Astros top A’s 4-2

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By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Houston Astros downed the A’s 4-2 in the second game of the three-game series. The A’s had their ace, Sean Manaea, going for his fifth win of the season. That did not happen as the very talented Astros team sent Manaea to the showers in the sixth inning, and he had no choice but to absorb his fourth loss of the year.

Lance McCullers, who dominated the A’s when the Astros won 11-0 on April 29th. McCullers went just five innings, and the A’s could have made it closer, but they couldn’t get it done, and the Astros’ bullpen did its job as the A’s could not get anything done in the last four innings of the game.

The A’s put a run on the board in the bottom of the first without the benefit of a hit. Lance McCullers walked the A’s leadoff hitter Marcus Semien. Semien advanced to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Jed Lowrie hit a fly ball to deep right-field for the second out. Semien tagged up and went to third. With Khris Davis at bat, McCullers uncorked his second wild pitch of the inning and Semien slid in safely for the score. Davis doubled on the next pitch, but the A’s could do no more.

The Astros tied the game in the top of the second. With one out, Astros’ third baseman Alex Bregman slammed his third home run of the year over the wall in the right field wall. Manaea retired the next two hitters to end the inning.

The A’s regained the lead in the bottom of the third. Semien singled to start the rally. McCullers, who was having problems with his control, walked Matt Joyce and Jed Lowrie to load the bases with no out. Khris Davis lined out to deep right field. Astros’ right fielder George Springer made a nice running catch as the ball almost went over his head. Semien scored, and Joyce tagged and advanced to third. Matt Olson hit into a double play to end the inning. The A’s lead 2-1 after three.

Houston put two on the board in the top of the fifth. With two out, Manaea hit just grazed Brian McCann uniform with an inside pitch. The next hitter, Jake Marisnick, hitting a buck 51, doubled to put men on at second and third. Manaea now had to face the red-hot hitter George Springer. Springer doubled to drive in McCann and Marisnick. Springer now has eight hits in his last nine at-bats. The Astros lead 3-2 halfway through the fifth inning. The A’s Bruce Maxwell committed a blunder on the base paths that may have cost the team a chance to tie the game. Maxwell doubled to start the inning. Marcus Semien followed with a ground ball that squeezed into shallow left field. Maxwell hesitated as he didn’t know if the ball would be fielded and when it wasn’t, he took off for third. Maxwell, who is not a speed demon, was cut down when left fielder Marwyn Gonzalez hustled in to field the ball and threw Maxwell out as he was sliding into the base. Houston leads 3-2 after five innings.

The Astros tacked on another run in the sixth inning. With one out, Yuli Guriel doubled. Manaea retired Bregman for the second out. He now had to face the ever-dangerous Marwin Gonzalez. Gonzalez came through for Houston as he singled to left to drive in Guriel with the Astros’ fourth run of the night. A’s manager Bob Melvin trudged out to the mound and took the ball from Manaea and brought in rookie reliever Lou Trivino. Trivino gave up a hit but was able to get the third out without any further damage.

The Astros’ relievers’ Brad Peacock, Chris Devenski, and Ken Giles shit down the A’s offense to secure the win for Houston. The Astros beat the A’s 4-2.

Game Notes and Stats: There was a very emotional moment in the second inning when Stephen Piscotty came to bat. Piscotty, who lost his mother Gretchen to ALS on Sunday, decided to play in the last two games of the homestand and then go on bereavement leave when the A’s go on the 10-game road trip. Piscotty received an extremely warm, heartfelt reception from the fans. He was very touched by the show of support and tapped his heart before going to bat. He singled, and every one of the 9,764 fans in the stadium knew that that was for his mother.

With the win, the Astros moved back into a virtual tie for first place with the Los Angeles Angels. The A’s drop to 18-18. McCullers improves to 5-1 while Manaea is now 4-4. Ken Giles recorded his fourth save of the year.

