You Tube broadcast of the Wednesday game. The following is the text of the statement the circuit released on its website the following day:
The Pioneer Baseball League, a Major League Baseball Partner League, is coming to Orange County. The Irvine City Council voted Tuesday to approve a five-year agreement with Innovation Baseball Partners (IBP), clearing the way for a yet-to-be-named Pioneer Baseball League club to begin play at Great Park Baseball Stadium in the summer of 2027.
The agreement gives IBP the rights to operate the ballclub at the Great Park facility, including branding and advertising inside and outside the stadium, and calls for upgrades to the ballpark’s food and entertainment offerings.
“We’re thrilled to bring a new baseball team to Orange County. Innovation Baseball Partners takes pride in tailoring our teams to the communities we represent,” said IBP co-founder Paul Freedman. “Irvine is a hub for innovation with a diverse and growing population, and we know we can build something special out of Great Park.”
Under the terms of the deal, IBP will provide a minimum of $25,000 annually in community benefit programming. City officials project the partnership will generate approximately $368,000 in annual revenue for the Great Park Facility.
Central to the club’s plan is a ballpark experience drawing on the stadium cultures of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan and the Korea Baseball Organization in South Korea. Fans can expect coordinated crowd participation, energetic in-game entertainment, and a menu blending iconic Asian street foods and local craft beverages with traditional ballpark fare.
“IBP is designing a premium ballpark experience from the ground up, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to the Great Park,” said Irvine Councilmember William Go, Chair of the Great Park Board. “This partnership will bring elite entertainment to our City without the elite price tag, tailored for the people who live here.”
IBP also owns and operates two existing PBL clubs, the Long Beach Coast and Yuba-Sutter Freebirds. The group has built its model around affordable, family-oriented ballpark experiences.
Founded in 1939, the Pioneer Baseball League is an MLB Partner League , with player eligibility limited to those with no more than two years of professional experience. Great Park Baseball Stadium, which has hosted collegiate and amateur events in the past, will now serve as the home of the region’s newest professional club.
Details on the club’s official branding, final venue agreements, and player signings will be released in the coming months. Fans can follow updates and join the priority ticket waitlist at www.ocbaseballclub.com.
Many aspects of this document puzzled me. As I have pointed out several times in my contributions to Sports Radio Service, the Pioneer League was founded in 1939, but the Pioneer Baseball League’s first season was considerably later. MLB’s website does little to clarify this muddle, stating in its definition of partner leagues, “Since 1939, the Pioneer Baseball League had operated in the Mountain West region as an MLB-affiliated league. Beginning in 2021, the Pioneer League became a Partner League with clubs in Montana, Idaho, Utah Colorado and California
There are two problems with that quoted assertion. The first is that the Ballers and the Yolo Highwheelers were the first California based teams in the circuit, and their initial season was 2024. The second is that the Pioneer Baseball League definitely is not “now in its 87th year.” During 1993, I attended Pioneer League— not Pioneer Baseball League—games in Billings, Medicine Hat, and Idaho Falls. Take a look at these images from the Billings Mustangs’ program of that season.
What is the precise relationship between Mr. Freedman, the league, the Ballers, the new team in Irvine, and the Yolo Highwheelers, for that matter. I’m not impugning anyone’s integrity, nor do I have any serious legal knowledge of what constitutes criminal conflict of interest. Clearly, I need some clarification, and I think I share that need with my readers.
From what I can gather from a few online searches, it seems as though conflict of interest is endemic among MLB Partner Leagues. I found an article by Casey Dills, “The Rise of MLB Partner Leagues: Creation, Importance, and Impact on Professional Baseball,’” published on LinkedIn, that outlines the problem. The Ballers’ recent stock offering, also gives me pause. If, however, we recognize that the PBL is a training league, a three month try out camp in which players can hone and showcase their skills, the appearance of conflict of interest disappears.
The flip side to that is that wins and loses lose much of their importance and become part of the spectators’ entertainment experience, an emotional stadium giveaway. Teamwork and winning are, after all, marketable skills that the players can use if and when they advance to affiliated teams.
