A’s win a nail-biter 7-6 over the Mariners

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s beat the Seattle Mariners 7-6 at Oakland Coliseum on Monday night before a crowd of 10,400 fans.

The A’s were cruising along with a 7-1 lead with two out in the eighth when things began to go south. The A’s starter Sean Manaea, who did not pitch well last week against the Los Angeles Dodgers, returned to form. He was in complete control for 7 2/3 innings of work. He left the game with the A’s in front and all the bullpen had to do was get the last four outs of the game. The A’s bullpen, which is so reliable and one of the best in baseball, almost failed to get the job done Monday.

A’s manager Bob Melvin removed Manaea after he gave up a single with two outs in the eighth. He had thrown just 86 pitches, and it looked like he would stay in the game to finish the eighth. His replacement, Emilio Pagan faced two hitters, and both singled to make it 7-2. Melvin brought in rookie Lou Trivino to get the final out. The first hitter he faced singled to make it 7-3. Trivino struck out Kyle Seager to end the inning. Things got tense in the ninth. The M’s scored three more runs to close within one, and they had the tying run on at second with two out and a very dangerous slugger, Nelson Cruz, at the plate. Blake Treinen, the A’s All-Star closer struck out Cruz to end the game and put smiles on the fans’ faces that stayed until the bitter end.

The A’s jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, third baseman Matt Chapman lined a shot that bounced off M’s third baseman Kyle Segura. Chapman ended up on second base with a double. Jed Lowrie, batting from the right side, singled to right to drive in Chapman with the A’s first run of the night.

The A’s put three more on the board in the third inning. M’s starter, Marco Gonzalez, walked the first hitter of the inning, Marcus Semien. Semien then stole second. Matt Chapman blooped a double into short center field. Semien had to hold up as it appeared the ball might be caught.  The A’s had second and third with no out and Jed Lowrie coming to bat. Lowrie, who had been mired in a slump due to a leg injury, doubled to drive in Semien and Chapman. Gonzalez retired Khris Davis and Mark Canha. A’s first baseman Matt Olson singled to drive in Lowrie with the A’s third run of the inning and the fourth of the game. The A’s led 4-0 after three complete.

In the top of the fourth, the M’s plated their first run of the game. Mitch Haniger led off with a double. Manaea retired Cameron Maybin and Jean Segura for the first two outs of the inning. Melvin signaled the umpires to issue an intentional walk to DH Nelson Cruz. Seager singled to drive in Haniger with the M’s first run. Manaea retired former Athletic Ryon Healy for the third out. The A’s did not score in their half of the frame. The A’s led 4-1 in the middle of the fourth.

The A’s tallied three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Chad Pinder started the rally with a single to the left. Jonathan Lucroy walked to put men on at first and second with no out. M’s reliever Casey Jackson struck out Semien for the first out. He had to face Matt Chapman. Chapman doubled to drive in Pinder and Lucroy. It was Chapman’s third double of the night, and that tied an A’s team record. The next hitter, Lowrie, also doubled to drive in Chapman. It was Lowrie’s third hit of the night. The A’s were in the driver’s seat with a 7-1 lead after six innings of play.

The M’s rallied to score two runs in the top of the eighth after two men were out. Manaea retired the first two M’s hitters to start the inning. He then gave up a single to Haniger. Melvin walked to the mound and took Manaea out of the game. Manaea received a standing ovation from the fans. Pagan was the new A’s pitcher, and he did not get anyone out, He gave up singles to Maybin and Segura. Haniger scored on Segura’s single. Melvin brought in Trivino to pitch. Cruz, singled to drive in Maybin with the M’s third run of the game. Trivino struck out Seager to end the inning. The A’s led 7-3 after eight.

The A’s brought in Jeurys Familia to close out the ninth. However, there was just one little problem–Familia couldn’t find the strike zone. Not only did he commit the cardinal sin of walking the leadoff hitter in the ninth, but he also walked the next two batters to load the bases with no out. The fans were getting nervous, and so was Melvin. Melvin removed Familia and brought in Treinen to pitch. Treinen struck out pinch-hitter Chris Herrmann for the first out. With Haniger hitting, Treinen uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Healy to score from third. Haniger then singled to drive in Mike Zunino and Denard Span, and it was a 7-6 game with a man on first and one out. Treinen struck out Maybin for the second out. Segura, with two strikes on him, reached on an infield single to move Haniger into scoring position. Treinen now had to pitch to the ever-dangerous Cruz. Cruz, who has beaten the A’s many times in the past, was not able to punish the A’s as Treinen struck him out to end the game. The A’s won 7-6.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the A’s improve to 71-48. They are 37-16 since June 16th. They are now just two games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West. They increased their lead over the Seattle Mariners to 2 1/2 games in the race for the second wild card slot in the American League.

