A’s have found a home in the AL Central, shutout Indians, 6-0 to capture road series
Photo courtesy of David Petkiewicz/cleveland.com
By Morris Phillips
The just-concluded season series between the A’s and Indians was certainly interesting, and it could have worked as an NBA game, filled with scoring runs and 30-second timeouts.
Apparently the A’s called a hypothetical timeout after chasing their collective tails for seven innings on Saturday–and letting the Indians go wild in scoring 28 of the previous 35 runs in the six-game set–dating back to the series finale in Oakland on July 1.
The A’s needed a breath of fresh air, anything to break Cleveland’s momentum. Seemingly, those two minutes between the seventh and eighth innings did the trick. Picture 25 players surrounding manager Bob Melvin as he reminds his guys…
“Be yourselves! We’re home run hitters, so hit home runs! And Brett (Anderson) you go to the scoring table. You’re in at the next media timeout. Let’s go!”
Melvin’s not Steve Kerr, and he didn’t get 25 guys around him and say those words. But the desired effect was the same. The A’s snatched momentum, hit two home runs, wipe out the Indians’ 3-0 lead, then Stephen Piscotty homered in the 11th and the A’s won 6-3.
On Sunday, momentum was starting pitcher Brett Anderson. In his first appearance since May 18, the resurgent pitcher shut down the AL Central leaders into the sixth inning in the A’s 6-0 shutout. The A’s rebounded to win the series and get to the 50-win mark prior to the All-Star break for the first time since 2014.
Yup, the A’s responded to the Indians’ 28-7 run, with a 12-0 run of their own. You know what they say? In MLB, everybody makes a run.
“We know we have seven games before the break,” said Melvin, of the A’s current streak of seven, consecutive series victories. “We want to finish up strong, so it doesn’t matter who we’re playing.”
Anderson had his tipping point early on Sunday. With runners at second and third and no outs, Anderson struck out Rajai Davis and Robert Perez. Then on a 3-0 pitch, Anderson induced No. 8 hitter Erik Gonzalez to pop out to end the inning, preserving the A’s 1-0 lead.
In the fourth with the bases loaded and two outs, Anderson was up to the task again. The veteran pitcher got Gonzalez to ground into an inning-ending force out play in which Brandon Guyer was retired at third base.
“For the first time back in a while to give us a chance to win and get the series win, I’ll take it,” said Anderson, who has owned the Indians with an 0.82 ERA in five career starts.
“I don’t think we made very good adjustments, but I think sometimes you give the pitcher some credit, for sure,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.
The A’s improved to 18-6 against AL Central competition, which only partially compensates for the struggles in their own division (12-25 against the AL West). If the A’s somehow manage to overcome the 6 1/2 game gap between themselves and the Mariners occupying the second wild card, they’ll have to do it the hard way: Of their remaining 72 games, 39 are against AL West teams, and only 10 against the AL Central Twins and Tigers.
But don’t count the surprising A’s out: they’ve won 16 of 20 and they have timeouts left.
NOTES: Blake Treinen was named the A’s sole representative for the July 17 All-Star Game in Washington D.C. Treinen has 22 saves and hasn’t blown one since April 18. While Treinen is the unquestioned headliner, the A’s bullpen could be considered the A’s real All-Star. The Oakland bullpen has the best save percentage in baseball, converting 26 of 32. But the stellar numbers don’t stop there: the A’s bullpen is 22-7, the most wins and best win percentage of any MLB club.
After activating Anderson, the A’s still have five starters on the disabled list. To make room for Anderson, Paul Blackburn was placed on the disabled list with forearm strain.
UP NEXT: The A’s will take on the Astros in Houston for a four-game set starting Monday night at 5:10 pm PDT.
Sandoval helps Giants gain a split with 3-run blast in 13-8 win over Cardinals
theintelligencer.com photo: San Francisco Giants’ Pablo Sandoval follows the path of his 3-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 8, 2018, in San Francisco.