It’s not just for players for which the PCL serves as a try out camp. The league also tests new rules there. The Knock Out Round is one example; the pitch call challenge is another. Although that rule has some advantages, reading Dale Zimmerman, Chenyang Li, and Riley Post’s study, “On the Association of Umpire Performance with Age and Experience in MLB,” in the Spring 2026 issue of Baseball Research Journal gave me pause. Although I’m no statistician—indeed, I wasn’t able to finish reading the piece—I believe that these two sentences cast serious doubt on the value of current ABS (Automatic Balls and Strikes):”[A] pitch is determined to be incorrectly called if 1) the probability that the pitch was in fact a strike is over 90% and the umpire called it a ball or 2) the probability that that pitch was is fact a ball is over 90% and the umpire called it a strike.” A margin of error that large strikes me as outweighing the costs of change a real life game into a video game. I’d welcome feedback from any of my statistical savvy readers, the Pioneer Baseball League, or the Ballers.
When we get to my report on the Ballers-Mobiles game of Sunday, August 2, we’ll get an idea of how casually those who execute the cyberfication of the game take these statistical ground rules.
One thing is clear; I can’t offer any informed speculations about the I impact of the forthcoming Irvine franchise on the PBL’s financial stability, its effect on the Ballers’ level of play, or the permanence of the Ballers in Oakland.
Writing that last sentence sent a chill down my spine, not just for the legitimate reason that the Baller franchise is premised on the promise never to leave The Town, but also because on Sunday, July 26, the Ballers had celebrated Halloween in July at Raimondi Field (remember that baseball is a sport rife with superstition). But it was on Tuesday the 28th at Marysville’s Bryant Field that the real horror story unfolded.
Blowing an early two run lead is no nightmare on Elm Street. Indeed, squandering leads early and often is part of the PBL’s DNA. But going on to lose, 20-10, with after the sun has set and the temperature is in the 90s to a team that took the field at 18-42 for the season might very well qualify as a nocturnal panic. And that’s what happened to the Ballers as they started their three night, three game series against the erstwhile Yolo Highwheelers, now known as the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds.
T GREAT SPORTS BUSINESS
After bringing home Oakland’s first pro baseball championship in three-plus decades, the Oakland Ballers are expanding beyond the diamond. With a 10-year license in place at historic Raimondi Park and owners like Billie Joe Armstrong and to turning Oakland’s only pro sports team into a year-round business.
Winning pitcher: Isaiah Williams Losing pitcher: Reed Butz (0-1,11.57)
The only bright spots in the evening’s debacle were that after falling behind 19-4, the B’s outscored the F-Bids, 6-2 and that Tremayne Cobb was in uniform and off the injured list. He didn’t see any action but did warm up with the team and would return to the lineup the next evening, Wednesday July 29.
Even that bounce back 9-4 victory left some doubt about whether or not the nightmare was over; the Freebirds outscored the B’s, 2-1, from the fifth through the ninth frame.
Winning pitcher: Christian Díaz (1-0, 2.35) Losing pitcher: Mark López ((0-3)
Cobb went only one for five on his return to action, but that included a run producing double to right center in the second. Oakland’s dynamic shortstop went 0-2 as a substitute DH on the 30th and hasn’t played since then. His status remains a serious concern. In short, the doubt about the B’s ability to consolidate their winning trend turned out to be justified.
That Thursday defeat at the hands of lowly Freebirds was the type of sobering experience that could drive you to drink.
Winning pitcher: Information not available. Losing pitcher: Griffin Smith (1-5)
Time: 2:39 Attendance: 403
I began this chronicle with some comments on the baleful effects of computer technology on the PBL, so it might be fitting for me to end my coverage of the games in Marysville, the most cyber dependent site in the league.Bryant Field
Is the only venue in the circuit that goes full ABS. The home plate umpire does not call balls and strikes, subject to challenges that are settled by ABS; he reads the ABS report on the scoreboard and calls out the result. Box scores from Marysville show up on the PBL’s website without the umpires’ last names, just their first name and initial, nor do they include who got the won, the lost, or the save. The failure of the reports isn’t necessarily the effect of the complete dependence on the ABS, but, as Thoreau said, “Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk.”
