San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Giants’ skid hits four; drop second game to Rockies 6-2; no pitching relief nor hitting in sight

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On the Giants podcast with Marko:

Marko talks about the Giants’ tough 4-1 loss at AT&T Park last Sunday versus Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets. Syndergaard won on his game, striking out a career-high 11 and going the distance and allowing only one Giants run.

The Giants lost to the Colorado Rockies on Monday night to open the series as Giants starter Madison Bumgarner got lit up for eight hits and seven runs (six earned), one walk, and six strikeouts. The Giants made a three-run comeback in the top of the ninth, but came up one short to lose 9-8 it as Rockies closer Wade Davis shut the door.

The Giants, who in the second game of their three-game series with the Rockies, dropped another tough one 6-2 at Coors Field on Tuesday night. The Giants continue the series at Coors Field Wednesday night with Giants starter Andrew Suarez (6-9) against the Rockies’ Antonio Senzatela (4-5).

Marko Ukalovic does the Giants podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Playoff premiere atmosphere more conducive to the Yankees in 5-1 win over the A’s

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — Mathematicians and Major League managers would have reached the same, logical conclusion on Tuesday night: two hits aren’t enough to qualify a team for critical, postseason analysis.

In a tightly contested ballgame between the two American League teams on a collision course to meet October 3 in a win-or-go-home, wild card scenario, the Yankees and A’s had everyone’s attention, but the A’s managed just two hits, and that ended the playoff preview assessment before it could get started.

“We just didn’t do enough offensively tonight,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “No matter what we give up, even if it’s two runs, when you get two hits, it’s going to be a tough time winning.”

Make no mistake: in their 19th game in 19 days, the A’s came to play, and their patchwork approach to pitching to the Yankees was executed brilliantly for six innings. Reliever Liam Hendricks started, and Daniel Mengden followed by allowing just one of the first 14 batters he faced to reach, before a base hit by Gleyber Torres on the last of his 51 pitches. Ryan Buchter picked Torres off first just three pitches into his appearance, and that kept the Bombers quiet for six innings.

Buchter allowed a Brett Gardner base hit leading off the seventh, and that was Melvin’s signal to turn to his top guys, starting with Jeurys Familia. But the former Mets’ closer allowed Giancarlo Stanton a base hit, and then walked Andrew McCutchen to load the bases. Then Aaron Hicks walked to force in a run and tie the game.

Familia escaped further damage by striking out the next two batters before Fernando Rodney induced Neil Walker into a foul pop that ended the inning.

With one front line reliever off his game, the A’s couldn’t afford two, and that’s what they suffered when Rodney elevated a pitch to Luke Voit leading off the eighth. That pitch was quickly deposited in the left field corner pocket for a 2-1 Yankees lead, courtesy of their lineup’s hottest hitter.

Voit’s shot was his seventh homer in 12 games dating back to August 24. The hot hitter quickly transformed into a galvanizing cheerleader greeting his teammates in the dugout.

“The whole Sammy Sosa hop, I don’t… it just happens,” Voit said. “I don’t know, I play with excitement, and like some of you guys say, it just feeds the team, ignites the team and, you know, we end up scoring three more runs. It’s huge and it’s like a playoff game and it’s fun to have emotions for those games.”

San Francisco 49ers preview: New look 49ers get ready to roll

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mercurynews.com file photo: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo talks with the media on June 13th at Levis Stadium. Garoppolo will start opening day this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As the 49ers prepare to kick off the 2018 regular season, the expectations and the anticipation are completely different from a year before.

Of course, winning the last five games of the previous season, with a new, young quarterback at the helm, has a tendency to raise the excitement a little bit.

That’s what the 49ers are experiencing, as they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings to start the regular season. Of course, most people know about the acquisition of Jimmy Garoppolo, and the new signal-caller responding by winning the first five games he started for his new team.

But they have also added a few new pieces on defense over the past couple of years, which will add to an improved unit.