Up Next: The final game of the three-game set will be played Wednesday afternoon at the Coliseum. Game time will be at 12:35 pm PT.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: The Warriors roll in five playoff games against Pelicans

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On the Warriors podcast with David tonight:

After dropping Game 5 in New Orleans to the Pelicans, the Golden State Warriors did some talking to themselves and got back on track quick with the help of Kevin Durant, who led Golden State with 38 points. Durant had been a little passive in Game 2, but came out with all cylinders firing in Game 3 in the Warriors’ 118-92 win at Oracle Arena. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry followed Durant with 23 points and Klay Thompson with 13.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Nola strikes out 12 in Phillies’ 4-2 win over Giants

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By Jeremy Kahn

Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen made the San Francisco Giants ordinary in the second game of their four-game series.

Nola went seven innings, where he struck out a career-high 12 batters and Odubel Herrera picked up two hits on the night, where he extended his career-high on-base streak to 37 games, and the Phillies defeated the Giants 4-2 at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday night.

With the loss on the evening, the Giants saw their streak of five straight winning series come to an end, as the best the Giants can do in the series is split.

The right-hander gave up just one run and five hits, and did not walk a batter against the Giants, who were shellacked 10-0 in the opener of the four-game series.

The Phillies got three solo home runs from Jorge Alfaro, Aaron Altherr and Carlos Santana, as the Phillies remain one-half game behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

Nola continues to be dominant this season, as he went seven innings for his fourth straight start, as he improves to 4-0 with a minuscule 1.91 earned run average during his four-game winning streak. The Giants did not help themselves out either, as they struck out nine consecutive from the second until the fifth inning.

The Giants took a 1-0 lead off of Nola in the top of the second inning, as Brandon Crawford drove in a run with a groundout that ended Nola’s scoreless inning streak at 14.1 innings.

Altherr tied up the game with a solo home run off of Derek Holland in the bottom of the second inning, and then the Phillies took the lead for good in the bottom of the third inning, when Alfaro took a Holland pitch over the left-field fence.

Herrera drove in a run in the third inning, as he singled up the middle to score Cesar Hernandez to give the Phillies a two-run lead.

Santana got in the home run act in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he hit a solo home run of his own over the left-field wall off of Giants reliever Cory Gearrin.

After striking out 17 times earlier in the season, the Giants did it again on this night, asides from Nola’s 12 strikeouts, as relievers Edubray Ramos, Tommy Hunter and Hector Neris combined to strikeout five over the final two innings of the game.

Pablo Sandoval hit his second home run of the season, as he hit a pinch-hit home run, while batting for Gearrin in the top of the eighth inning.

NOTES: Chris Stratton will try and stop the Giants two-game losing streak on Wednesday evening, as he looks for his fourth win of the season, while the Phillies will counter with Nick Pivetta, who looks to improve to 2-2 on the season.

Buster Posey saw his 23-game hitting streak against the Phillies come to an end, as Posey went 0-for-4 and struck out twice. This was the first time since July 23, 2014 that Posey did not get a get a hit off of Phillies pitching.

The Giants committed yet another error on the evening, and that is now 11 errors in their last five games, including three in the series opener on Monday night.

UP NEXT: Game 3 of the series is scheduled for Wednesday at 4:05 pm PT.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Was 16-2 blowout just a rare occasion or is A’s pitching in trouble?; A’s considering switching flagship stations

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O:

1) The A’s were blown out 16-2 in the opening game of the Astros series. How would you say the team is playing at the moment?

2) You had some overall concerns about the Orioles series. What exactly bothered you about the A’s three-game sweep?

3) I know you believe there is one story involving an Athletic that trumps all other baseball stories

. 4) What is up with A’s president Dave Kaval asking the fans if they should keep 95.7 The Game as their flagship radio station?

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

Giants, Samardzija experience turbulence in Philly, routed 11-0 in series opener

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By Morris Phillips

Cast Monday’s opener in Philadelphia as the real start to what figures to be a challenging road trip for the resurgent Giants.

The Phillies returned to their bashing, pitching early-season ways–after six losses in their previous eight games–routing the Giants 11-0 on Monday night. Zach Elfin pitched into the seventh inning, striking out nine, Odubel Herrera bashed, hitting a pair of homers. Jeff Samardzija took the loss for the Giants, allowing five runs in four innings, which included Hererra’s three-run homer in the first inning.

“He’s got to have his command. He was up and not hitting spots,” manager Bruce Bochy said of Samardzija. “It was just an off night for everyone.”

