Sharks drop second exhibition game lose to Ducks 4-3 at SAP

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The San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks battled at the SAP Center in San Jose in the second exhibition game for the Sharks Tue Sep 24, 2024. The Sharks face off against the Ducks once more this Thu Sep 26, 2024 (photo from The Hockey News)

San Jose started strong but could not keep the lead throughout the game.

By Fernando Abarca

The San Jose Sharks were back in action this Tuesday night after losing 4-2 over the Golden Knights. The Sharks hosted the Anaheim Ducks, the teal team was ready to brush things off and move on. During a horrendous 2nd period the Sharks could not find answers and added another loss at home and now go on the road for revenge at Honda Center next Thursday night.

San Jose and Anaheim shared the same experiences from last year as both teams ranked worst in the Western Conference. Both teams are undergoing a series of changes, and the team is being rebuilt around young talent. The significance of the game was to see whose team is doing better and has the best chance to do well in the regular season.

The Sharks scored two PowerPlay goals and a wrist shot during the first period. 

During the first period, the game started plagued with penalties as Anaheim’s Tyson Hinds slashed F. Zetterlund and Urho Vaakanainen received a penalty against Scott Sabourin for high-sticking. The Sharks did not fall behind as Colin White received a high-sticking penalty against Scott Sabourin.

During the periods, mitts were dropped on the ice as Travis Howe and Scott Sabourin got in a tilt on the ice receiving a penalty. 

The first period seemed like a dream for San Jose scoring two goals, the first coming when the clock ticked 11:59, Alexander Wennberg scored the first of the night assisted by F. Zetterlund and J. Walman.

San Jose’s second goal did not take too long as Danil Gushchin netted the second one making a margin of 2-0 for San Jose. The Teal team seemed to take care of business heading to the 1st intermission and relieving the pressure.

During the second period, San Jose netted the final of the night when, on a powerplay, San Jose scored less than a minute at the start of the second period when Jack Thompson sealed the 3-0 for the home team.

The night turned upside down and became a nightmare. Anaheim came in full strength and I took advantage of all the advantages to be able to come back epically and forcefully over San Jose

The 3-0 result seemed like something that did not bother the visitors. The mentality played a significant factor and they knew how to overcome adversity.

Anaheim’s Carson Meyer, Yegor Sidorov, Brett Leason, and Mark Pysyk were the ones who orchestrated the comeback against San Jose. Anaheim scored two power plays leaving San Jose’s penalty kill very frowned upon

The mood in the SAP center was very fleeting.

Entering the third period, the result was 4-2, a result in which San Jose could tie but the 20 minutes were not enough, and without much action, the Anaheim team maintained the victory and San Jose could not find the answers.

With this game, the team adds its second loss, and questions begin to arise about how the team will be looking as the regular season approaches. The Sharks will be on the road for their back-to-back games with Anaheim this Thursday night.

San Jose returns to home ice on Tuesday, Oct. 1st against the newly relocated Utah Hockey Club.

A’s Wilson gets a walk off hit in 9th to beat Rangers 5-4 to open series

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Oakland A’s Shea Langeliers (23) scores a run on Zack Gelof’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth inning as Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim stands by (right). (AP News photo)

Texas (74-83). 100 011 010. 4. 10. 1

Athletics (68-89). 201 001 001. 5. 6. 1

Time: 2:34

Attendance: 30,402

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Oakland, CA

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–When the second place Athletics defeated the third place Texas Rangers 5-4 in a mock battle between two of the American League West’s also rans in the antepenultimate major league game at the still beautiful Oakland Coliseum this chilly fall Tuesday evening, the outcome of the contest was not at first major concern of the more than 30,000 fans in attendance.

Except maybe for the occasional Ranger rooter or Bochy booster. For the rest, it was a chance to say goodbye to a place that had been a part of our collective experience for 56 years.

The game itself , although close, was for most of its durationon the lackluster side, as befitted its strategic importance. The loudest noise came in the top of the eighth, just before Jonah Heims tied the game at four with his 13th homer of the year, when the crowd exhorted the Fisher King to “‘SELL THE TEAM!”

That chant was matched in the top of the ninth when, with Mason Miller on the mound, the Rangers threatened to break a 4-4 tie. Pure baseball, briefly, had returned to East Oakland. Minutes after Geloff crossed the plate, It continued until Jacob Wilson’s game winning single in the bottom of the ninth. “SELL THE TEAM” resounded once more in the cold Coliseum air.