There have been a few bumps in the road, however. The 49ers suffered a major setback last week, when running back Jerick McKinnon suffered a torn ACL in practice during a non-contact drill, meaning that the back, whom the team signed this offseason to a four-year contract, will miss the entire 2018 season.

That opens up the opportunities for the other running backs exponentially. Matt Breida and Alfred Morris, whom the 49ers signed in training camp when McKinnon and Breida suffered injuries early on in the preseason, are expected to split the carries early on, but it is unclear who will be the team’s starting tailback.

Second-year linebacker Reuben Foster, who spent some time out of the lineup with a nagging shoulder injury last year, is suspended for the first two games of this season stemming from his domestic-abuse case this spring.

That means guys like Brock Coyle will get more of a chance to see what he can do, particularly when the games count.

Moronta blows lead in Giants’ 6-2 loss to Rockies

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By Jeremy Kahn

It seems that Dereck Rodriguez can never get a break after he pitches yet another great game in his rookie season.

Ryan McMahon hit a pinch-hit home run and Carlos Gonzalez hit a bases clearing triple, as the Colorado Rockies scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on their way to a 6-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on Monday night.

The Giants are 1-7 at Coors Field this season, and an abysmal 2-16 since the 2017 season, where the Giants went 64-98 and ended up 40 games behind the eventual National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gorkys Hernandez hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning that gave the Giants a short-lived 2-1 lead, as he hit his second home run of the series and it looked like Rodriguez was going to get the win, but that did not happen.

Reyes Moronta came on to replace Rodriguez got the first out, but McMahon hit a 0-1 pitch over the center field wall to tie up the game. It was the second home run of the season for McMahon.

Then things got even worse, as Charlie Blackmon reached on an infield single, for his third hit of the game, and Moronta walked D.J. LeMahieu and Nolan Arenado to load the bases and then Gonzalez hit a triple to give the Rockies 5-2 lead. Gerardo Parra drove in the final run of the inning, as he walked with the bases loaded to give the Rockies the final margin of victory.

Rodriguez went six innings, allowing one run on six hits, walking one and striking out six, as he did not fare in the decision, despite the quality start.

The Giants took the lead in the top of the first inning, as Joe Panik singled to left field to score Gregor Blanco to give the Giants a short-lived 1-0 lead; however, David Dahl tied up the game in the bottom of the second inning with his ninth home run of the season.

German Marquez shut the Giants down after that, as he went 6.2 innings, as he struck out 11 and was in line for the loss after the Hernandez home run; however, McMahon changed all that with his solo home run. Chris Rusin retired the final batter of the seventh inning to get his second win of the season.

NOTES: Rookie Steven Duggar underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his left labrum that he suffered on August 28 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Jeff Samardzija was transferred to the 60-day disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder, and rookie Abiatal Avelino got his contract purchased from Sacramento. Avelino was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Andrew McCutchen trade on Thursday.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Rockies conclude their series on Wednesday night at 5:40 pm PDT.

The Giants’ Andrew Suarez will be looking for his seventh win of the season, as he takes the mound on Wednesday. Suarez is also going for his third straight win, as he is coming off an outstanding game where he pitched seven innings of two-hit ball in a 7-0 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.

The Rockies will send Antonio Senzatela to the mound, as he attempts to even his record at 5-5 on the season.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s drop 4.5 games back in wild card; 3.5 back in AL West after loss to Yankees

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On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

The Oakland A’s are closing in on everybody. They’re 4 1/2 games back of the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card race. The A’s are 3 1/2 games back and wouldn’t they love to win the division? The A’s are certainly getting a good mix of pitching from the starters and relievers.

The A’s will be introducing all their living Hall of Fame inductees: Rollie Fingers, Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, and Helen Hunter (Jim Catfish Hunter’s widow) will be on hand on Wednesday night at the Oakland Coliseum for the tribute.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Television, Patio Areas and Draft Kings

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

There is little doubt that big money paid by television is responsible for some of the changes in major league baseball. A few years ago Time Warner (now Charter Spectrum) in Southern California paid the Los Angeles Dodgers $8.35 billion to carry their games for the next 20 years.

