Golden State Valkyries fans lights up Chase Center as the fourth quarter begins. With 18,064 people in the bay, this was the team’s fifth sell-out. (Michael Villanueva of Sports Radio Service is credited with the photo)
On the Golden States Valkyries game podcast Michael Villanueva:
#1 Given how both teams have changed since opening night, what were the most important lessons learned from the Valkyries’ performance against the Storm?
#2 Michael which Golden State player stood out the most in this match up, and is that player beginning to establish herself as a reliable leader for this new squad?
#3 Given Kayla’s double-double, how did the Valkyries’ tempo and control change as a result of her effective rebounding and scoring?
#4 How well did Golden State’s zone coverage strategy work to break Seattle’s rhythm for the majority of the game, and what does it tell about the Valkyries’ coaching changes?
#5 Following an excellent game tonight, the Valkyries will focus on Dallas when they play the Wings on Tuesday, June 17 at 5 p.m. PT. What impact do you think tonight’s momentum will have on that matchup?
This image shows a rendering of the baseball club’s proposed stadium in Las Vegas. AP photo
Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:
#1 Daniel, the Athletics groundbreaking will be held at the old Tropicana Casino and Hotel on Monday June 23 at 8:00AM. Some question the time of the ribbon cutting being unusually early by press conference standards.
#2 Some said it could be a tactic to keep the amount of press away that will ask about A’s owner John Fisher’s construction costs and if he paid his share of the $1.75 billion yet?
#3 Do you look at this groundbreaking as a closer step to getting the stadium constructed or is this ceremony being done to keep the pressure off of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority when questioned when are there going to be shovels in the ground.
#3 A’s president Mark Badain said that construction for the Vegas ballpark started back in April and the A’s wanted to make Mon Jun 23rd ribbon cutting a celebration for the A’s and local officials.
#4 VIPs expected to attend the groundbreaking Mon Jun 23rd, A’s owner John Fisher, Badain, Las Vegas Stadium Authority president Steven Hill, Nevada State Legislature, members of the Clark County Commission and Governor Joe Lombardo.
#5 The Stadium Authority report says the construction of the park will take 32 months and is expected to be ready opening day 2028.
Sacramento A’s pitcher Jacob Lopez delivers to the Kansas City Royals line up in the bottom first inning at Kaufman Stadium at Kansas City on Sat Jun 14, 2025 (AP News photo)
Green and Gold Silence Royals Behind Long Ball and Stellar Pitching
By Mauricio Segura
In a sharp and steady Saturday matinee showing at Kauffman Stadium, the Sacramento Athletics rode a power surge and airtight pitching to a 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals, shutting down Kansas City with clinical precision and just enough flash to keep things interesting.
The green and gold wasted little time getting on the board. After Tyler Soderstrom drew a walk to open the second inning, Max Muncy launched a two-run shot to left field, his fifth of the year, putting the Athletics up 2-0. It was a no-doubt line drive that never considered staying in the park.
Soderstrom later proved his value again in the fourth, working another walk, swiping second base, and scoring on a Luis Urías double to left. That made it 3-0, giving the A’s just enough cushion to settle into cruise control.
Lawrence Butler added an exclamation mark in the seventh with a solo blast to dead center, his tenth of the season. It was the only hit the Athletics managed off Kansas City reliever Daniel Lynch IV, who had just replaced starter Michael Lorenzen. The green and gold didn’t do much else after that, but they didn’t need to.
The Royals, meanwhile, could barely touch A’s pitching. They scattered just five hits and never advanced a runner past third. A disengagement violation in the third gave Kansas City its only brief spark when Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. advanced into scoring position with two outs. But Vinnie Pasquantino flew out to right, ending the threat.
Pasquantino, in fact, struck out three times, part of a larger struggle for Kansas City’s offense. Athletics pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts, and no Royal reached base more than once except for Garcia, who doubled and singled.
Athletics starter Jacob Lopez kept the Royals guessing with four crisp innings. Michael Kelly took over in the fifth and was equally effective, getting help from center fielder Denzel Clarke, who chased down deep flies from Jac Caglianone and Freddy Fermin in the seventh to maintain the shutout. Hogan Harris closed the door in the ninth, striking out Pasquantino once more and stranding a Mark Canha single that barely broke the infield.