By Jeremy Kahn
SAN FRANCISCO — Pablo Sandoval wanted to help the San Francisco Giants gain a split against the St. Louis Cardinals, and he helped out, both on offense and defense.
Sandoval launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, helping the Giants to a 13-8 victory over the Cardinals before a crowd of 38,855 at AT&T Park on Sunday. The 13 runs scored by the Giants were their most in a home game since they scored 13 against the Minnesota Twins on June 11, 2016.
The home run by Sandoval was one of three hits for him on the afternoon, as he was joined in the three-hit club by Andrew McCutchen and Alen Hanson.
Not only did Sandoval have three hits on the afternoon, he also drove in five runs for the third time in his career. It was the first time since September 4, 2013, against the Padres, a span of 1,768 games since last Sandoval’s five RBI game. In that game, Sandoval hit three home runs and drove in six runs.
Sandoval also helped out on defense, as he made a tremendous play on a Marcell Ozuna, as he stopped the ball from going down the line, threw from his knees to get Tommy Pham at second base. On the play, Sandoval sprained his left thumb and despite being looked at by the trainers, he stayed in the game.
The win by the Giants gave Madison Bumgarner his second win of the season, and saw the Major League debut of two of their two top minor league prospects, Ray Black and Steven Duggar.
Two Giants received good news after the game, as Brandon Crawford won the fan vote for the National League All-Star team and will start in the game on July 17 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Crawford will be joined by Buster Posey, who was selected by the players.
Brandon Belt will be part of the Final Player selected process, as he will join on the final ballot along with Jesus Aguilar of the Milwaukee Brewers, Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals, Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals.
Yairo Munoz drove in three runs for the Cardinals, as he gave them a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, as he took a Bumgarner pitch and put it into the left-field seats.
The Giants changed all that in the bottom of the third inning, as they scored three runs, as Posey reached on a Paul DeJong fielding error that scored Gorkys Hernandez from second base, as he led off the inning with a double off of Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty.
Following the DeJong error that allowed Bumgarner to go to second base, he then scored on an McCutchen single. Brandon Belt gave the Giants a two-run lead, as he singled to score Posey.
Munoz tied up the game in the top of the fourth inning, as he singled to centerfield to score Marcell Ozuna and Jedd Gyorko.
Harrison Bader scored the fourth run of the game for the Cardinals, as he was hit by a pitch and then scored on a Jose Martinez single.
That was the score for one-half inning, as Sandoval launched his eighth home run of the season that landed on the arcade. The three-run home run by Sandoval scored Brandon Belt, who doubled with one out, went to third on a Crawford single and then Sandoval launched a John Brebbia pitch onto the arcade.
Flaherty lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned), walking two and striking out two, as he did not fare in the decision.
Bumgarner went 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out six, as he improved to 2-3 on the season.
After starting the season without a hit in his first 14 at-bats, Bumgarner picked up a single in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Duggar made his major league debut an eventful one, as after he was 0-for-3, including two strikeouts, Duggar picked up his first major league hit in the bottom of the sixth inning on a double to centerfield off of Greg Holland.
The Giants broke the game wide open in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Duggar led off the inning with a double, then Posey walked. After McCutchen grounded out for the first out of the inning, Belt was intentionally walked by Holland and it worked for the Cardinals, as Holland was able to get Crawford to strikeout for the second out of the inning.
Unfortunately for Holland, Crawford would be the last batter that he would retire, as Sandoval drove in two more runs with a single and then Hanson singled for the second time in as many at-bats. Gorkys Hernandez then got in on the act, as he singled to score Sandoval from second base and the speedy Hanson from first base.
This was the second time in the game that Hanson showed his speed, as he went from first to third on a Hernandez groundout in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The five runs allowed by Holland were the most that he allowed since August 27, 2010, while a member of the Kansas City Royals.
Black made his debut in the top of the eighth inning, as he pitched just one-third of an inning, allowing three runs on one hit, walking two and striking out no one.
Three of Black’s pitches reached 100 miles per hour, and mainly all of the pitches were 98 and above.