There are other big deals in other media markets like in 2012 when the Guggenheim Baseball Management Group bought the Dodgers for $2.15 billion for a record sale for a franchise. MLB Network pays a fortune for the rights to all games every day and night. I think they do a great job for all baseball aficionados who like to follow all the teams, not just their home teams.

I believe many of these moves and the big money by TV is driving the changes on today’s game. Earlier this season, YouTube and MLB announced their partnership in an attempt to offer fans other ways to watch baseball.

Games are also now broadcast live on Facebook. Someday, the bases will be electronic, which would mean no need for umpires, and the bases will respond to a “safe”or “out “call in this format: If the base lights up red, the runner was out; and if it lights up green, that runner is safe. It’s that simple.

Basically, traffic lights would be at each base, and the poles in left and right field will  also be the same, as there will be no umpires. This way, the game will go even faster, as there will be no need for replays. And, of course, the accuracy will be 100 percent. Keep in mind computers do not make mistakes.

I get it, they want to appeal to the younger audience and there is nothing wrong with that, but baseball used to be a game of strategy like chess. Managers’ arguments with umpires were usually fun and isn’t that what we want–fun for all? Today, there is little strategy, as it is all about the sabermetrics, launch angles, home run distances and strike outs. Few players try to hit the ball to the opposite side of the infield, where there is nobody standing with a glove in hand, and everybody wants to hit the ball in the air. It is players hitting .220 with 25 to 40 home runs every year. You can steal 30 bases during a full season and easily lead your league. Rickey Henderson doesn’t like that. You might see a “run and hit” or “hit and run” once every full moon. The bunt is extinct, which is fine with me because they do not even teach it, so why expect the players to execute it?

Today, we also have what they call the “millennial areas” in baseball parks around the country. These areas have the purpose of bringing more fans into the stadiums, as a patio area sets the scene for millennials to socialize, eat, drink and watch the game.

All businesses needs costumers. If your park is half empty, you just do not give tickets for free, just like a restaurant doesn’t give free food to people if it’s empty. MLB is about business first and the game second. It is also hilarious how the MLB has banned Pete Rose from the Hall of Fame due to gambling, yet they advertise Draft Kings, a popular destination for daily fantasy baseball players of all skill levels. They advertise Draft Kings to fans with the idea they can win millions of dollars. So they are encouraging young and old fans alike to bet on baseball and make money. I know the fans are not managing the games like Rose did, but it’s hypocritical to tell folks to make money betting on games, while preventing a man with the most hits, who is the current record holder with 4,256 hits to enter the Hall of Fame, is a mixed message to say the least.

But that is our culture right here. A lot of things are upside down, and like my father used to say, “Common sense is not common anymore.”

So I wonder about people who say they want their privacy, yet they go on different social media outlets and tell everybody what they are doing, where they are, what they did, what they are going to do, what airport they are headed to and so on; but they ask for their privacy. Like the song by the great Ray Charles, “What a Wonderful World.”

Listen to the A’s games in Spanish on KIQI 1010AM/990AM Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton and the Valley. Also, listen on the A’s television network on the SAP line.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Shanahan’s plan in preparation for opener in Minnesota

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On the 49ers podcast with David:

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers head into Minnesota this Sunday for the 49ers’ opener. David discusses the team’s preparation and the advantage of playing in Minnesota in September rather than the frigid months of December

Going into the opener David takes a look at 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garopplolo’s preparation and will he come out of the shoot against the Vikings defense this Sunday?

Catch David each Tuesday for the 49ers podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Tuesday presser thoughts: Where do the SJSU Spartans go from here?

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans had a much-needed day off, thanks to Labor Day. The Spartans’ football activities resumed Tuesday afternoon, as head coach Brent Brennan addressed the media members in his weekly press conference at the Simpkins Stadium Center.