On a day where offensive action was sporadic, Soderstrom quietly put together a strong performance: two walks, a stolen base, a run scored, and solid defense in left. Denzel Clarke also contributed on both sides of the ball, reaching base and covering serious ground in center.
The Athletics, who entered the series looking to shake off recent inconsistencies, now have their 28th win of the season and will look to build on this momentum to go back home with a sweep tomorrow afternoon.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to. ⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet. Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout. Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up. 📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Edmonton Oilers Corey Perry (90) gets his shot stopped by the Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) in third period action of game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise FL on Thu Jun 12, 2025 (AP News photo)
On the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast Mary Lisa:
#1 In the first 20 minutes the Edmonton Oilers were behind the Florida Panthers by three goals in the next 20 minutes the Oilers made up for lost time and tied up the game 3-3. Talk about the shots.
#2 The Oilers would take the lead but gave up the tying goal to the Panthers in the last few seconds of regulation that forced overtime with the score at 4-4. You saw four consecutive goals.
#3 Leon Drasaitl once again was the hero of the contest in game 4 scoring the game winning goal in overtime 5-4 on Thursday night. It was Draisaitl’s fourth overtime finals goal a NHL record.
#4 Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said that games like this were exhausting, “Two good teams playing as hard as they are, playing the right way. Obviously with what’s on the line, it’s stressful. There’s a lot on the line, but it is fun and I think our guys are having fun, enjoying this moment.”
#5 Game 5 will be back in Edmonton at Rogers Arena Saturday night at 5:00pm PDT. The Oilers will have home ice and could go up 3-2 on the other hand the Panthers could go up 3-2. It’s an evenly matched final.
Forward Racheal Kundananji (9) gets a kick away for Bay FC against the Orlando Pride at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Fri Jun 13, 2025 (Bay FC X photo)
By William Espy
SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted the reigning NWSL champions, the Orlando Pride, on Friday night. The Pride haven’t been as dominant as they were last season, but they were still second in the league entering the matchup, behind only the Kansas City Current. The Pride were good enough to get by Bay FC 1-0.
Emmie Allen made her first ever start in goal for Bay FC, against a very dangerous attack that included Barbra Banda and Ally Watt just to name a couple.
Bay FC Starting XI: Allen, Malonson, Hubly, Dahlkemper, Dydasco, Bebar, Pickett, Huff, Oshoala, Kundananji, Lema
Taylor Huff got the best chance of the opening minutes, as she forced Anna Morehouse to make a diving save in the 10th minute, denying the Bay FC rookie of her long-awaited first-career goal. Ally Watt was taken down by Rachael Kundananji in the 13th minute in a hard collision, which likely could’ve seen the Bay FC forward given a yellow card, but she escaped with just a foul. Asisat Oshoala was getting called for multiple fouls early in the match as well, as a result, she was given a final warning by referee Muhammed Hassan less than half an hour into the game.
Marta nearly got the Pride on the board with a great run into the box in the 26th minute, but her shot went wide of the goal. Karlie Lema was shown a yellow card in the 30th minute when she pulled down a Pride player. Allen made her first save on a shot from point-blank range in the 31st minute. It would remain a deadlock heading into half-time, tied at 0-0.
Banda went down in the 51st minute with an apparent ankle injury after getting tangled up with two Bay FC defenders. After a couple of minutes, she ended up remaining in the game. Caprice Dydasco hit the crossbar in the 57th minute right after a corner kick, nearly giving the home side a go-ahead goal. After the referee called a foul, Orlando played a quick free kick, allowing Banda to get behind the defense, and she scored, making it 1-0.
Bay started bringing pressure late in the second half, getting shots through to Morehouse consistently, but with just 15 minutes remaining, they still trailed by a goal. Morehouse dropped the ball off of a corner in the 78th minute after being bumped by her own defender; however, the shot by Penelope Hocking was blocked, and the follow-up chance by Kundananji went over the goal. Caroline Conti nearly got an equalizer in the 82nd minute, but Morehouse was able to tip it over the bar.