The A’s are now 49-0 when leading after seven innings and are still the only team that is undefeated in that department.

Sean Manaea was the winning pitcher and is now 11-8. Marco Gonzalez absorbed the loss, and his record dropped to 12-8.

Jed Lowrie had three hits and four RBIs. He has driven in 74 runs so far this year and is just one behind his career-high of 75.

Matt Chapman had three doubles in the game and is the first A’s third baseman to have two three-double games in a season since 1948 when Hank Majewski did it for them when the A’s were in Philadelphia.

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series will be played Tuesday night at 7:05 pm PDT in Oakland.

The A’s Mike Fiers will make his second start as a member of the Green and Gold. The M’s will send their ace, James Paxton, to the hill as they try to even the series.

The A’s need to look to the Dodgers as a model to solve their radio problems

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics and their president–David Kaval–have not made any secret about being unhappy with their flagship radio station 95.7 FM The Game and their parent corporation Entercom Communications. The A’s major complaint has been that 95.7 FM  The Game spends more time covering the Giants and 49ers than they do the A’s.

By the way, without belaboring the point and going in-depth on the historical reasons why it is a logical editorial move for the station, the A’s complaint has some real validity to it.

Unlike the Giants, the A’s have been the nomadic professional sports team on the Bay Area airwaves. They have been heard on 50,000 watt powerhouse radio station KNBR and tiny college FM station KALX (it’s a long story that also involves the Giants’, Larry Baer). In total, the A’s have been heard on 14 different radio stations in the Bay Area including three different stations in one year back in 2011.

In 60 years, the Giants have been on two stations. Originally, they were heard on 560 AM KSFO before moving to 680 AM KNBR.

Kaval obviously wants to have the kind of relationship with a radio station like Giants have with KNBR. Here is the problem Kaval has in establishing that kind of bond, KNBR/Cumulus Media are also part owners of the Giants. When KNBR promotes and sells the Giants, they are promoting and selling themselves. It’s a perfect business synergy.

It is totally understandable as to why Kaval wants that kind of broadcast relationship for his baseball team. The ongoing conversation about the team and its players help to gin up excitement among the fans year around. That has to be helpful to a team’s bottom line. The problem is the A’s do not have an investor that owns a radio station.

The Dodgers and Angels ran into a very similar situation in Los Angeles and took matters into their own hands. In this writer’s opinion, the Dodgers have done a better job of handling the situation.

The Dodgers established a partnership and purchased their own radio station with iHeart Radio. Together, they operate AM 570 LA Sports–Home of Dodgers Radio & Los Angeles sports. AM 570 LA Sports is also the radio home of the Chargers, Clippers, Fox Sports Radio, and several locally produced sports talk shows, but make no mistake–it is “Dodger Radio.”

The Dodgers control their broadcast situation and create their own profit center from their efforts. Not only do they have a 24 X 7 X 365 self-promotion channel but they have a sports-related broadcast business profit center for the team as well.

The Angels have done the same thing with AM 830 in Orange County, which they call Angels Radio. They are also the home of the Anaheim Ducks, USC Basketball, multiple play-by-play syndicated feeds plus some ESPN network programming and a locally produced talk show.

AM 570 LA Sports does much better in Nielsen Radio Ratings than does Angels Radio AM 830, which means they can charge more for their commercials. They also have the sales and marketing force of iHeart Radio to work with to sell their product. Not that the Angels are losing money, but the assumption would be the Dodgers are making more money with their venture at this point.

If the A’s want to establish stability on the radio and have some control over their broadcast product, then they must put some “skin” in the game. The team is going to have to invest in their own product by finding a broadcast partner to help them build a radio station from the ground up. It will cost some money, but the team will have their choice of Entercom, Cumulus, iHeart, Bonneville, Salem and even possibly Disney to become their broadcasting business partner.