The Ballers convincing win on returning home on the last day of July raises some troubling questions about both the nature of the PBL and the on field performance of the B’s..
RedPocket Mobiles (1-15,13-51) 000 001 100 2 3 0
Oakland Ballers (6-10,28-36) 100 102 03x 7 10 0
Winnng pitcher: Charlie Hurley (2-5) Losing pitcher: Blayne Huter (3-2)
Time; 2:50 Attendance: 3,012
The RedPocket Mobiles, the Ballers’ victim Friday evening are a barnstorming team. They have no home ballpark, nort even a temporary or rolling one. They have, in short, no community. What does that tell us about the league’s commitment to community development?
The final score was a comfortable 7-2 in favor of the home team, but it wasn’t all that easy a win. RedPocket closed the gap between the two outfits to 2-1 after five and a half frames. It took a three run explosion in the bottom of the eighth before the Ballers’ advantage could be considered moderately secure by PBL standards.
Another point of concern were newcomer Julio Rosario’s three walks to the five batters he faced in seventh, a disappointment mitigated by his having struck out the other two. The Ballers once more demonstrated their penchant for shooting themselves in the foot when Mitchell Sanford ran into a third out that ended the home second in his first game at Raimondi. He, too, mitigated his error by smacking a drive into the the Mobiles’ bullpen that accounted for the three crucial Baller runs in the eight.
On a more lighthearted note, it was Grateful Dead Night, and the Ballers adopted the ad hoc pseudonym and jersey of Oaksterdam Blazers. They sold the latter at $70 each. The event lifted the crowd’s spirits and gained the team reams of press coverage.
The Ballers began August by celebrating a different sort of trip; it was Public Transit Day at the ballpark.
The Ballers jumped off to an early lead of 5-0 after two innings and, even against a placeholdere team like the Mobiles, found themselves on the short end of 6-5 contest in the middle of the fifth. Each time committed two errors, all of them charged to infielders, and several runners reached base on hits that could have been scored as errors. I chalked some, but not all, of those plays to the hard infield, baked dry by the current heat wave.
Oakland staged a 2025 comeback win over the Mobiles to close out the series on Sunday, August 2. Down biy the East Coast working person’s score of nine to five, Esai Santos worked a walk, and a glimmer of hope that all was not lost began to arise. But Jaden Collura smacked a grounder to RedPockets first sacker Jordan Harrison-Dudley, whose fielding deficits would make Moose Skowron look like Vic Power. For all his weaknesses as a fielder, Harrison-Dudley made an accurate throw to shortstop Spence Coffman at second. And Coffman dropped the ball! An Allgeyer singled clogged the basepaths. Jeter Ybarra, who already had a couple of roundtrippers to his credit for the afternoon, smoked the ball into the right center field batting cages. (Nice touch, that). It was his 29th four bagger of the year. It was only fitting that he should hit the deciding “home run”of the KO Inning. And he did.
RedPocket Mobiles (1-17,13-53) 005 100 111 9 13 1
Oakland Ballers (8-10,30-36) 001 001 013 9 13 1
There was no winning or losing pitcher. Oakland won in the first round of the Knock Out Inning, 1 (Jeter
Ybarra)-0 (Kishon Frett)
The manner in which the Ballers won the Shoot Out at the KO Corral is further evidence of the faults of that way of settling ties. The countdown clock on the score board hadn’t been reset when Kishon Frett began taking swings and the balls tossed his way. It was lucky for the B’s that RedPockets’ standard bearer’s five outs disqualified him. Otherwise, he would have had at least an extra minute left before the two minutes allotted knockout round batters would have expired.
The coming week will see three more games between the Mobiles and the Ballers, all starting at 6:35.Then it’s off to Marysville for three games robo-umped ball.