Bay FC brought a lot of fight to the end of the game, but ultimately they weren’t able to get an equalizer and ended up falling to Orlando with a final score of 1-0.
Top of the third inning the San Francisco Giants Casey Schmitt belts a grand slam home run as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith looks on. It was Schmitt’s first career grand slam. It was the first game of the three game series on Fri Jun 13, 2025 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
The San Francisco Giants (41-29) beat the Los Angeles Dodgers (41-29) in game one of their series 6-2 Friday night. Willy Adames got a solo home run in the first inning for the first lead of the game. In the third inning Casey Schmitt unleashed a 423 foot shot to left center with the bases loaded; the grand slam gave the Giants a 5-1 lead. Andrew Knizner hit his first home run as a Giant, the third home run for the Giants in this game.
The Giants started off the week with a series win over the Colorado Rockies. Friday night, after facing the worst team in baseball, they faced one of the best teams in baseball, the Dodgers fighting with the Giants for first place in the National League West.
The Dodgers had a tough series to start off their week taking on the San Diego Padres. They won game one in extra innings, got crushed in game two 11-1 but won game three winning the series.
This is the first time these two rivals have faced each other this season. The Giants were missing Matt Chapman out with a hand injury and Patrick Bailey with a neck issue both out for a 10-day IL.
The Dodgers have a slew of injuries although their main players will be in action Friday night. San Francisco will have their hands full facing the likes of Shohei Otani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy.
All of these guys have impressive batting averages but every one of them is capable of hitting the ball out of the park. This series could prove to be a dogfight between these two teams who have had a longstanding rivalry. It’s always a great competitive series when these two teams matchup. The Giants have tied for first place in the division with Friday night’s win. Los Angeles had a different outcome in mind.
Game recap: Willie Adames got the Giants up on scoreboard 1-0 in the first inning with a solo home run to right center as he continues the amazing path he has been on.
The Dodgers threatened in the second inning with two runners on the corners with one out. Los Angeles was 90 feet away from tying up this game. Andy Pages hit a sacrifice fly allowing Will Smith to score from third base and this game was tied 1-1.
With two outs in the top of the third inning, the Giants had the bases loaded with Casey Schmitt at the plate. Schmitt came through hitting a grand slam driving Jung Hoo Lee, Wilmer Flores, and Heliot Ramos home for a 5-1 San Francisco lead. The Dodgers Yamamoto was struggling on the mound with not only the home runs but he already had walked four.
The Giants took the 5-1 lead into the top of the sixth inning. Logan Webb faced the top of the Dodger lineup in the bottom of the inning and had only given up 1 hit through six innings. Webb was having an impressive game.
San Francisco had back to back hits in the seventh inning. Dominic Smith singled followed by a double from Flores and San Francisco had runners on second and third. Schmitt struck out leaving the runners stranded but the Giants kept their lead intact going into the bottom of the seventh inning. The Dodgers Teoscar Hernandez hit a solo home run in the seventh but that would be it for Los Angeles still trailing 5-2.
It was a memorable game for Andrew Knizner hitting his first home run as a Giant in the top of the eight inning extending the Giants lead to 6-2. Tyler Rogers relieved Logan Webb in the bottom of the eighth inning. Webb had a terrific game allowing two hits, two runs, three walks and four strikeouts.
Ryan Walker came in to close out the game for San Francisco. There were two down in the bottom of the ninth inning with Hernandez at the plate, the Dodgers last hope . He struck out and that was the ball game 6-2. The Giants and the Dodgers now have the exact same record deadlocked for first in the National League West.
First pitch for game two of this series is scheduled for 7:10 PM Saturday night. Los Angeles will be looking to even up this series while the Giants would like nothing better than to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Landan Roupp will take the mound for the Giants with a 4-4 win/loss record and a 3.29 ERA. The Dodgers plan on starting the veteran Clayton Kershaw. He has a 1-0 win/loss record and a 4.35 ERA.