As you should already know, SJSU has a lot of things which they must do this season. And, I mean a lot of things. In fact, multiple sources have blasted the Spartans’ football team for everything from Brennan’s lack of experience to Tyler Nevens’ injury. While both arguments may be true, things have gone overboard.

Chris Murray, a columnist at the Reno-Gazette Journal, recently published a 1,000 word column on how the Mountain West Conference should do something about San Jose State. Murray wrote, “I’VE COME CLOSE TO WRITING about his topic before but haven’t pulled the trigger. It felt a bit too soon and perhaps a touch mean. But the time has come. The Mountain West needs to seriously consider San Jose State’s future in its conference. Like I said, I’ve thought about this in the past but haven’t broached the subject. But after SJSU’s 44-38 season-opening loss to FCS school UC Davis–a team picked to finish ninth in the 13-team Big Sky–in which the Spartans allowed 589 yards and was flagged 12 times for 125 yards while turning it over three times, does SJSU really belong in the conference anymore?”

Murray has brought up some valid points, but I thought his opinion that SJSU should’ve never been invited to the MWC in the first place was a tad bit harsh, as the Spartans have upgraded their facilities–CEFCU Stadium and Simpkins Stadium Center–and commercialized its features to attract the younger generation.

But, right now, I’m going to focus on the question, “Where do the Spartans go from here?” and I promise you that I won’t be a jerk about it.

SJSU is 45-152 in games against the Pac-12 Conference. SJSU’s winning percentage against the Washington State Cougars is 36.6 and tied for the best, but it has been 12 years since SJSU has picked up a Pac-12 win. As a head coach, Brent Brennan is going to ensure the Spartans will run away with a win in Pullman by not doing the same things they did versus UCD.

Brennan told me, “First and foremost, we need to win the turnover battle, which we didn’t do last Thursday. Secondly, we gotta do a great job just being sound. I felt like we settled down in the second half and we played well offensively and defensively and we need to take a deep breath, walk out on that stage, and execute at a high level. Third, we just need to play in order to have a chance to win.”

The Spartan defense has given up 40 points or more in 10 of its last 14 games and 39.9 per game since the 2017 season opener. In Brennan’s opinion, there are a couple of guys who can take on larger roles this coming Saturday for the Spartan defense.

“I think there’s a couple of guys,” Brennan said. “I think the biggest part would be just upfront–how we handle it. Washington State has a big offensive line and their quarterback does a great job getting the ball out of his hands and they’re doing a nice job–they got some running backs who are mixing in some of the run game.”

“I think our defensive front has to show up. They need to be the ones that give us a chance to play sound defense and be able to be a little bit disruptive and get them off the field.”

It was pointed out that the Spartans haven’t put together a winning season in any of the major sports, including football, in Murray’s recent column for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Moreover, SJSU’s most recent winning season came in 2012 when they went 11-2 and defeated Bowling Green 29-20 in the Military Bowl. The past can’t be changed, but there are some things that the 2018 Spartans could do in order to prove the critics wrong.

“Well, I think we’re doing a lot of those things right now,” Brennan said. “And I think the process takes time. There’s a significant push from our institution to upgrade our facilities here, to increase our recruiting base, and to continue to raise the profile of our program. And that’s what we’re doing. As we do those things, we’ll continue to improve our football products on the field…The players are working really hard with that. Me and my coaching staff are working very hard with that. And I believe this can be a great place. I really do. And, even though the results aren’t instant, they never really are in situations like these. It takes time…As frustrating as that is for me, our fans, our students, our alumni, our faculty, all that–I promise you that lots of pieces are coming together and give us a chance to build a great program here.”

The Spartans take on the Cougars this Saturday at 8:00 pm PDT on the Pac-12 Network.