Texas Rangers fans and a San Francisco Giant fan were reaching and waiting for Giants Jung Hoo Lee’s home run ball in the top of the third inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Mon Aug 3, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
The San Francisco Giants (47-65) took to the road for a matchup with the Texas Rangers (55-57) Monday evening amid a well-published myriad of changes for the Giants. The Giants got what they have needed so badly in many of their losses, an early lead. Going into the fourth inning they had a 3-0 lead.
Logan Webb pitched six spotless innings giving up only five hits. They scored a couple of runs in the second inning adding one more in the third, a Jung Hoo Lee solo home run.
Lee would hit a second home run in the eighth inning extending the San Francisco lead to 4-0. Lee would sacrifice Grant McCray home and the Giants were looking for a shut-out going into the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Rangers foiled the possible shut-out when Ezequiel Duran hit a solo home run but San Francisco did come away with the 5-1 win.
GAME RECAP
San Francisco starting pitching Logan Webb had a three strike-out inning to open the game. Each pitcher had a walk in the first inning but no hits going into the second inning.
The Giants would light up the scoreboard in the second inning scoring two runs. Daniel Susac reached second on a Ranger error and would score when Drew Gilbert singled. Osleivis Basabe sacrificed Gilbert home for a second run and a 2-0 San Francisco lead.
The Giants continued pounding the ball with a third run, a Lee solo home run in the third inning. The Giants Logan Webb gave up a couple of singles in the bottom of the third but no runs and added one more strikeout. After three innings the Giants got the early start they had been looking for.
Rangers starting pitcher Cal Quantrill gave up a single in the fourth inning, no runs and Logan Webb had the same result with one single in the inning.
Both pitchers had quality innings in the fifth and sixth innings. Going into the seventh innings there were pitching changes for both teams. For Texas Ben Peoples relieved Quantrill and for San Francisco Sam Hentges relieved Webb. Both pitchers got through the inning and San Francisco took the 3-0 lead into the eighth inning.
San Francisco’s Lee hit his second home run of the game in the eighth inning and the Giants were weaving their way toward a shut-out now with a 4-0 lead. Both teams had six hits through eight innings but it was the Giants that had the timely hits.
The game went into the ninth inning and the Giants were three outs away from winning the first game of the series. Lee had been instrumental in this game and would add another RBI sacrificing Grant McCray, who had walked, home.
San Francisco was looking at a 5-0 shut-out win to open this series. The Rangers had something else in mind and with one out the shut-out was snuffed in thanks to an Ezequiel Duran solo home run.
It has been a tough start for the Rangers committing five errors in this game, not their finest hour but they did avoid the shut-out. Their offense was equally sub-par. The final was 5-1 in favor of San Francisco.
GAME NOTES
The Giants dominated in game one of the series from start to finish. They scored early and the work on the mound from Logan Webb was terrific. Webb kept the Rangers’ offense under control limiting hard contact and preventing any big innings. Webb gave the Giants the chance to play from in front for a change.
San Francisco capitalized on scoring opportunities while the Rangers did not cash in with runners on base. The Giants played a far cleaner game defensively while the Ranger struggled with five errors. This was one of the best all-around games San Francisco has played recently.
San Franciscos’ Logan Webb pitched through six innings allowing five hits, no runs, one walk and eight strikeouts. Webb was relieved by Keaton Winn in the seventh inning going 2/3 s of an inning. Sam Hentges would relieve Winn in the seventh inning closing out the inning and would also pitch through the eighth. It was some solid work from the mound in this game.
Quantrill pitched through six innings as well. He allowed four hits, three runs, one earned run, one walk and four strikeouts.
San Francisco had a great start in game one and would be looking to score early in the second game of the series Tuesday. This was key to their win Monday night. Blade Tidwell will take the mound for the Giants in game two.
Tidwell was traded to the Giants by the New York Mets on July 30th of 2025. He had a shoulder injury that prevented him from debuting with the Giants in 2025. Tidwell will be returning to the big leagues for the first time since late April where he was operating out of the bullpen. Tidwell’s ERA is 3.00. The Rangers MacKenzie Gore will start Tuesday. He has a 6-9 win/loss record and a 4.77 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 5:05 PM.