The nominal home team sent a rookie to the mound, Mitch Spence, making his 23rd big league start and carrying the baggage of an 8-9, 4.30 record with him. He lived up to his mediocre numbers, lasting only 4-2/3 innings and giving up three runs, all earned, on seven hits including a fourth inning solo home run to Nathabniel Lowe, two walks, and two hit batters.

It took Spence 92 pitches to face 16 Rangers in his brief tenure on the mound. The youngster escaped with a no decision that raised his ERA to 4.35. TJ McFarland took over to close down the top of the fifth after Texas had scored their third tally.

The A’s also used the arms Grant Holman (three up, three down, with a strike out in the sixth); TP Jeguson (the same as Holman, but with one more K); Scott Alexander (who surrendered the tying homer to Heilms); and Mason Miller, who earned his second win against two defeats in spite of allowing a couple of hits to go with his two strike outs).

Spence’s opposite number was 12 year big league veteran Nathan Eovaldi, who had gone 5-0 in last year’s post season and was 11–8,3.96 on taking the mound tonight. He performed adequately over his seven innings of work.

One of the four runs he allowed was unearned, He struck out a quarter of the 28 Athletics batters he faced while walking three. He gave up four hits. Of his 90 deliveries, 31 were balls. David Robertson allowed a walk in his eighth inning relief appearance, and Josh Sborz took the loss.

It came quickly. Zack Gelof led off against him in the bottom of the ninth with a single to left. He took off for second while Seth Brown was going down swinging, and Heim’s throw had him beat. But the A’s second baseman’s head first slide evaded the tag, and Gelof was in with a stolen base.

A single to center by this year’s first draft choice, Jacob Wilson, sealed the deal. Wilson also made a heads up play in the top of the fifth, throwing Marcus Semien out at third when the ex-Athletic made the basic mistake of trying to. advance from second on a ball hit in front of him with no one on base behind him.

Lawrence Butler went one for two with a double, a pair of walks, and another pair of pilfered bases, giving him 18 for the year without having been thrown out, the most in either league.

Tyler Soderstrom went two for four and slammed a double 110 mph in first and then a less powerfully hit one that bounced over the right field fence in the sixth. (He got picked off at second).

A large and ambivalent crowd is expected for Wednesday’s, 6:40pm PT encounter at the Coliseum. Southpaws Brady Baso (1-0, 2.33 for the A’s) and Cody Bradford (6-3, 3.59 for the Rangers) will duke it out on the hill.

Webb goes six strong, and Giants slug five home runs En route to 11-0 shellacking of D-Backs

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San Francisco Giants Brett Wisely (0) celebrates in the Giants dugout after hitting a three run third inning three run homer against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Tue Sep 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024

Chase Field

Phoenix, Arizona

San Francisco Giants 11 (79-79)

Arizona Diamondbacks 0 (87-71)

Win: Logan Webb (13-10)

Loss: Brandon Pfaadt (10-10)

Time: 2:33

Attendance: 22,355

By Stephen Ruderman

The San Francisco Giants continued to stay white-hot with the pressure off and have now won seven of their last eight to get all the way back up to .500, as they hit five home runs, and Logan Webb pitched six shutout innings en route to a 11-0 shallacking of the Phoenix Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

The Giants beat the Diamondbacks in the opener of this series last night 3-0, and Tuesday night, they had the chance to do something that has eluded them for most of the season: get back up to .500. They had their ace, Logan Webb, going up against a Diamondbacks’ team that has still yet to recover from their devastating loss in Milwaukee on Sunday.

Brandon Pfaadt would take the ball for Arizona, and while he would pitch a scoreless top of the first inning, Patrick Bailey would put the Giants on the board with a home run to right-center field in the top of the second. It was Bailey’s eighth home run of the season, and his first since July 10.

Mike Yastrzemski came up with runners at first and second with two outs, and he hit a fly ball deep to right-center that appeared to be headed out, but right-fielder Corbin Carroll made a great catch at the wall to take a home run away from Yastrzemski. It would have made it 4-0, but not to worry, the Giants would get that 4-0 lead just an inning later.

Heliot Ramos singled to start the top of the third, and LaMonte Wade doubled him over to third. Matt Chapman struck out swinging, but Michael Conforto continued his great road trip with a three-run shot to left-center, and the Giants indeed had their 4-0 lead. It was Conforto’s 20th home run of the year, and his fourth in his last six games.