Carpenter cut the Giants lead in half, as he launched a three-run pinch-hit home run off of Black.
It was the 121st “Splash Hit” overall since AT&T Park opened on April 11, 2000, and the 43rd by an opponent.
This was the second “Splash Hit,” by a Cardinals player, as Carpenter joins Larry Walker, who hit into McCovey Cove, 13 years ago today on July 8, 2005.
Carpenter’s only other pinch-hit home run came on September 6, 2016 at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates, off of current Giants reliever Tony Watson.
The Giants added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Sandoval and Hernandez scored on a DeJong error on a ball hit by Hunter Pence.
Duggar then picked up his second hit of the afternoon, as he legged out an infield hit that sent Pence to third base.
Martinez went 3-for-5 in the loss for the Cardinals, who after a day off on Monday, open a brief two-game series against the Chicago White Sox on the corner of 35thand Shields on the South Side of Chicago on Tuesday night.
NOTES: Andrew Suarez looks his fourth win of the season on Monday night, as he takes the mound for the opener against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs will send Kyle Hendricks to the hill.
Hernandez was forced to leave the game with tightness in his left calf in the sixth inning.
Pham was forced to leave the game with a left ankle contusion in the eighth inning.
UP NEXT: The Giants will host the Cubs Monday night at 7:15 pm PDT.
MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: Jackson and Gearrin traded to Rangers; Cano talks about his PED use; Muncy helps Dodgers past Angels Saturday night; Samardzija on track, hitting now off
sportingnews.com file photo: Seattle Mariners Robinson Cano (22) talks about his PED use and being suspended by MLB
MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum:
1 Giants Austin Jackson and Corey Gearrin both traded to the Texas Rangers
2 M’s Robinson Cano finally speaks about PED suspension
3 A’s castoff Max Muncy is Dodgers’ new slugger
4 Piscotty homers in the 11th, caps wild comeback by A’s
5 Report: Orioles fielding seven offers for Manny Machado
Daniel Dullum does the MLB The Show podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Giants transactions: Gearrin and Jackson traded, while Black and Duggar called up
Photo credit: sfgate.com
By Jeremy Kahn
SAN FRANCISCO — Sometimes, on Sunday morning, there is no news around the ballpark, but today is there is a lot of news surrounding the San Francisco Giants.
The Giants traded pitcher Cory Gearrin, outfielder Austin Jackson and Minor League pitcher Jason Bahr to the Texas Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
To replace both Gearrin and Jackson on the roster, the Giants purchased the contracts of right-handed pitcher Ray Black and outfielder Steven Duggar from Triple-A Sacramento.
Both Black and Duggar will be making their first appearances on a major-league roster, and Manager Bruce Bochy is wasting no time with Duggar, as he is hitting lead-off and playing center field in today’s series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals.
It has been a tough road to the majors for Black, who was drafted by the Giants with their seventh selection in the 2011 draft, but missed his first two professional seasons in 2012 and 2013 due to a torn labrum.
That was not all of Black’s injuries, as he detailed all of his injuries he has occurred since his days at the University of Pittsburgh.
While with the Panthers, Black had knee and hand surgeries in both 2009 and 2010, then came the labrum. Black then tore the Lat muscle in his arm in 2015, and finally his elbow was scoped in 2017.
His first surgery came in 2006, as he underwent Tommy John surgery as a high schooler in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Duggar, who was drafted by the Giants out of Clemson University in the sixth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft played in just 42 games between the Arizona Giants, San Jose Giants and the Sacramento Rivercats in 2017, as he missed the first seven weeks of the season with a flexor strain in his right elbow, and then he was out with a left hamstring strain.
This season with the Rivercats, Duggar was hitting .272 with four home runs and 21 runs batted in, as he played in 78 games for the Rivercats.
In 21.2 innings pitched this season, Black was 2-0 with a 2.91 earned run average in 22 games. Black walked just seven batters, while striking out 38 in those 21.2 innings for the Rivercats. He also picked up one save.