Former San Francisco Giant Luis Arraez has been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sun Aug 2, 2025 (Philadelphia Phillies AI photo)
SF Giants deadline trade report: Giants clear vets and improve farm at deadline, Arraez to Phils, Ray to Padres and Mahle to Braves
The Trade Deadline has come and gone, and the Giants have somewhat cleaned house with a flurry of moves.After their 5-4 loss to the Padres in San Diego yesterday, the Giants dealt starting pitcher Tyler Mahle to the Atlanta Braves for relief pitcher Anthony Molina.
Mahle was brought in on a one-year deal over the off-season, but has had a nightmare season for the Giants. Mahle went 3-9 with a 5.13 ERA over 18 starts with the Giants. Mahle is going to a band box in Truist Park. Perhaps, the Braves can find something to fix him that the Giants could not.
Now, to the trades we all expected to happen. Luis Arraez, who was too good to be true for the Giants this season, was traded alongside relief pitcher Caleb Kilian to the Philadelphia Phillies for right-handed pitchers Marty Gair and Ramon Marquez.
As much as the Giants will miss Arraez’ bat and glove, the latter of which came to life under the tutelage of infield coach Ron Washington, Marquez was the Phillies’ number-four prospect. Marquez is 6-1 with a 1.68 ERA with the Single-A Clearwater Thrashers and High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws. Marquez is expected to be in the major league by 2028.
The Giants have dealt left-hander Robbie Ray to the San Diego Padres for two of the Padres’ top-10 prospects. The Giants received right-handed pitcher Miguel Mendez, who was the Padres’ number-four prospect, as well as shortstop Joniel Hernandez.Mendez, who is expected to be in the big leagues by next season, has had a rough season with the Double-A San Antonio Missions, as he has gone 2-2 with a 4.79 ERA.
Hernandez hit .316 in the Dominican Summer League.Heliot Ramos was dealt to the New York Yankees for left-handed pitching prospect Henry Lelane, and shortstop Kaeden Kent. Yes, the latter is the son of Hall-of-Fame second-baseman Jeff Kent. That means the Giants now have Barry Bonds’ nephew, Peyton Bonds, and Jeff Kent’s son,
Kaeden Kent, in their minor league system.“My heart was beating hard when I saw [the trade o]n the TV, but I feel like I’m in a good spot,” said Ramos. “If they trade it for me, it’s because they want me, obviously So I’m very proud. I mean, it’s the Yankees.”It has been a roller coaster for Ramos, who went from being one of the top prospects in Baseball to falling off completely. He finally sprang to life under Bob Melvin in 2024, and even went to the All-Star Game that season.
Ramos hit 22 home runs in 121 games for the Giants in 2021, followed by 21 last season.Lelane was 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA for the Single-A Tampa Tarpons and High-A Hudson Valley Renegades this season. Lelane and Kent are expected to be in the major league by 2028.
A bit surprising was the fact that the Giants traded left-handed reliever Erik Miller, along with outfield prospect Carlos Guiterrez, to the Boston Red Sox for infielder Marcelo Mayer. Miller had a 2.76 ERA for the Giants this season, and even showed potential to be the team’s closer.
Well, that is the business of Baseball.Pitchers Blade Tidwell, Tristan Beck and Carson Seymour have been called up, as the Giants will begin a three-game series against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas Monday night.
Sacramento A’s starter JT Ginn will take the mound against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on Tue Aug 4, 2026 (San Francisco Chronicle file photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason:
#1 The Sacramento A’s have seen a number of their players suffering injuries that put them on the injured list one of the key players whose out of the line up Nick Kurtz sprained his thumb July 11th returned two weeks later but struggled at the plate going 1-18 in seven games and now will have to see a spcialist for his injured thumb and is headed back for the IL Monday.
#2 The Detroit Tigers swept the Athletics in a three game series on Sunday the A’s were dominated by Detroit pitching and had no run production in the 11-0 loss.
#3 A’s starter Gage Jump pitched 3.2 innings four hits and six earned runs the one thing you want to get out of your starter the low run count against the Tiger line up and Jump a first year pitcher on the A’s staff try as hard as he may allowed four runs in the top of the fourth as the Tigers took a 6-0 lead.