There is plenty of room in the sports broadcasting segment in the Bay Area for more programming. Think “Green & Gold AM 610 ESPN Radio.” There is no full-time ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio or CBS Sports Radio affiliate in the Bay Area. Take the programming from one of those outstanding networks, add a killer local afternoon talk show to go with specialty programming for the A’s to enhance the play-by-play and you have the foundation of a strong sports station. Add to the baseball programming play-by-play coverage of pro and college sports from around the nation plus Bay Area college basketball and you have a station worth listening to if you are a sports fan.

The A’s will need to select the right partner and then buy the correct radio station or stations to make the plan come together, but it can happen? More importantly, as the Dodgers and other professional teams have proved, it can work very successfully.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: A’s now 2 1/2 behind first-place Astros; A’s open nine-game homestand tonight

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 The Oakland A’s new ticket plan called “A’s Access” gives the fans the opportunity to buy passes to all games for low ticket prices. It gives the working, middle-class a chance to buy affordable tickets at lower prices.

#2 The A’s continue they’re winning ways getting a 8-7 win over the LA Angels and are now closing in on the Houston Astros for first-place in the AL West. The A’s are now just 2 1/2 games back.

#3 The A’s recent acquisitions of pitchers like Fernando Rodney, Jeurys Familia, Shawn Kelly, and Mike Fiers, put the A’s in a very good place to go deep in the postseason.

#4 The A’s open a long homestand tonight against the Seattle Mariners. M’s Marco Gonzalez (12-7) against the A’s Sean Manaea (10-8).

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish play by play announcer and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Beyond the Football Rivalry: What Can San Jose State Learn From Fresno State?

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Photo credit: Photo collage of San Jose State Spartans logo from twitter.com and Fresno State Bulldogs logo from pinterest.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Unlike the San Jose State Spartans, the Fresno State Bulldogs have been a fairly consistent team in recent years. So let’s look beyond the football rivalry and attempt to answer the open-ended question: “What can San Jose State learn from Fresno State?”

Why should we try to answer such a question?
First things first, San Jose State had a rough 2017 campaign under first-year head coach Brent Brennan, first-year running backs coach Alonzo Carter and a few other newbie coaches. The Spartans went 2-11 (1-8 Mountain West) in 2017. Of course, I’m not saying things won’t start to look up in Year 2 (2018), but if the Spartan coaching staff doesn’t get their act together, then it’s likely most–if not, all–of them will be on the hot seat and end up with pink slips in their hands.

Second, Fresno State–as you may already know–has made three Mountain West Championships since 2013 when there was an expansion to 12 members along with the division of the conference into Mountain West and West divisions, respectively. The Bulldogs faced the Utah State Aggies in the inaugural MW Championship Game in 2013 and won 24-17. The Bulldogs then faced the No. 22 Boise State Broncos in 2014, but lost 28-14; and missed back-to-back MW Championship Games in 2015 and 2016 before getting the chance to face the Broncos again in 2017. This time around, Fresno State were edged by Boise State 17-14, but it was a good game between the two teams nonetheless.

Last but not least, San Jose State is a work in progress. So far this offseason, the Spartans stepped up their game–most recently in their first team scrimmage last Saturday at CEFCU Stadium. Montel Aaron, a 6-foot-5 quarterback, was the first player on the field. And, as expected, Aaron didn’t disappoint that day. Aaron didn’t miss a pass, and when the options failed down the field, he’d tuck it twice for 15-plus yards in his opening drive. Also, Aaron looks like he has a shot at becoming the Spartans’ starting quarterback this coming season. It’s just a question of whether or not Aaron can stay healthy.

What can San Jose State learn from Fresno State?
Like I’ve mentioned earlier, there are plenty of things the Spartans can learn from the Bulldogs. CEFCU Stadium may not always be filled like Bulldog Stadium, but right now, San Jose State is displaying signs of a football program who’s on the correct path towards a cultural rebirth, while Fresno State should have a pretty good year under head coach Jeff Tedford, who has worked in Fresno, Calif. since 2017.

The Bulldogs have a darn good offense in Marcus McMaryion, KeeSean Johnson (a Palo Alto, Calif. native) and an equally good defense in Jeffrey Allison along with all the other guys in the Bulldog secondary.