After a breezy weekend in Atlanta, the Giants found out what the NL East youth movement is all about, as the Phillies and Braves have–at least for the moment–moved ahead of the Mets and Nationals.  While Herrera is fast becoming the slugger the Phillies envisioned, the Philadelphia pitching is a more recent development. On Monday, Elfin won for the first time this season after starting the season in the minors.  Now Elfin has a pair of consecutive, strong starts after a six inning, no decision against the Marlins last week.

“I was happy that I kept my head on straight and just pounded the zone,” Elfin said, explaining his approach to pitching with such a commanding lead.

The Giants experienced a comical moment when Gorkys Hernandez saw Carlos Santana’s powerful drive bounce out of his glove and over the wall for a three-run homer in the fifth. That put the Phillies up 8-0, and lowlighted a rough pair of innings in relief for D.J. Snelten. The rookie pitcher allowed six hits and five runs in two innings, ruining a perfectly good sub-4.00 ERA in the process.

The Giants hit on all cylinders over the weekend in suburban Atlanta in sweeping the Braves, but the Phillies displayed that their rebuilding effort may be on a different plane than the Braves. With three games remaining at Citizens Bank Park before three in Pittsburgh over the weekend, the Giants must be weary.

Derek Holland gets the ball for the Giants on Tuesday. Holland has never faced the Phillies home or away in his 10-year, big league career.

Astros’ bats come alive in 16-2 hammering of A’s

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Photo credit: @astros

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Houston Astros, defending World Champions and losers of six of their last seven games, pounded the A’s with a vengeance. The New York Yankees swept a four-game series from the Astros in Houston and the lost two of three to Arizona in Phoenix. The Astros found themselves in second place in the AL West, and they came out swinging against A’s starter, lefty Brett Anderson. The Astros scored early and often, and the game was over by the middle of the fourth. Houston starter Dallas Keuchel won his second of the year, and the former Cy Young award winner pitched eight innings and allowed the A’s just one run and five hits. For the A’s and their fans, it was not a night to remember as the Astros won 16-2 at O.co Coliseum Monday night.

The Astros wasted no time as they took advantage of Brett Anderson’s wildness to score twice in the first inning. The Astros’ center fielder, George Springer, led off with a double. Anderson retired Jose Altuve for the first out. Springer advanced to third on a wild pitch. Anderson then issued a free pass to Carlos Correa. Yuli Guriel popped out to first baseman Matt Olson. Anderson walked Alex Bregman to load the bases. Marwin Gonzalez, playing left field, singled to drive in Springer and Correa. With Evan Gattis at bat Gonzalez was caught in a rundown trying to steal second. The A’s realized that Bregman could score before the out was recorded and the throw came home, and Bregman was tagged out as he attempted to score. The Astros led 2-0 after the first inning.

The Astros scored three times in the top of the second. Josh Reddick started the rally going with a single with one out. Max Stassi, another former Athletic, doubled to left-center. The next hitter, George Springer, who started the game with a double, hit a ball in his wheelhouse that was a no-doubt-about-it home run that went about 20 rows deep into the left-field seats. It was Springer’s eighth of the year. The A’s trailed 5-0 midway through the second inning.

The Astros didn’t score in the third inning but made up for in the top of the fourth as they scored six times on four hit. A’s first baseman Matt Olson made a throwing error that helped contribute to the Astros’ onslaught. The key hits were Max Stassi’s second double of the night, and Marwin Gonzalez’ home run that broke that broke the game wide open. The Astros have pounded the A’s for 11 runs and 12 hits in just four innings of play.

The A’s got on the board in the bottom of the sixth, but they had a long way to go to get back in the game. The A’s trailed 11-1 after six innings.

Houston added two more runs in the eighth. Derek Fisher took A’s reliever Wilmer Font deep for his third big fly of the season. Ylui Guriel walked and then score on a double off the bat of Alex Bregman. The Astros lead 13-1 after eight complete. The Astros continued to punish the A’s pitching as they scored three more in the ninth.

The A’s, with two out in the night, scored their second run when Mark Canha and Johnathan Lucroy doubled. The Astros won 16-2.