#4 The A’s have lost 29 of their last 36 games in a tough stretch, on this last homestand the A’s lost three out of four games to the Boston Red Sox and the three game sweep with the Tigers. The A’s in the standings are just 2.5 games over the last place Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.
#5 The A’s who played Sunday’s game in 105 degree heat in West Sacramento will head to Cincinnati to face the Reds in milder temperatures in the 80s. Starting pitchers for Sacramento RHP JT Ginn (8-6 ERA 3.46) for Cincinnati RHP Brady Singer (5-10 ERA 4.35) first pitch 3:40pm PDT on Tuesday night.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün (13), who scored 24 points, shoots a 3-pointer over Toronto’s Kia Nurse (11) in the first half Sunday at Chase Center. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
By Michael Roberson
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Golden State Valkyries (20-9) managed to overcome a blown double-digit lead and come back and overwhelmed the expansion Toronto Tempo (10-19) 96-79, in front of 18,064 fans in the Chase Center Sunday night.
The Valkyries opened the game with a 4-0 run, and had the crowd in a frenzy. However, the Tempo had a 6-0 run of their own, to take the lead. They held their advantage, before the home team fought back.
Golden State finished the initial quarter with a 5-point lead, 25-20. During the tense first quarter, there were four lead changes and two ties. The heavily favored Valkyries appeared to have a battle on their hands. The Tempo gave the appearance they were in the City by the Bay to play.
In the second quadrant, the Valkyries led by as many as 13 points, but managed to squander most of it by recess. Toronto was on the verge of being blown out of the arena, but managed to forge their way back to a minute deficit, instead of double-figures. By the time the halftime whistle blew, that 13-point lead was whittled to just one point, 44-43.
At the midway point of the game, one player from both teams managed to score at least 10 points. Gabby Williams logged ten points for the Valkyries, while Nyara Sabally produced 12 points and seven rebounds for her Canadian organization after 20 minutes. The Valkyries had some explaining to do at the break.
Although the Valkyries managed to score the first bucket of the second half, they were still in jeopardy of losing that previous huge lead. Toronto did finally overcome that 13-point disadvantage at the 7:54 mark of the third quarter., 49-48. The Valkyries were on their heels and about to disappoint the Bay Area faithful supporters. The Tempo put the lead up to their top notch of a five point lead (56-51) approximately two minutes later.
Golden State managed to turn that deficit to an 8-point lead late in the same quarter, and eventually settled for a lead of six (67-61) after 30 minutes of WNBA action. The Valkyries appeared to have righted the ship.
In the Final stanza, the Valkyries pushed the lead as high as 17 points, and took total control of the contest. During the second half, despite lead changes, Golden State outscored the Tempo by 16 points. Toronto’s coach even intimated that her team may have run out of gas in the second half. They did have an uphill battle most of the game.
At the final buzzer, the full house erupted with joy as the Valkyries won their 20th game of the season, and fought off a potentially embarrassing loss. After it was all said and done, the second year squad won in blowout fashion, 96-79. The Tempo will have come right back at the victors in part two of the series.
Janelle SaSalaun led all scorers with 24 points. Veronica Burton contributed 17 points and six assists, while Gabby Williams and Tiffany Hayes tallied 15 points. Kiah Stokes grabbed 11 rebounds, to go with her eight points.
Toronto’s starting five all reached the 10+ points plateau. The aforementioned Sabally led with 19 points and eight rebounds. Rookie sensation Kiki Rice put up 16 points and five assists, Laura Juskaite (15), Julie Allemand (11) and six assists, and Maria Conde (10), five rebounds and five assists..
Both teams will be right at it in Ballhalla on Tuesday, August 4 at 7:00 PM PT on KMAX/KPIX+.