Meanwhile, the Spartans are better in the defensive department. From what I’ve seen in the first Spartan scrimmage, redshirt freshman Johnny Balderas and true freshman Tre Jenkins each racked up one interception apiece in last Saturday’s scrimmage. Not only did Balderas snag up a deep ball, he also snagged one from Josh Love, a 6-foot-2 quarterback who already has the necessary in-game experience to succeed. Balderas is still developing, but it’s nice to see that his redshirt year is paying off this summer.

The Spartan offense has to take a few steps to complete the big picture context. As you may already know, Bailey Gaither, a 6-foot-1 wide receiver, had a 14.5 yards per catch average last season–and that was No. 1 among all Spartans with 20-plus receptions in 2017.

“We’ve gone over a lot of stuff. We had a good summer. We’ve had the same OC (Offensive Coordinator Kevin McGiven) since spring. Being able to put a transition from spring to summer to fall, it’s gone well. We have a lot of vets. Having these new guys, it will be an easier transition for them since we can be the ones setting the foundation for them,” said Gaither.

The Spartans took a more commercial approach with the then-Spartan Stadium becoming the CEFCU Stadium (named after the Citizens Equity First Credit Union). Now, all the Spartans need to do is start winning games and providing the action-packed experience that has made a lot of their home games great during the Dick Tomey, Mike MacIntyre and perhaps the Ron Caragher eras. Sadly, I can’t speak for the other eras before the ones I just mentioned, as I wasn’t even born yet.

But I believe the Spartans can get more than two wins in 2018. Hopefully, they’ll make a bowl game appearance, too.

Football Update: San Jose Staté vs. Army West Point Game Moved to Levi’s Stadium

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The ties between San José State University and the San Francisco 49ers are far and wide, yet closer than ever before. With the 49ers in nearby Santa Clara, Calif., less than 10 driving miles from the campus and playing their home games in Levi’s Stadium since 2014, these two programs are embarking on several joint firsts this season.

San José State will relocate its October 13 non-conference home football game vs. Army West Point to Levi’s Stadium. Game time will be announced at a later date. ESPN Networks will be providing the play-by-play telecast. Marie Tuite, the Spartans’ director of athletics, made the announcement for the university.

SAN JOSÉ STATE TO PLAY 1ST FOOTBALL GAME IN LEVI’S STADIUM
“Playing Army West Point, one of the storied programs in college football, at Levi’s Stadium, home of the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship, is a unique and distinctive opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches, university and fans,” said Tuite, who also serves on the Bay Area Host Committee executive board for the national championship game.

“San José State’s partnership with the 49ers is well-established through the years. It’s easy to point to Bill Walsh’s days as a Spartan and going on to coaching the 49ers to Super Bowl victories. There’s more on a number of fronts from our players pursuing NFL pro careers and alums like world-renowned sports sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards that work or have worked for one of the NFL’s best organizations. We’ve also hosted satellite individual workouts and team practices at our South Campus facilities.”

The San José State-Army West Point game now becomes the first of four premier college football contests this season at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers’ home is also hosting the Pac-12 Football Championship game on November 30, the San Francisco Bowl on December 31 and the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 7, 2019. Levi’s Stadium previously hosted three college games in 2014, including a regular season meeting between Cal and Oregon and has staged two college football games in each of the last three seasons.

“It’s going to be an awesome experience for our team. Any chance you get to play in an NFL venue like that, be in an NFL locker room, play of an NFL surface, it will be an incredible experience for our fans and our football team,” said San José State head coach Brent Brennan.

“Just knowing the Pac-12 Championship is played there every year and having the College Football Championship there, it doesn’t get any bigger than that. I think it’s a great lineup of college football in the stadium this season and we’re excited to be a part of it.”

TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
The San José State Athletics Ticket Office will provide, at no additional cost, an equal number of replacement ticket(s) and parking, as applicable, for the Army West Point game now at Levi’s Stadium to anyone who had previously purchased ticket(s) and/or parking as of Friday, August 10, 2018.

San José State football season tickets are being mailed starting August 13.  Season ticket holders as of Friday, August 10, 2018, will receive season ticket booklets containing tickets for the five home games that will be played in CEFCU Stadium, starting with the August 30 season opener vs. UC Davis.  Tickets for the October 13, 2018 game vs. Army West Point will be mailed separately.

Additional ticket and parking information specifically for San José State students, faculty, and staff and CEFCU Stadium suite holders will be coming soon.

The Spartans will be playing the Black Knights for the first time in the first of a four-game home-and-home series. Army West Point will make its first trip to the Bay Area since their 2014 game at Stanford.