Late rally lifts the A’s past the Indians 6-3 in 11 innings
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Athletics (49-40) won on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland, but they could not do it the easy way. It took them 11 innings and two late scoring barrages to down the Indians 6-3 in game two of the three-game series. The series is now tied at one game apiece as the teams prepare to finish the series on Sunday.
The A’s knew they were going to have an uphill battle on Saturday as they had to face “the ace” of Cleveland staff — Corey Kluber. Kluber — who has won two Cy Young Awards — started the game with a record of 12-4 and an ERA of 2.49. His WHIP was 0.88. None of those stats give an opponent hope of getting healthy versus a starter like Kluber.
The A’s did counter with their own starter who has become quite a headliner in his own right — Edwin Jackson. Jackson who is now pitching in 16th Major League campaign has become the big story for the Athletics. As he started the game, Jackson had not walked a batter in his two previous starts.
Neither Kluber or Jackson figured into the final decision of the game. Kluber left the game after pitching seven innings of shutout baseball. Jackson left the game after 5.2 innings having given up three runs (two earned).
Great starts need great bullpens to keep them intact
Cleveland manager Terry Francona tapped Neil Ramirez to take over the pitching duties in the top the eighth inning for Kluber.
Ramirez started off strong getting Dustin Fowler to strike out for the first out of the inning. Mark Canha came to bat next and singled to left field.
Jed Lowrie was the third hitter of the inning. Ramirez and Lowrie had a seven-pitch battle. Lowrie hit the 2-2 pitch over into the right field seats for a two-run home — his 15th of the season.
With the score now 3-2, Khris Davis was next to face Ramirez. Krush hit a 1-1 fastball 431 feet into the center field seats to tie the game at 3-3. The near-sellout crowd in the “Rock ‘n Roll City” became as quiet as a church. You may have been able to hear the fans in Northern California screaming as their team made their comeback.
Extra Innings are always interesting if not fun
Neither team mounted a serious scoring threat in the ninth or 10th innings.
By the top of the 11th inning, everyone was starting to get really nervous. The A’s had already used closer Blake Treinen in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Indians had lost their designated hitter because of moves with pinch hitters. The longer these games go, the more convoluted the managing moves become.
Josh Tomlin took over the pitching duties for Cleveland (49-38) in the top of the 11th. Matt Olson led off with a single to right field.
With no outs and Olson at first, Stephen Piscotty came to the plate to face Tomlin. Piscotty battled Tomlin to a 3-2 count. Piscotty hit the seventh pitch over the left-center field wall for a two-run home run to give the A’s a 5-3 lead.
Matt Chapman was the next to bat and he hit a line drive double to left field. Marcus Semien then grounded out to third. Chapman had to hold at second.
Jonathan Lucroy was the next hitter. While Lucroy was at the plate, Chapman was able to steal third base. Lucroy reached first on a fielding error by Lindor and Chapman was able to score the Athletics third run.
When the top the 11th inning was over, the A’s held a 6-3 lead.
The Indians went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 11th inning and Oakland won the game 6-3.
Pitching
The win went to Blake Treinen who is now 5-1 on the season. He came back and pitched the bottom of the 11th as well for Oakland.
Lou Trivino gets special mention for pitching two strong innings of scoreless baseball as does Ryan Buchter for throwing 1.1 innings without allowing a run.
Josh Tomlin (0-5) was charged with the loss.
Hitting
The long ball was the A’s best friend on Saturday. Lowrie hit his 15th, Davis his 21st and Piscotty launched his eighth homer of the season. Chapman powered up two doubles.
Matt Chapman has a perfect day at the plate going 4-for-4 on Saturday.
The RBI just keep on coming. Jed Lowrie added two more to up his total to 61 for the season. Khris Davis (58), Piscotty 2 (38) and Lucroy (25) all had RBI in the game.
Lindor and Brantley continued to tear it up for the Indians. Lindor is now batting .301 and Brantley is hitting .310 for Cleveland.