Detroit Tigers starter Keider Montero pitches against the Sacramento A’s in the bottom of the second inning at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Daniel Dullum:
#1 The Sacramento A’s have seen a number of their players suffering injuries that put them on the injured list one of the key players whose out of the line up Nick Kurtz sprained his thumb July 11th returned two weeks later but struggled at the plate going 1-18 in seven games and now will have to see a spcialist for his injured thumb and is headed back for the IL Monday.
#2 The Detroit Tigers swept the Athletics in a three game series on Sunday the A’s were dominated by Detroit pitching and had no run production in the 11-0 loss.
#3 A’s starter Gage Jump pitched 3.2 innings four hits and six earned runs the one thing you want to get out of your starter the low run count against the Tiger line up and Jump a first year pitcher on the A’s staff try as hard as he may allowed four runs in the top of the fourth as the Tigers took a 6-0 lead.
#4 The A’s have lost 29 of their last 36 games in a tough stretch, on this last homestand the A’s lost three out of four games to the Boston Red Sox and the three game sweep with the Tigers. The A’s in the standings are just 2.5 games over the last place Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.
#5 The A’s who played Sunday’s game in 105 degree heat in West Sacramento will head to Cincinnati to face the Reds in milder temperatures in the 80s. Starting pitchers for Sacramento RHP JT Ginn (8-6 ERA 3.46) for Cincinnati RHP Brady Singer (5-10 ERA 4.35) first pitch 3:40pm PDT on Tuesday night.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Former New York Yankee releiver Camilo Doval was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two minor league propects on Sat Aug 1, 2026 (AP News photo)
MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:
#1 Former San Francisco Giant reliever Camilo Doval was traded by the New York Yankees to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. The Pirates looking for bullpen help and not being in post season for 11 years acquired Doval as the Yankees will cover part of Doval’s salary and the Yankees will receive two minor league players catcher Omar Alfonzo and outfielder Luis Cruz.
#2 The Houston Astros announced that Carlos Correa’s torn left ankle tendon surgery is making a remarkable recovery and that Correa could be back sometime this season. Correa after undergoing the surgery was expected to be out for the rest of the season. The Astros said they couldn’t rule Correa out and that he could make a return this season.
#3 The San Francisco Giants have suspended outfielder Harrison Bader’s salary after he reaggravated his left foot in a scooter accident on Sun Jul 26th in downtown San Francisco the morning before the Giants were to host the Los Angeles Angels. Bader reportedly was drunk and collided with the back of a fire truck. Giants team president Buster Posey said he and the club are conducting an investigation of the accident.
#4 The Pittsburgh Pirates Ryan O’Hearn is on the ten day IL due to a strained left quad and will be out for six to eight weeks. O’Hearn while running to first base pulled up grabbing his left leg after hitting into a ground out in a game against the Cincinnati Reds Saturday in the ninth inning which the Pirates lost 8-7. Pirates manager Don Kelly helped O’Hearn off the field with the assistance of the trainer.
#5 Charlie, what does it mean for the Sacramento A’s orgainzation now that former managing partner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban has bought at least five percent share as minority partner into the A’s this past week. Will Cuban play a role in the ownership role or merely will just own part of the club and be a silent partner?
San Francisco Giant starter Logan Webb gets the call agianst the Texas Rangers Mon Aug 3, 2026 to open the three game series (AP News file photo)
San Francisco Giants podcast Marko Ukalovic:
#1 The San Diego Padres Jackson Merill had a key home run actually a crucial home run as the Padres edged the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park in San Diego 5-4 Sunday.
#2 The Padres Jake Cronenworth and Luis Campusano both had RBIs that also contributed to the Padres win over the Giants.
#3 On the Giants side of it Willy Adames got a base hit in the top of the fourth that scored Byce Eldridge. It was a run that tightened the ball game up.
#4 Continuing with the Giants offense Rafeal Devers scored twice once on a Drew Cabanaugh ground out. Devers hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning.
#5 The Giants on Monday open a three game series with the Texas Rangers starting pitchers for San Francisco RHP Logan Webb (6-7, 3.93 ERA) for the Rangers RHP Cal Quantrill (4-3, 3.84) first pitch at Globe Life Field 5:50pm PDT.