Sacramento A’s pitcher Luis Severino delivers against the Kansas City Royals line up in the bottom of the second inning at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City on Fri Jun 13, 2025 (AP News photo)
A’s Ride Rookie Bats and Road Warrior Severino to Victory in Kansas City
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento A’s rolled into Kansas City with the worst ERA in baseball, a battered bullpen, and a streak of futility that stretched across thousands of first-class travel miles. By the time Mason Miller squeezed the final out, they had a win that felt both rare and resilient, a 6-4 triumph over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium Friday night.
Luis Severino, who has quietly been a different pitcher away from home, turned in another solid road outing. The right-hander extended his dominant away split to 1-0 with a minuscule 0.87 ERA across five road starts. Friday night, he allowed just one run over five innings, putting the A’s in position to win, something they’ve rarely done for their starters this year, who’ve gone 3-16 since May 3.
Offensively, the green and gold leaned heavily on their young core. Rookie standout Jacob Wilson, who entered the game leading all MLB rookies in average, hits, and OPS, added two more hits and a walk, scoring twice. His performance helped extend a torrid stretch during which he’s hit safely in nine of his last ten games.
Austin Wynns opened the A’s scoring in the second with a solo home run, his fourth of the year, tying the game at 1-1. Then came a decisive rally in the third. After loading the bases, Nick Kurtz, another A’s rookie, delivered a go-ahead RBI single. In the fourth, Luis Urías added insurance with a solo blast, his seventh of the season, pushing the lead to 3-1.
The biggest blow came in the sixth. With the bases loaded, Tyler Soderstrom, who’s tied for eighth in the majors in go-ahead homers, drew a walk to force in a run. Max Muncy then followed with a two-run single to center, giving the A’s a commanding 6-1 lead.
Mason Miller, flashing his signature triple-digit heat, came on in the ninth to close it out. It wasn’t clean. A walk, another walk, and then a two-run triple by Nick Loftin suddenly made it 6-3. A sacrifice fly cut it to 6-4 before Miller slammed the door with a strikeout and a popup.
The win snaps the A’s 13-game road losing streak, their second longest in 29 years, and gives them a much-needed boost heading into Saturday’s matchup. Though they’ve still lost 24 of their last 29, they’ve now taken three of their last eight, and they’re finally showing signs of offensive life. Over their last 13 games, they’re averaging nearly five runs per contest and are batting .258 as a team.
Brent Rooker, who reached base again Friday night, has quietly reached in 19 of his last 21 games and is hitting .380 over that span. Meanwhile, Lawrence Butler extended his doubles lead (tied with Witt Jr.) and made things happen on the basepaths with his 11th stolen base of the season.
Even with the league’s worst bullpen ERA and the most home runs allowed, the A’s found a way to piece it together. For a team that’s cycled through 46 players, including 10 major league debuts, every win like this matters.
They’ll look to build on it Saturday with A’s starter LHP Jacob Lopez (0-4 ERA 6.00) on the mound, still chasing his first win of the year. For the Royals RHP Hunter Brown (8-3 ERA 1.82) first pitch 1:10pm PT.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to. ⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet. Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout. Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up. 📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Leon Draisaitl (29) celebrates the game winning goal for the Edmonton Oilers in the first overtime of game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise FL (AP News photo)
On the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast Len Shapiro:
#1 In the first 20 minutes the Edmonton Oilers were behind the Florida Panthers by three goals in the next 20 minutes the Oilers made up for lost time and tied up the game 3-3. Talk about the shots.
#2 The Oilers would take the lead but gave up the tying goal to the Panthers in the last few seconds of regulation that forced overtime with the score at 4-4. You saw four consecutive goals.
#3 Leon Drasaitl once again was the hero of the contest in game 4 scoring the game winning goal in overtime 5-4 on Thursday night. It was Draisaitl’s fourth overtime goal a NHL record.
#4 Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said that games like this were exhausting, “Two good teams playing as hard as they are, playing the right way. Obviously with what’s on the line, it’s stressful. There’s a lot on the line, but it is fun and I think our guys are having fun, enjoying this moment.”