This year’s Army West Point game completes the Spartans’ triumvirate of playing the three Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) military service academies – Air Force, Army West Point and Navy in their football history. Heading into the season, 37 other football-playing schools played football against all three teams.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE SAN JOSÉ STATE-49ERS CONNECTION
For football history buffs, the San José State-Army West Point game will be the first time the Spartans are playing in a 49ers home stadium since the 1951 University of San Francisco-San José State contest in San Francisco’s Kezar Stadium. That legendary Dons team featured future Pro Football Hall of Famers Ollie Matson, Gino Marchetti and Bob St. Clair who would go on to a lengthy career with the 49ers.

“The historical connections between the 49ers and San José State run so deep that it’s fitting to have the Spartans play at Levi’s Stadium and help us celebrate Bay Area college football ahead of this year’s CFP National Championship,” said Al Guido, 49ers president. “San José State is a valued partner and we look forward to hosting the team and their alumni for this marquee game. Army West Point is the perfect team to have on the opposing sideline and our organization appreciates the opportunity to honor the men and women who serve in this country’s armed forces.”

Besides coach Walsh, quarterbacks Jeff Garcia and Steve DeBerg, 1962 Len Eshmont Award winner Dan Colchico, kicker Joe Nedney, six-time NFL All-Pro end Billy Wilson are among the most visible Spartans to take field for the 49ers.

Former San José State All-America center and 1939 team captain Bob Titchenal was the first Spartan to play for the 49ers in 1946 when the franchise was a member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Presently, offensive lineman Chris Gonzalez, a four-year starter for the 2014-17 Spartans, is on San Francisco’s team roster as an undrafted rookie free agent.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Rodriguez pitches another gem, surrenders only one run to Pirates

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Photo credit: @nbcbayarea

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

San Francisco Giants pitcher Derek Rodriguez is the pitcher of record and also contending for the NL Rookie of the Year Award. He won again, pitching seven innings, one run, two hits, one walk, four strikeouts in the Giants’ 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rodriguez over nine games has a 1.28 ERA and has allowed eight earned runs in 56.1 innings pitched. That’s eight earned runs in 56.1 innings of work–a career low for Rodriguez as a starter. The Giants’ Nick Hundley hit a game-tying triple for an RBI, scoring Steven Duggar. Another key hit came from Joe Panik. Panik drove in his second run with a single that scored Gorkys Hernandez.

The Giants open a three-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers on Monday night. The Giants will start Madison Bumgarner against the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw.

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

 

Ellie Mae Classic: Cone runs away with title

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Photo credit: @TPCStonebrae

By Jeremy Harness

Trevor Cone had not played very much this year and didn’t have much of a chance to make it the next level of professional golf, at least this year.

But all of that changed after Sunday afternoon’s proceedings, and now he’s one solid tournament showing away from setting foot in the major leagues.

He entered Sunday afternoon with a one-shot lead, and he built on it from that point on. Cone executed his game plan to perfection Sunday afternoon, as his bogey-free round of 64 was plenty good enough to take the title at the Ellie Mae Classic, which was held at Hayward’s TPC Stonebrae.

Cone had only played in eight tournaments in his rookie season on the Web.com Tour and started this week way down on the money list, 135th to be exact. He had previously played on the Mackenzie Tour, formerly known as the Canadian Tour. However, this win propelled him all the way to 37th on that list.

He distanced himself on the front nine, running off four birdies, and then adding two more on the back to take the title. He averaged 330 yards off the tee and hit 73 percent of his fairways, which greatly enhances one’s chances to make a good score on a hole. He also 72 percent of his greens in regulation, and when he missed a green, he got up and down for par or better 85 percent of the time, which ranked second in the field.

He also putted extremely well, as he averaged only 1.596 putts per green in regulation, for which he was also second in the field this week.

The top 25 players on the tour’s money list at the end of the season earn the right to play on the PGA Tour next season, and Cone now has a very good chance to do that. There is only one event left in the regular season, and that gets under way on Thursday, and a high finish figures to get him inside that number.

The guys who finished second and third this weekend are now in the top 25. Josh Teater fired a 67 on Sunday to finish four stroked behind the lead and shot up 13 spots to the 13th position on the money list.

Meanwhile, Chris Thompson, a graduate of Kansas University, shot a final-round 64 despite two bogeys to finish in third position at 16-under. With that finish, Thompson also slid into the top 25, jumping 34 spots into the 19th position.