The Giants still weren’t done. Bailey walked, and two batters later, after Pfaadt was removed for Blake Walston, Grant McCray reached on an error. That brought up Brett Wisely, and hit a three-run home run to right-center to make it 7-0.

Meanwhile, Webb, who had not been himself in recent starts, was back to his old dominant self. Webb gave up just four hits over six shutout innings, as he walked one and struck out three.

Heliot Ramos joined the home run party with a solo shot to left-center to lead off the top of the fourth, and Tyler Fitzgerald hit a two-run home run to left in the top of the fifth. The Giants now led 10-0.

The Giants would at least manufacture one run Tuesday night. Though granted, it was on a bases-loaded walk to Casey Schmitt in the top of the eighth.

Back to the pitching side, Tristan Beck pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the seventh, and Austin Warren pitched a pair of shutout innings in the eighth and ninth to close it out.

Logan Webb got the win, and Brandon Pfaadt took the loss.

The Giants are indeed back up to .500, as they improve to 79-79, and now all they need to do is win three of their final four to get their first winning season in three years. Again, it’s very doable.

As for the Diamondbacks, they really have been thrown off their game since their devastating loss in Milwaukee on Sunday. Unfortunately for Arizona, they’re in a catch 22 with the Mets and the Braves meeting for a three-game series in Atlanta.

The Braves beat the Mets Tuesday night in the opener of their three-game series 5-1, and now the Diamondbacks only have a half-game lead over the Braves for the third wild card. Like the Mets, the Braves have a winning record against Arizona, so the Diamondbacks sputtering in the final week, they have quickly found themselves in big trouble in a suddenly-thrilling pennant race.

The Giants can continue to make their mark on this wild card race Wednesday, as they go for the sweep in their final road game of the season. Mason Black (1-4, 5.88 ERA) will take the ball for the Giants, and he will be opposed by Diamondbacks’ ace Zac Gallen (13-6, 3.74 ERA). First pitch will once again be at 6:40 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 91-66 +4.5
  2. Mets 87-70 +0.5
  3. Diamondbacks 87-71 —

Braves 86-71 0.5

Giants News and Notes:

Giants President of Baseball Operations met with reporters prior to the game Wednesday night at Chase Field. While he is preparing for the off-season, Zaidi acknowledged that it is not a given that he will make it that far.

We will find out more in the coming days.

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: Fans getting ready for final Oakland game on Thursday

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Oakland A’s fans are excited about their team in games but will be waving goodbye for their last home game of the season on Thu Sep 26, 2024 before they move to Sacramento for the 2025 season (KQED 9 photo)

On Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg:

It’s a sad story here at the Oakland Coliseum knowing the end was coming and we lived it here. The reverse boycott, the Last Dive Bar, the Oakland 68s. Back in April and May you just try watch these young players develop.

I got to see a lot of these players come into their own this season and that had to be encouraging in terms of next season. As you can imagine we’ve seen the protests and on Tuesday night when the Texas Rangers played the A’s. Fans once again chanting “Sell the Team” in the stands but only to fall on deaf ears as the A’s are Sacramento bound after the 2025 season is completed.

Augie also shared the memories of covering the A’s over the years watching the A’s three consecutive Championship teams from 1972-1974, the A’s three consecutive American League Championships 1988-90, and the A’s 20 game win streak in 2002.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a reporter for 1080 KWAI Honolulu

Aces advance to WNBA semifinals, beat Storm, 83-76

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Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes (15) from right, Las Vegas center A’ja Wilson (22) and Seattle Storm center Mercedes Russell (21) react to a loose ball under the net during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game on Sunday, September 22, 2024 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)

By Shawn McCullough

LAS VEGAS–The Aces won the best of three series, two games to none, over the Seattle Storm with an 83-76 victory at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“It’s never easy. That’s a team [Storm] that has multiple champions on it,” said head coach Becky Hammon. “They threw us a couple good punches, but I’m happy with how we responded.”

The Aces were led by guard Kelsey Plum with 29 points, going 11 for 15 from the field and two for six from three-point range.

“I threw everything out from game one. I started over in game two,” said Plum. “The good thing about this team is that anyone can step up at any time.”

WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson added 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.

“We were resilient,” said Wilson. “We know what it takes and not let the game slip from our hands.”

The Aces will next advance to the WNBA semifinals to play the New York Liberty in a 5-game playoff series starting in New York on Sunday.