Game Notes and Stats: Almost all of the hitting highlights belong to Houston. George Springer had a double, home run, and four singles as he was the 115th player in Major League history to have six hits in a nine-inning game. There have been more no-hitters (298) than six-hit games in nine innings.

Marwin Gonzalez had two hits, including a home run and Max Stassi, a Yuba City, California, native, also had two hits to pace the Astros’ attack. The line score for Houston was 16 runs, 20 hits, and two errors.

The A’s scored twice on eight hits, and they made one error.

Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland Tuesday night, and he will be opposed by righty Lance McCullers.

The A’s had a moment of silence for Stephen Piscotty’s mother, Gretchen, who passed away Sunday from complications of ALS. The Sports Radio Service writers send our condolences to the Piscotty family.

Up Next: The A’s and Astros play Game 2 of the series Tuesday night at 7:05 pm PT.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: As A’s put Orioles in the rear-view mirror, Astros are a beast to deal with

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Photo credit: @Athletics

On this edition of That’s Amaury’s podcast:

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is joined on the podcast with co-hosts Jerry Feitelberg and Michael Duca talking about the A’s latest sweep over the last place Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles, who played three at the Coliseum and were swept, have now lost six straight.

This is the second worst start in team history for Baltimore at 8-26. In 1988, the O’s didn’t win a game until April 21st after going 0-21. That’s not to say the A’s didn’t play well, but it’s a big difference as they are playing the Houston Astros to open up a three-game series at the Coliseum on Monday night.

The Astros are the World Champions who are leading baseball with a 21-15 record in the AL West. The Astros have the best rotation in baseball. This series is going to be a challenge for the A’s as it was when they played each other last week in Houston.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the MLB Hispanic Heritage Museum, the Spanish play-by-play talent for the Oakland A’s, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

NHL Stanley Cup Conference Finals podcast Len Shapiro: Expansion Knights keep setting new levels with each playoff advancement; Tampa Bay headed for Eastern Conference Finals

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photo  from denverpost.com: James Neal (18) of the Vegas Golden Knights tries to skate around Brenden Dillon (4) of the San Jose Sharks during Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on May 6, 2018 in San Jose, Calif.

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 It was a battle for the ages. It took six games and lots of anxious moments in a series which at one point up to Game 4 that was hard to predict an outcome. The Vegas Golden Knights, however, took Game 5 in Las Vegas past the San Jose Sharks and came back to San Jose with a 3-2 lead and clinched to advance to the Western Conference Finals on Sunday night with a convincing 3-0 shutout at SAP Center in Game 6.

#2 The Winnipeg Jets take a 3-2 series lead as they defeated the Nashville Predators 6-2 Saturday. This is a series where its been a win every other game for each team and don’t be surprised if this one goes seven.

#3 The Washington Capitals took a 3-2 series lead past the Nashville Predators with a three-goal 6-3 win and know after not being allowed to take a shot all game long for both the Pens’ Sid Crosby and the Caps’ Alex Ovechkin as both players were going all out in game five.

#4 The Tampa Bay Lightning clinched to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a win over the Boston Bruins to take a 4-1 series victory.

Len Shapiro does the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Coming off sweep, Giants–despite injuries–ready for Phillies

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Photo file from the midlanddailynews.com: San Francisco Giants’ Nick Hundley, right, celebrates after making the game-winning hit against the San Diego Padres in the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 30, 2018, in San Francisco. Hundley lined a two-run single off Padres closer Brad Hand with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting the Giants to a 6-5 win over San Diego

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 San Francisco Giants came into Atlanta on Friday and snapped the Braves’ five-game win streak and later swept the series defeating Atlanta 4-3.

#2 Not an easy task for the Giants, but they accomplished a sweep over the Braves for the first time since 2014–the last time they won the World Series.

#3 The Giants got offensive help from Nick Hundley and Pablo Sandoval, who both got RBI singles in helping the four-run cause.

#4 The game on Saturday was a laugher for San Francisco with a 11-2 hitting rampage and it set the tone for the Giants, who were going to dominate this series at Sun Trust Field in Cobb County.

#5 The Giants open a three-game series in Philadelphia tonight at Citizens Bank. We asked Morris how he sees these two teams matching up.