Up next
The series concludes Sunday morning at 10:10 AM PDT when Brett Anderson (0-2, 7.63) takes the hill for Oakland to face the Indians Shane Bieber (4-0, 2.97).
Aces overcome 11-point deficit in the 4th quarter to beat Connecticut 94-90
Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service
By Shawn McCullough
Throughout the season, head coach Bill Laimbeer has characterized his team as young, but his team is now showing signs of resiliency late in games.
The Aces rolled off 12 straight points late in the fourth quarter to beat the Connecticut Sun 94-90 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
“The character of our team is still growing,” said Laimbeer. “We’re a work in progress but I think this win today goes a long way to helping us build our character. We were down but we did not hang our heads. That’s the one thing that we did not do. We came out in the fourth quarter with the determination to win the game.”
Rookie A’ja Wilson registered her eighth double-double of the season, scoring 34 points and pulling down 14 rebounds, while Kayla McBride scored 27.
Key contributions also came from guard Kelsey Plum with 10 assists and center JiSu Park with nine rebounds.
“I was just really proud of how we fought back,” said McBride. “It was a team effort and that’s how you have to win and that’s how you have to play games.”
“We really held our composure,” said Wilson on their fourth quarter comeback. “We know basketball is a game of runs and we know that Connecticut keeps on going. Like coach says, they’re a front-running team. When they get going, we have to just stay within ourselves and keep attacking them in any way. Just control what we can control and I think we did a great job of doing that.”
With the win, the Aces improved to 8-12 on the season, matching the total number of wins of last year’s team, the San Antonio Stars, who went 8-26.
“We are only a game and a half out of a playoff spot right now and we did match last year’s win total today and we have 14 more to go. I call that progress.”
The Aces trail the Atlanta Dream by 1.5 games for the eighth spot in the WNBA standings, as the top eight teams in the league make the playoffs.
The Aces will next play the Sky on Tuesday in Chicago.
Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com
Game Notes:
- A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (34) for the 20th straight game.
- The Aces have now won two straight games and three of their last four.
- 3,363 Aces fans were in attendance.
Game Starters:
F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 3 Kelsey Bone
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum
Armenteros scores two; Timbers beat Earthquakes 2-1
Photo credit: @OregonianSports
By Pearl Allison Lo
The unbeaten and winless streaks continued for the Portland Timbers and San Jose Earthquakes Saturday as Portland won 2-1 at Providence Park on Saturday night.
It was not that clear cut though with the Quakes making it close at the end of the game.
The Timbers’ unbeaten streak amped up to 11 and San Jose’s winless streak extended to nine. The Quakes have still yet to win in Portland.
As San Jose started the second half with a test against the toughest team in MLS, it was a downhill first half that though they did not materialize, ended with some positive notes.
In his first outing since he returned from playing for Panama in the World Cup, Harold Cummings picked up a yellow in under a minute.
Vako got the Quakes’ first shot in the 11th minute.
However, Vako also initiated a turnover which led to Samuel Armenteros’ goal in the 14th minute. Armenteros had a season-high eight shots and tied a season-high with his two goals.
San Jose was forced to make an early substitution when rookie Kevin Partida was taken out in favor of veteran Shea Salinas in the 23rd minute.
The next minute, Armenteros nearly had another goal at the near corner post, but goalie Andrew Tarbell was able to deflect the ball with his face.
The Quakes’ next shot came from Wondolowski in the 29th minute.
Another unexpected substitution for the Quakes came when Danny Hoesen had to leave in favor of Quincy Amarikwa in the 33rd minute.
Armenteros had a more skillful attempt on net with a bicycle kick that went wide in the 44th minute.
San Jose had late pressure in stoppage time. After a handball by Anibal Godoy, who also returned from Panama World Cup action, Vako missed and the Timbers blocked two more attempts by Godoy and Vako. The intensity could be seen by Vako chewing on his shirt.
Armenteros finished the first half with five shots, Vako with three, and the Quakes only one shot on target.
Armenteros doubled his score in the game in the 53rd minute. It seemed like it was a mix of defenders trying to catch up with Armenteros, overrunning him and confusion including Tarbell in net.