“New York is a lot better than last season,” said Plum. “For us, we have to focus on what we do.”

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

The Aces shot 47.0% from the field.
Las Vegas went seven for 22 from three-point range.
The Aces outrebounded the Storm, 45-30.

Game Starters:

C – 41 Kiah Stokes
F – 0 Jackie Young
F – 22 A’ja Wilson
G – 10 Kelsey Plum
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

None

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Memories of the Coliseum; Players are not happy about playing on artificial turf in Sacramento

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Artificial turf attached to rubber mat. Artificial turf can add 40-50 degrees on hot surfaces. Sacramento had over ten days in a row of 100 degree days which could bring 150 degree games on the field at Sutter Health Field which the players, MLBPA, and agents are concerned with. (photo by iStock.com)

On That’s Amuary News and Commentary:

#1 Amaury, over the many years you’ve worked with literally 100s if not 1000s of different people here at the Oakland Coliseum from reporters like Ray Epstein, Winn Courier, Andy Cox, Ray Bergman, Ken Gimblin, Renee Del La Rosa, Omar Moreno, Mark Ibanez, Rich Lieberman, Sam Skinner and A’s photographer Michael Zagaris just to name a few.

#2 Amaury, when you look back at those great championship teams of the past that the A’s had from 1972-74. It’s hard to believe that those teams won three in a row and could have very well been as good as some of those New York Yankee teams of the 1950s.

#3 This particular A’s team this season after the All Star break had a break out season in July they were one of baseball’s winningest teams. They launched the great talents of slugger Lawrence Butler and closer Mason Miller. It was a breakout year for Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, and JJ Bleday who provided a lot of offensive punch for Oakland.

#4 You got to see those great A’s teams from 1988-90 that former owner Walter J Haas Sr assembled and went onto win three consecutive American League Championships.

#5 Amaury, While MLB says it’s a certainty that the A’s are headed to Sacramento for the 2025 season it still remains to be seen when the Major League Players Association will sign off on approving to play at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento.

#6 Behind the scenes the players are not in favor of the move and Scott Boras said the A’s should play at the Oakland Coliseum in the interim while the Las Vegas park is being built. From what we understand the players union and agents are not in favor of playing on turf and the facilities in a minor league park are not up to MLB standards.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Panthers Dalton did a job on Raiders Sunday

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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce adjusts his headphones as the Raiders were pounded by the Carolina Panthers for the first three quarters at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 22, 2024 (AP News photo)

On Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton was all the difference that the Panthers needed to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday at Allegiant Stadium and it wasn’t even close at least in the early minutes of the fourth quarter with a 33-7 lead.

#2 The Panthers came in 0-2 and Dalton was the shot in the arm that Carolina was looking for throwing for 319 yards, three touchdowns, and completing all his passing except for one.

#3 Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew was 18-28 for 214 yards. The Raiders entered Sunday’s game last in the running game with the Raiders averaging just 49 yards and a total of 55 yards.

#4 The Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was getting booed because the Raiders struggled in the first three quarters of the game. What might make Getsy look bad is Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields as the Steelers are 3-0. Getsy was Fields offensive coordinator when they were on the Chicago Bears.

#5 The Raiders will kick off against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. The Browns just got by the New York Giants for a win last Sunday. What are some of the things that you would expect from Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson?

Tony Renteria does the Raiders podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah edges LA 3-2 in exhibition game for new NHL franchise

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Utah Hockey Team celebrate a win over the Los Angeles Kings in NHL exhibition at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Sep 23, 2024 (@utahhockeyclub photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Five months ago the National Hockey League announced that the personnel of the Arizona Coyotes had been purchased by the Smith Entertainment Group and would operate as a new NHL franchise in Salt Lake City beginning with the 2024-2025 season. The Coyotes brand was retained by owner Alex Meruelo in the event Arizona is awarded a future expansion team.

For those who wondered whether or not Utah could support an NHL team in addition to the NBA Utah Jazz and MLS Real Salt Lake, both also owned by SEG, all doubt was immediately cast aside as more than 34,000 season ticket deposits were received in a matter of days.

Since that time, anticipation has continued to build as team colors were announced and fans began online voting to name the team for its eventual sophomore season. Though all manner of shirts, hats, and hoodies have made their way onto store shelves throughout the state, even at Costco, fans are looking forward to the arrival of inaugural season jerseys which are being expedited to potentially arrive in November.