The final tournament of the regular season is the WinCo Foods Portland Open, which will be held at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course in North Plains, Ore.

On Your Heels: A’s nip Angels 8-7, creep closer to Astros at the top of the AL West

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By Morris Phillips

Like today’s starting pitcher, Blake Treinen is a singular force of momentum as a closer.

Treinen stepped on the mound for the bottom of the ninth on Sunday knowing this: only one of the 13 pitchers that preceded him escaped without allowing at least one walk or a hit in a game that resembled batting practice as much as a major league affair can. With the A’s clinging to an 8-7 lead–narrowed from 8-3 by the Angels over the previous four innings–Treinen was entrusted with the task of getting the final three outs.

Challenging task and circumstances? Sure, how else could you explain Treinen needing 11 pitches–not nine–to finish the afternoon with three, consecutive strikeouts?

Well, for the bullpen-rich A’s, Trienen is the closer of closers. Consider the 30-year old fireballer the crescendo of crescendos. Following trade acquisitions Jeurys Familia and Fernando Rodney–both closers for their former teams–not to mention premiere setup man, Lou Trivino, Treinen was one more power arm than the Angels could withstand on Sunday.

While the offenses piled up the runs on Sunday, the bullpens dictated the outcome. The Angels’ bullpen, beset by injuries, had a rag tag, patched together look while the A’s relievers, as a unit, resembled an out-making machine. Afterwards, Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia admitted his guys weren’t exactly a seamless organization.

“We’re looking at whoever is available to give us innings,” said Scioscia, who went without a starter on Sunday, as bullpen guy Taylor Cole took the ball to start, and was followed by six more relievers. “We tried to line them up as best we can, but it’s just not as efficient as it is if you have at least the functionality of having starters that are getting to a certain point of the game.”

Trevor Cahill, looking for his fourth win in as many starts, achieved just once previously in his decade-long, big league career, didn’t exactly deliver the A’s to their bullpen. Not the dominant force on the road as he’s been at the Coliseum, Cahill blew an early 3-0 A’s lead in two, swift acts. Then after he steadied in the third and fourth innings, Cahill fell into trouble in the fifth, and was lifted despite the A’s leading 7-4 at that point.

Jed Lowrie’s two-run homer in the fourth off ex-Athletic Jim Johnson appeared to give the A’s a comfortable lead, but then Cahill gave a run back in the bottom of the frame. Yusmeiro Petit was touched for a run in the sixth, and Familia allowed two runs in the eighth, setting the stage for the narrowed finish.

Treinen picked up his 30th save in 34 chances, lowered his ERA to 0.92, and boosted his strikeouts per nine innings to 12.

Lowrie’s double and homer were the 1,000th and 1,001st hits of his career.

With the A’s winning while the Mariners finished off a four-game sweep off the Astros, the A’s climbed within 2 1/2 games of the AL West division lead. That’s as close as the A’s have been to first place since April 3, and seamlessly sets up their next six games–three against the Mariners, then three against the Astros–all at the Coliseum.

Sean Manaea faces Marco Gonzalez in the series opener with both lefties looking to improve on their double-digit win totals.

Rodriguez continues to shine; Giants edge Pirates 4-3 for series split

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Dereck Rodriguez is continuing to show everyone that he should be considered for the National League Rookie of the Year.

Rodriguez went seven innings, allowing one run on two hits, while walking one and striking out four and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 before a sellout crowd of 41,980 at AT&T Park on Sunday afternoon.

The right-hander continued his impressive streak of where he did not allow more than two runs, as the streak now stands at eight. The last time Rodriguez allowed more than two runs in a game was against the Washington Nationals on June 9, when he allowed five runs in just two and two-thirds innings of work.

Rodriguez also retired the final nine batters he faced after he issued a leadoff walk to Elias Diaz to open the top of the fifth inning.

Over his last nine appearances on the mound, Rodriguez has a 1.28 earned run average and has allowed just eight earned runs in 56.1 innings. The two hits he allowed were a new career-low in a start.

With the victory, the Giants are now 21-20 in one-run games this season.

The Pirates took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, as Diaz doubled off of Rodriguez that scored Josh Bell, who doubled to lead off the inning.

Diaz’s double was the last hit that the Pirates would get off of Rodriguez for the remainder of the game.