A’s down the Yankees 6-3 before a huge Labor Day crowd

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by Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND– It was a beautiful sun-drenched afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum as the Oakland A’s played host to the New York Yankees. The two teams were playing in front of 40,546 fans, and they treated them to quite an afternoon of baseball. The A’s, the hottest team in baseball since June 16th and owners of the fourth-best record in baseball had to deal with the Yankees who own the second-best record. Yankee slugger Aaron Judge, who had not played since July 26th when he suffered a broken wrist, took his first swings off a tee on Monday and should be back soon. Yankee shortstop, Didi Gregorius, who is also on the DL, may be back in the lineup later this week. These two players make the Yankees, as a team, a lot more dangerous. The Yankees, even without them, are loaded with players that have a lot of power. The A’s were the better team on Labor Day as they beat the Yankees 6-3 and moved to within 3 1/2 games of the lead for the first Wild Card spot in the AL. The A’s remain 2 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West.

Monday’s pitching matchup featured the A’s big righty, Trevor Cahill, going up the even bigger lefty CC Sabathia. Cahill, who had never beaten the Yankees in his career and who pitches much better in Oakland than on the road, gave the A’s five innings of work. He allowed four hits and three runs. One of the runs was unearned. Sabathia who was 11-11 in his career against Oakland did not have it Monday afternoon. Sabathia’s day ended in the fourth inning. His pitching line was 3 and 1/3rd inning, and he allowed seven hits, five runs, four of which were earned. Sabathia took the loss and is now 7-6 for the year.

The Yankees put an unearned run on the board in the top of the first. Andrew McCutchen, who arrived in New York via a trade with the San Francisco Giants led off with a single. McCutchen stole second, and when Jonathan’s Lucroy’s throw sailed into centerfield, McCutchen advanced to third. Cahill retired Giancarlo Stanton on a popup to second baseman Jed Lowrie. McCutchen scored on Aaron Hick’s sacrifice fly. Cahill struck out Miguel Andu]jar to end the inning.  The Yanks lead 1-0 in the middle of the first. The lead didn’t last long as the A’s plated three runs. After Sabathia retired Marcus Semien for the first out, the A’s put together four straight singles and a throwing error by Yankee third baseman Miguel Andujar to end the first with the lead 3-1. Two of the A’s runs were earned, and the other was unearned.

The Yankees tied the game in the top of the second. Yankees’ catcher Gary Sanchez started the inning with a walk. With one out, rookie first baseman Luke Voit blasted his sixth of the year. The A’s undid the tie in their half of the second. Sabathia walked Marcus Semien who was leading off for Oakland. A’s third baseman Matt Chapman doubled to drive in Semien with the A’s fourth run of the game. Chapman was out at third as he tried to stretch the double into a triple.

The A’s tallied their fifth run of the day in the bottom of the fourth.  Semien led off the inning with a double. With one out, Jed Lowrie singled to drive in Semien. For Lowrie, it was his 86th ribbie of the season. The A’s lead 5-3 after four.

The A’s center fielder Mark Canha tacked on another run for Oakland when he blasted a towering fly into the left-field seats for his sixteenth big fly of the year to give the A’s a 3-run cushion  6-3 after five innings of play.

The A’s bullpen of Lou Trivino, Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Buchter, Jeurys Familia, and Blake Treinen did not allow the Yankees a hit after the fifth inning. It did get a little dicey in the seventh when Gary Sanchez reached first after striking out. Jonathan Lucroy allowed Petit’s pitch to get by him. The ball went to the backstop, and by the time Lucroy fielded the ball, Sanchez was on first safely. Petit then walked Glyber Torres to put men on at first and second with no out. Petit reached back and struck out Voit and pinch-hitter Neil Walker. Brett Gardner flew out to left for the final out of the seventh. Jeurys Familia pitched the eighth inning, and he retired the first two Yankees he faced. It started to go downhill as he suddenly couldn’t find the strike zone. He walked Aaron Hicks and Miguel Andujar to give the Yankees a glimmer of hope. The next hitter was former NL MVP, Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen, who singled in the first, hit a sharp ground ball to Marcus Semien. Semien’s throw to first was on target, and the side was retired. Blake Treinen worked the ninth, and he retired the Yanks in order to earn his 36th save of the season.