#5 Game 5 will be back in Edmonton at Rogers Arena Saturday night at 5:00pm PDT. The Oilers will have home ice and could go up 3-2 on the other hand the Panthers could go up 3-2. It’s an evenly matched final.
Hayden Birdsong of the San Francisco Giants is none to happy after the pitcher gave up a home run to the Colorado Rockies Mickey Moniak in the bottom of the sixth inning at Coors Field in Denver on Thu Jun 12, 2025 (AP News photo)
San Francisco Giants podcast Michael Villanueva:
#1 The Colorado Rockies finally snapped out of their five game losing streak with a 8-7 win over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday afternoon at Coors Field in Denver. The Rockies were just happy they were able to win a game after such a long drought.
#2 The Giants had the lead 7-5 until the bottom of the ninth when the Rockies Orlando Arcia belted a two run single and the timing couldn’t have come at a better time with two outs and facing another loss. The loss for the Giants snaps their seven game win streak.
#3 The Rockies Sam Hilliard in the ninth walked with one out, Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez faced Thairo Estrada who hit a double to left and the Rockies had runners on second and third. Rodriguez went onto walk Ryan McMahon to load the bases. The Rockies Brenton Doyle then hit a double play ball that was bobbled by the Giants Casey Scmitt and that allowed a runner to score making 7-6.
#4 With the bases loaded for the Rockies pinch hitter Hunter Goodman struck out and Arcia got the game winner on a 3-2 pitch a two run base hit to end it. The Rockies 13-55 start tied the 1932 Boston Red Sox for the worst start in the modern era which ended with the win on Thursday.
#5 Giants open up a three game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday night. The Giants will start RHP Logan Webb (5-5 ERA 2.58) he’ll be opposed by the Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4 ERA 2.20) at Dodger Stadium.
#6 Downtown Los Angeles had been under a curfew due to huge protests with the presence the National Guard, Marines and ICE arrests on Los Angeles citizens suspected of being illegal immigrants. The curfew was lifted as of Wed Jun 11, 2025. The curfew was between 8:00pm to 6:00am. There was concern how fans were going to come and go from the ballpark with the curfew in effect. Now that it’s no longer in effect.
OAKLAND–When I took my seat in the press box at the Oakland Coliseum this evening to watch the San Francisco Unicorns take on the Washington Freedom in the squads’ season opener, my knowledge of sport could, to paraphrase what Bob Murphy said about Chuck Dresen’s knowledge of pitching, be engraved on a grain of rice and still have room for the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address. Still, I knew a few things about the world’s second most popular sport, stuff like their not having foul lines and the importance of keeping the ball from knocking over a wicket.
But all was not lost. Major League Cricket provides play by play descriptions, commentary, and statistics at https://www.majorleaguecricket.com/matches. I understood every word. I didn’t understand what any sentence meant, But I can tell you that your San Francisco Unicorns defeated the Freedom, 269/5-146/15.
The noise of the crowd, which I estimated at 6,000-7,000, was muffled by the closed windows of the press box, but when I went downstairs to where I could hear them (and shop for souvenirs and freebies), everyone seemed to be having a grand old time, both those watching the match and those strolling the concourse.
On my way back to my seat, I ran into a woman. We started chatting, and I told her what I’d been up to and what I planned to write. She graciously offered to sit next to me at the next game I covered and to explain what was happening and its significance as long as I needed it.
If my schedule, which these days is as changeable as a baby’s bottom, allows it, I’ll cover one more Unicorn game before the end of the regular season and, after then, with any luck, some playoff contests, and I can give you an informed account of the game.
My advice to you is
If you are familiar with cricket, go to a game. You’ll probably enjoy it and come back for more. • If you know someone who’s familiar with cricket, go to one or more matches together. • If you’re as ignorant of cricket as I am, go and strike up a conversation with someone seated near you who seems to be cricket wise. • In any case, give it a try. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the vibes are good.
The Unicorn’s remaining home games at the Coliseum in the regular season are
•Saturday, June 14 vs. the Los Angeles Knight Riders •Sunday, June 15 vs. the Texas Super Kings
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