San Jose kept with it though and Amarikwa’s persistence kept the ball on their side. As he passed to Florian Jungwirth, Jungwirth slid the ball in diagonally for an 87th minute goal.
With a hand to his mouth after, Salinas had a close attempt in the 92nd minute.
Tarbell also joined his teammates in front of net in their last second efforts to tie the game.
Up Next: The Quakes will next head East to take on the Montreal Impact Saturday at 4:30 pm PDT.
Photo Gallery: Las Vegas Aces vs. Connecticut Sun
That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s Have the Young, Exciting Players the Giants Lack
Photo credit: @AthleticsPR
By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics are two totally different ball clubs that play on opposite sides of the Bay Area. The Giants are one of the oldest teams trying to capture the same magic with most of the same cast: Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Brandon Crawford, Madison Bumgarner. Meanwhile, the A’s have a refreshing, talented bunch of young players with their best years ahead of them, like Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Mark Canha, Chad Pinder and Khris Davis. The A’s young squad is one of the most prolific home run squads in the game, as they can score so much in order to win.
In case you need a refresher, the A’s play in the American League West, which is one of the strongest divisions in baseball. The Giants play in the National League West, which is pretty much just a bunch of teams barely above the .500 mark and trying to survive July. Yet, the Giants are still constructed to win it all, while the A’s are a couple of years away. But this season, the A’s might even finish in second place, after finishing as cellar-dwellars in the last three years.
And yes, it is a different game today, as hitters do not choke-up at the plate trying to make contact. The hit and run (and a stolen base, for that matter) is rarely seen. Also, the bunt is like a the typewriter–it is a conversational topic, but when somebody actually bunts, it is like a breaking news headline.
Let’s face it, in our Statcast world, it is all about the home run today, and there is no dishonor of striking out. Hence, the many .220 and .230 averages we have seen in every lineup. During the last few years, teams have been building bullpens and starters and have a hard time when they face the hitters for the third time around.
The A’s third baseman is Matt Chapman and the first baseman Matt Olson. They are two of the most exciting, all-around ballplayers in the game today, since they both can hit with power, and will likely win a few Gold Gloves. Moreover, Mark Canha can play in the outfield and has shown his excellent power on display. It is getting better–the more he plays. Additionally, Chad Pinder could play everyday, but he is the young super-utility player who plays six different positions for Bob Melvin’s team.
Melvin continues to be one of the best managers in the game, not because he has won two Manager of the Year awards–one with Arizona the other one with Seattle–but because of his tremendous ability and patience to manage young talent.
Davis is one of the most consistent sluggers in the MLB and obviously doesn’t get the same respect other sluggers get. In 2016, he hit 42 home runs and drove in 102 in his first season in Oakland, Calif. In 2017, he hit 43 homers and drove in 110. And, this season, he is on a pace to repeat for the third year in a row. He is a DH because he does his job–he hits and drives in runs. He is as dangerous of a hitter in a game situation as there is today.
As we get close to the All-Star Game on July 17th at Nationals Park–home of the Washington Nationals–both the A’s and Giants have the same goal to make the postseason. For the A’s, is much more difficult because among the AL super teams this year, two are in their division–the World Champion Houston Astros and the much-improved Seattle Mariners. The A’s record today would put them neck-and-neck with the Cleveland Indians, who are on top of the Central Division. And, with a 49-40 record today, the A’s would be right at the top of the NL West.
There are approximately 70 games left for most of the teams at this junction of the season. Both the A’s and Giants are still hoping for a wild card berth. I believe in the AL West, everybody is playing for second place, but only God knows in the NL West.
The Giants are probably going to go the second half with what they have on hand right now, and I do not expect to see any trades. For the Giants, the challenge will be this winter when they will have to re-direct their future.
For the A’s, they could be buyers or sellers, most likely division sellers, but they have to keep playing as good as they have been doing as of late, because I do not know if the Seattle Mariners have a collapse coming during the second half.