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

Don’t leave town now, Stay awhile!: A’s sweep hapless Orioles with 2-1 win

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–The A’s sweep of the Orioles came with all the necessary elements: superior pitching, timely hitting and dependable defense.

But would that list accurately explain how the A’s won three games–by a combined five runs–in three days?

No way. This story starts with sorry state of affairs for the visiting Orioles and those 12 consecutive road losses.. and counting. Rarely, does one big league team catch another at its lowest point. The A’s did that when they welcomed the stumbling O’s to the Coliseum’s visiting clubhouse on Friday.

“They have an explosive offense and a great manager. You just hope they stay down while they’re here,” said manager Bob Melvin.

When the series began the A’s had their own issues, scuffling to score runs in a skid that saw four losses in five games. In response, Melvin implored his club to find its run-scoring groove earlier in ballgames. Melvin’s nudge worked Friday night when the A’s put up a four-spot in the first inning, but then his club scored twice in the next 18 innings, while going scoreless for the first 11 frames Saturday.

From Oakland’s perspective, not much change.

But it hardly mattered with the Orioles committing five errors in the series, scoring one run over the final 24 innings of the weekend, and looking defeated before they actually lost.

What’s wrong with the Orioles? Well to start, just about everything. They entered the year in a rebuilding phase, unable to go any further with a roster clearly inferior to AL East rivals Boston and New York, and things got worse from there. After Sunday, they’re a major league worst 8-26, hitting just .220 as a team, and they can’t catch or throw. Their 26 errors in 34 games ranks second-worst in the American League.

“We’ve got to man up, grow up, start playing better. Period. No ands, ifs or buts about it. We’ve just got to play better. We’re just not good enough right now,” said Orioles’ catcher Caleb Joseph.

On Sunday, veteran outfielders Adam Jones and Trey Mancini were late scratches, and platoon guys, CF Adam Gentry and 3B Pedro Alvarez, were in the Baltimore lineup but scuffling in one way or another. A’s starter Andrew Triggs, possibly still smarting from his unceremonious release from the Baltimore organization in March 2016, took it from there.

Triggs pitched seven, strong innings allowing two hits and striking out a season-high nine. The A’s pushed across a pair of runs in the fourth, and made them stand up in a 2-1 win. The Orioles threatened in the ninth, with a runner at third and one out, but closer Blake Treinen shut the door, getting Jace Peterson to ground out to second with the infield playing in. Then after intentionally walking Manny Machado, Treinen retired Chris Davis on a fly out to end it.

Standing near the game’s summary–as in foul territory adjacent to the diamond–was the story behind the story of how this game was won involving Triggs and Alvarez. In the spring of 2016, the then 29-year old Alvarez was a free agent, after he was non-tendered by the Pirates despite hitting 27 homers and appearing in 150 games for Pittsburgh in 2015.

When Alvarez drew little interest on the free agent market likely due to him averaging 177 strikeouts per season over his six full big league seasons, and being a below average defender at first and third base, the Orioles entertained the idea of signing the slugger and playing him in right field.

At the same time, Triggs had established himself as a minor league standout in the Baltimore organization, saving 17 games as a closer for Double-A Bowie while compiling a microscopic 1.03 ERA. That prompted the Orioles to add Triggs to their 40-man roster after the 2015 season, to prevent some team from poaching the right-handed prospect via the Rule 5 draft.

But when the Orioles agreed to a one-year deal with Alvarez for a price-friendly $5.75 million for one year, plus incentives, Triggs was released to make room for Alvarez on the 40-man roster. Soon thereafter, Triggs signed with the A’s.

Fast forward two years to Sunday, and what transpires? Alvarez hits a home run off Triggs in the second inning, but it’s the only run the A’s pitcher allows. Two innings later, Alvarez–playing third base despite his error-laden history–bobbles a throw from pitcher Alex Cobb, then recovers, only to make an errant throw to second base that ends up in right field. That allows two A’s baserunners to advance a base. The baserunners–Mark Canha and Matt Joyce–end up scoring the tying and eventual game-winning runs later in that inning.

The A’s moved a season-best, two games over .500 with the win.

On Monday, the A’s get a much stiffer challenge from the AL West-leading Astros at 7:05 p.m. Brett Anderson gets the start for the A’s, Dallas Keuchel for the Astros.