Nick Hundley tied up the game in the bottom of the third inning, as he hit a triple to the appropriately named Triples Alley out there in right-center field to score Steven Duggar, who singled to lead off the inning.

That was the second triple of the season for Hundley, with his first coming on June 6 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It is also the first season since 2015 he has more than one triple in a season, in that season, he hit five triples.

Hundley ended the afternoon with two hits, his third multi-hit game since July 1. He picked up a multi-hit game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on July 1, and then three weeks later on July 22 against the Oakland A’s at the Coliseum.

Joe Panik drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run, as he a sacrifice fly to score Brandon Crawford, who doubled with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. After the Crawford double, Gorkys Hernandez hit an infield single that sent Crawford to third base.

After the Panik sacrifice fly that gave the Giants the lead for good, Duggar beat out an infield single and Hernandez smartly headed to third base, as Pirates starter Joe Musgrove argued concerning Duggar beating out the throw.

Hundley drove in his second run of the game, as he singled in Hernandez from third base to give the Giants a two-run lead.

Panik drove in his second run of the afternoon in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he singled off of Musgrove to score Hernandez, who reached on a Fielders’ Choice that forced out Crawford at second base after the shortstop walked to lead off the inning.

The Pirates tried to make a game out of it in the top of the eighth inning, as Reyes Moronta walked Adam Frazier, then Jordy Mercer singled him to second base. After Moronta was able to strikeout pinch hitter David Freese, and then Tony Watson came on to strikeout Corey Dickerson; however, the Pirates got within one run, as Starling Marte lashed a two-run double to get the Pirates within one run. Watson was able to regroup, and get Gregory Polanco to fly out to Duggar for the third out of the inning.

Will Smith came onto the close the game in the top of the ninth inning, and nailed it down for his eighth save in 10 chances this season. Smith struck out Bell and pinch hitter Francisco Cervelli, before getting Diaz to fly out to Duggar to end the game.

Musgrove went six innings, allowing four runs, on seven hits, walking one and striking out six, as he saw his record fall to 4-7 on the season.

Mercer committed multiple errors in the same game for the first time in his major-league career.

NOTES: In his Giants debut, Casey Kelly became just the third Giants reliever in the San Francisco era to throw at least five innings in his debut. Kelly joins Don Larsen, who 6.1 on April 14, 1962 against the Reds at Candlestick Park and then John Montesfusco went 9.0 innings on September 3, 1974 against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, this according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Brandon Belt began his rehab assignment after hyperextending right knee against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night, and he went 0-for-2 for the Sacramento Rivercats. Hunter Strickland, who is currently on the disabled list with a broken right hand threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Strickland is eligible to come off the disabled list on Saturday.

UP NEXT: Madison Bumgarner will take the hill, as the Giants open their final three-city road trip of the season on Monday night at 7:10 pm PDT against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Following the final trip to Los Angeles for the 2018 season, the Giants will head onto Cincinnati for a three-game series and then ending with a four-game series at Citi Field against the New York Mets.

MLB The Show with Daniel Dullum: Will Bonds’ past transgressions get swept under the rug and go in the Hall of Fame?; Astros hear footsteps, A’s closing in on first place in the AL West; plus more

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On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum

1 He fought with the media. He admitted unknowingly to using steroids in grand jury testimony. He and his trainer Greg Anderson were well-known to frequent Victor Conte of BALCO Labs, according to Conte, former Giant outfielder Barry Bonds’ ex-friend and business manager, son of former 49er Bob Hoskins, Steve Hoskins, said that he and his sister, Kathy Hoskins, saw Anderson handle a needle in Bonds’ bedroom of his house during Bonds’ playing days Bonds would complain of a sore butt according to Hoskins from taking too many shots. They also recorded Bonds and Anderson talking about steroid use in the Giants clubhouse. Bonds later fired Hoskins as his business manager fast forward. Now, the Giants retired Bonds’ No. 25 and there’s a big push to get Bonds to the Hall of Fame. Will all these transgressions be swept under the rug and will Bonds eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame?

2 Athletics blank Angels, closing in on Astros in AL West.

3 Indians’ Ed Encarnacion headed to DL.

4 Cubs’ Yu Darvish set to throw simulated game Tuesday.

5 Yankees restore relationship with Papa John’s pizza.

Daniel Dullum does the MLB The Show podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com