The second inning was the deciding factor in Sunday’s game between the San Francisco Giants (47-65) and the San Diego Padres (58-54). In this fourth game of the series the Giants once again fell behind early as they did in their two prior games in this four game series.
The first inning went smoothe enough for both teams but the second inning threatened to break this game wide open when the Padres hit a two run homer followed by base runners Xander Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets scoring on a Jake Cronenworth infield single giving San Diego a 4-0 lead.
San Francisco fought to within a single run in the fifth inning but gave up a run in the bottom of the fifth. The Padres took a 5-3 lead into the eighth inning. San Francisco badly needed hits reminiscent of Saturday’s game when they tied it all up in the eighth inning. They were able to get a Rafael Devers solo home run but that would be all losing the game 5-4 their third loss in a row.
GAME RECAP
Going into the second inning there was no score in Sunday’s game between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres. Both starting pitchers had a pretty solid first inning. That’s when the Padres lreally heated up with a Jackson Merrill two run home run followed by a Jake Cronenworth infield single driving Bogaerts and Sheets home taking an early 4-0 lead.
Starting pitcher for the Padres Kyle Hart dismissed the Giants three and out in the top of the third inning. The Giants starter Landen Roupp also got through the bottom of the inning unscathed.
San Francisco got a couple of runs back in the top of the fourth inning. They loaded the base with only one out. A Jung Hoo Lee single drove Bryce Eldridge home for the first run.
Drew Cavenaugh grounded out to shortstop and Devers scored a second run. They had some work to do but only trailed by two runs 4-2. Landen Roupp got the job done going three and out in bottom of the fourth.
San Francisco inched even closer scoring another run in the top of the fifth inning. Osleivis Basabe hit a solo home run to center making this a far more manageable game now trailing by a single run 4-3.
The Padres pushed their lead back out in the bottom of the inning when Luis Campusano singled Ty France home giving San Diego a 5-3 lead. There was a pitching change for San Francisco. Sam Hentges came in to relieve Roupp. He was able to get out of the inning.
Both pitchers San Diego’s Griffin Canning and the Giants Sam Hentges went three and out in the sixth inning.
San Diego’s Jeremiah Estrade walked his first at bat but finished off the top of the seventh inning. The Padres would take the 5-3 lead ionto the top of the eighth inning.
San Francisco pulled back within a single run in the top of the eighth when Rafael Devers hit a solo home run 5-4. Both teams had scoring opportunities in the eighth but came up empty.
The Padres would hang on in the ninth inning to win the game and the series. The score in game four was 5-4. San Francisco had lost three games in a row after winning the first game of the series.
GAME NOTES
The Padres were able to win this game because of the simple fact that they executed in the biggest moments while the Giants came up short when they had opportunities. Again the Padres jumped on Roupp in the early innings and San Francisco played catchup all day.
As it turned out the second inning was the decisive inning with the four runs. The extra inning scored by San Diego in the fifth inning was needed due to the fact that San Francisco would have tied up the game in the eighth without that run. The Padres had the upper hand the entire game even though the Giants chipped away to get close but just could not produce one more big inning.
The Padres pitching made key pitches when there were runners on base. The Giants did threaten several times throughout the game but San Diego prevented any big innings that would have erased the early deficit.
San Francisco also committed two errors while the Padres did not have any. All put together the Giants made some costly mistakes losing three games in a row. The turning point of the game was the second inning although the Giants fought hard throughout the entire game and came just short.
It was another rough outing for Roupp. He has had some nice games but struggled today. He pitched through 4 2/3 innings allowing six hits, five earned runs, four walks with six strikeouts.
Starting pitcher Kyle Hart who was used as an opener not your traditional starter pitched for three innings allowing only one hit, no runs and had a couple of strikeouts. Closer Adrian Morejojn was awarded the win for pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
Monday the Giants will be on the road for a matchup with the Texas Rangers. Logan Webb will take the mound for the Giants. He has a 6-7 win/loss record and a 3.93 ERA. The Rangers will start Cal Quantrill. He comes into the game with a 4-3 win/loss record and a 3.83 ERA. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
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