On Monday, a packed Delta Center welcomed their new hometown team for its first-ever pre-season game with a loud standing ovation as they took to the ice to square off against the visiting Los Angeles Kings. Prior to dropping the puck, an emotional tribute video honored the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau who were tragically killed by a suspected drunk driver on August 29. Following a 13-second moment of silence, fans were invited to remain standing for the national anthem, immediately followed by the moment everyone had been waiting for.

At 15:04 of the first period, Lawson Crouse gave Utah HC the lead on a power play goal, assisted by Sean Durzi and Matias Maccelli. At the ensuing faceoff, Utah’s Liam O’Brien and the Kings’ Jeff Malott immediately dropped their gloves, much to the delight of a roaring crowd. Moments later, Alex Kerfoot put Utah up 2-0 on another power play goal, assisted again by Durzi and Maccelli, which was the score heading into the locker room at the end of the first period.

The Kings came back in the 2nd period with goals from Jeff Malott and Alex Turcotte to even things up heading into what became a scoreless 3rd.

With the crowd standing and cheering the beginning of overtime, it took only 19 seconds for Clayton Keller to put the puck in the back of the Kings net for the unassisted game winner.

After the game, head coach Andre Tourigny noted that there’s still a lot of rust from the offseason to shake off, and that video from Monday’s game will immediately be used to determine the focus of the next practice.

Utah will now hit the road for their next four pre-season games against Las Vegas, Colorado, San Jose, and Anaheim. They will kick off the regular season with their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 8.

Giants stay hot without the pressure and beat Diamondbacks 6-3 for sixth win in last seven games

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San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman (right) slides safely into home plate as the ball eludes Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herera (left) in the top of the third inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Mon Sep 23, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, Sept. 23, 2024

Chase Field

Phoenix, Arizona

San Francisco Giants 6 (78-79)

Arizona Diamondbacks 3 (87-70)

Win: Hayden Birdsong (5-5)

Loss: Eduardo Rodriguez (3-4)

Save: Ryan Walker (10)

Time: 2:41

Attendance: 23,359

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants stayed hot and played spoiler again, as they went into Chase Field to beat the Diamondbacks in the opener of this three-game series 6-3 on Monday night.

Now that they have been eliminated, Giants have been playing some of their best ball of the season with the pressure off and. They have gone 5-1 on this final road trip, taking two of three from the struggling Orioles, and sweeping the struggling Royals.

After playing spoiler in the American League Wild Card race, the Giants now had a chance to play spoiler in the National League Wild Card race. As the Giants came into Arizona for their final road series of the year, they would face a Diamondbacks’ team coming off a savage loss yesterday in Milwaukee.

The Diamondbacks looked to bounce back after blowing an 8-0 lead to the Brewers yesterday and falling back into a tie with the Mets for the second wild card spot. Since the Diamondbacks went 3-4 against the Mets this season, that meant they had fallen back into third wild card spot.

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez made the start for Arizona, and he started the night with a one, two, three inning in the top of the first Hayden Birdsong took the ball for the Giants following a pair of outings in which he had much better command.

However, the Diamondbacks pounced on the young right-hander in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back one-out doubles by Geraldo Perdomo and Joc Pederson gave Arizona a 1-0 lead.

After the Giants wasted a two-out rally in the top of the second, they would get on the board in the top of the third. Heliot Ramos lined a base-hit to center field with one out, and Jerar Encarnacion lined a double the other way to right to knock in Ramos and tie the game.

Michael Conforto lined out, and then up came Matt Chapman. Chapman hit a fly ball deep to left-center, and as Diamondbacks’ center-fielder leapt up against the wall to try and make the catch, he jammed his right shoulder and lost his cap. The ball rolled into center, and after Encarnacion scored, Third Base Coach Matt Williams waved Chapman in, who came all the way home with the inside-the-park home run.

It was Chapman’s 27th home run of the season, and the first inside-the-park home run by a Giant since Denard Span hit one against the Philadelphia Phillies at then-AT&T Park on Aug. 19, 2017. The Giants also have established a recent history of inside-the-park home runs after getting eliminated late in the season.

Conor Gillaspie hit an inside-the-park home run against the Rockies on Sept. 27, 2011, and Kelby Tomlinson did the same against those exact same Rockies On Oct. 3, 2015. Chapman’s inside-the-parker tonight adds to that list.

The Diamondbacks would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the third. With runners at first and second with two outs, Christian Walker hit a double to left that knocked in Corbin Carroll to make it 3-2.