Game Notes- The A’s, with the win, improved to 83-56 and are now 3 1/2 games behind the Yanks in the race for the top Wild Card spot. If the playoffs were to begin now, the A’s would have to travel to New York for the one-game playoff. If the A’s finish first, the playoff would be played in Oakland. The A’s remain 2 1/2 games behind the Astros for the best record in the AL West. The A’s and Astros have finished the season’s series.

Trevor Cahill received credit for the win and is now 6-3 for the season. Cahill is 5-0 and has an ERA of 1.09 in nine starts at the Coliseum He beat the Yankees for the first time in his career.

Mark Canha matched a career-high with his 16th homer of the season in the bottom of the fifth inning… Canha leads the American League with 13 home runs vs. lefties.  Matt Chapman recorded his 34th double of the season… leads the Majors with 32 extra-base hits since the AllStar Break. Stephen Piscotty added two hits to extend his hitting streak to six games, he is batting .391 (9-for-23) over that span.  Blake Treinen earned his 36th save of the season, which ranks fourth in the majors and tied for ninth in Oakland history…he now has a 0.91 ERA, which is the lowest among Major League relievers. Khris Davis is 2nd in the Majors with 105 RBI this season (J.D. Martinez, 115)… Davis had a career-best 110 RBI last season.

–The Oakland A’s have acquired right-handed pitcher Aaron Brooks from the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations, the club announced today.  To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the A’s designated left-handed pitcher Danny Coulombe for assignment.

Game two of the three-game series will be played Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s have not announced a starter, and it may be bullpen by committee once again with Liam Hendriks pitching the first inning and Daniel Mengden coming in to pitch in either the second or third innings. Lefty J.A. Happ will go for New York. Game time is at 7:05 pm.

 

Bum falters, Giants rally only to come up short at Coors Field, 9-8

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By Morris Phillips

These days, winning at Coors Field for the Giants is nearly impossible.

After landing in a huge hole–in large part due to Madison Bumgarner’s subpar outing–the Giants staged a huge rally, only to fall short in a 9-8 loss.

Are you counting? The Giants have lost 16 of 18 in Denver, and a number of those have been similar to this one. In fact, three of the six losses at Coors Field this season have been by one run.

“It was a shame we couldn’t hold on,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We really came on strong at the end.”

The Rockies put the Giants in the earliest, conceivable hole, as the first four batters of the day reached and scored, capped by Trevor Story’s two-run shot. But Madison Bumgarner’s hard to shake–even under these circumstances–and he strung together three, consecutive zeros before trouble surfaced again in the fifth.

In that frame, Story struck again, his second home run of the day putting the Rockies up 7-2. Afterwards, he admitted he just wanted to get a pitch to elevate with a pair of runners aboard. But Story’s tale wasn’t to be sold short, as he took Bumgarner deep into the left field seats.

“I got down 0-2 pretty quick, and then after that I was just trying to battle, and just trying to get something up in the air to get the guy home,” Story explained.

By current Giants’ standards, their response was, well, giant. One run in the sixth, two in the seventh, and three in the eighth gave the Giants a lead, and the run total (6) was more than the club had managed to score in its previous 25 innings. Home runs by Alen Hanson and Chris Shaw came with two outs in the eighth, and Shaw’s first big league homer broke a 7-7 tie.

Enough dramatics to earn the Giants a satisfying win? Sure, if they were somewhere other than Denver.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Rockies dented normally reliable Tony Watson with three hits, capped by pinch-hitter Noel Cuevas’ two-run single. For the rookie enjoying a September call-up, the moment could not have been bigger.

“You always look for that moment when you can get an opportunity,” Cuevas said.

Wade Davis didn’t give the Giants an opportunity to answer, striking out the side in the ninth for his 38th save. The win temporarily got the Rockies even with the Dodgers atop the NL West, pending the outcome of games scheduled for Monday evening.

The Rockies have never won the division crown in their 26 seasons of existence, with all four of their previous playoff appearances as a wild card.

The Giants have dropped six, consecutive Labor Day contests and are three games below .500 with 23 games remaining.