With one out in the top of the fourth, the Giants got that run right back when Casey Schmutt pulled a home run down the left field line to make it 4-2. Schmitt has been swinging the bat well since he was called back up last week, going 6-for-14 in his last five games with that home run and four RBIs.

Michael Conforto hit an absolute bomb to the concourse above the pool out in right-center to make it 5-2 in the top of the fifth. As Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow said on the Giants’ telecast on NBC Sports Bay Area, Conforto hit it where Barry Bonds used to hit them.

Birdsong settled down with a one, two, three bottom of the fourth, and then he worked through a pair of walks to pitch a scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth. That would end the night for Birdsong, who gave up four runs in five innings, while walking two and striking out six.

One of the biggest reasons Birdsong struggled in August was his command. In his last three outings, his command has been much better, as he has only walked five in his last 15 and two third innings.

Birdsong is slated to start the final game of the season for the Giants on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The question is whether he will make the start, or if the Giants will shut him down, which if they do, he will have ended his rookie season on quite a good note.

Hayden Birdsong pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth, and the Giants tacked on a run against Scott McGough in the top of the seventh when Matt Chapman hit a triple to center. Just as he jammed his shoulder against the wall and lost his cap when going for Chapman’s inside-the-parker back in the third, the same exact thing happened in the top of the seventh.

Only this time, it was his left shoulder that he jammed into the wall. McCarthy will certainly feel it Tuesday, that’s for sure.

The Diamondbacks got a run off Erik Miller in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-3, and Camilo Doval pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Ryan Walker then took the ball for the ninth, and he threw a one, two, three inning to get his tenth save.

Hayden Birdsong got the win; Eduardo Rodriguez got the loss; and Ryan Walker picked up the save.

The Giants have now won six of their last seven to improve to just one game under .500 at 78-79. If they can go 4-1 in their final five games, which is very much doable, they will have their first winning season in three years.

As for the Diamondbacks, they fall to 87-70, and are now a half-game behind the Mets. They are a game and a half ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the third wild card in the National League.

The two teams will be back at it Tuesday night, and Logan Webb (12-10, 3.58 ERA) will make his second-straight start following a Giants’ win. Right-hander Brandon Pfaat (10-9, 4.66 ERA) will take the ball for Arizona. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 90-66 +3.5
  2. Mets 87-69 +0.5
  3. Diamondbacks 87-70 —

Braves 85-71 1.5

Giants News and Notes:

Jordan Hicks’ season is over, as he has been placed on the 15-Day Injured List on Friday.

Farhan Zaidi brought in Hicks and converted him into a starter. It was initially a success, but after a rough go of things, Hicks was moved back to the bullpen.

Major League Baseball News and Notes:

Longtime Charlie Blackmon announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Blackmon, a career-.292 hitter, will be hanging it up after 14 seasons, all with the Rockies.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: No stopping Judge in Yankees final visit to Coliseum; Letter from Fisher a lot of lip service

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New York Yankees Aaron Judge is thrilled after a solo home run his 54th of the season on Sat Sep 21, 2024 against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum. Judge would hit his 55th home run Sun Sep 22, 2024 against the A’s (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The New York Yankees Aaron Judge belted a league leading 55th home run against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum in what was the Yankees last visit to Oakland defeating the A’s 7-4 on Sunday afternoon.

#2 The win for New York gave them a three game sweep over the A’s. The A’s just could never get tracked and surpass the Yankees scoring only two runs in the first and another two in the sixth inning.

#3 The Yankees who are assured a playoff birth can clinch the AL East division with a win during their next three game series which starts Tuesday against the second place Baltimore Orioles.

#4 Judge was an unstoppable force hitting home runs on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. He’s been looking like a Hall of Famer with the way he’s been getting around the baseball.

#5 Oakland A’s owner John Fisher released a statement saying while he’s sorry that the A’s have to move to Sacramento he’s asking A’s fans to always remember the last 56 years of Oakland baseball. Critics of the statement have called the letter a lot of lip service.

#6 The A’s play their very last home series ever in their Oakland history starting Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers. Starting pitcher for Texas Nathan Eovaldi (11-8, 3.96) he’ll be opposed by the A’s starter Mitch Spence (8-9, 4.30) first pitch 6:40pm PT at the Oakland Coliseum.

Barbara Mason podcasted the Oakland A’s Mondays and will doing Golden State Warriors podcasting in October at http://www.sportsradioservice.com