A’s avoid getting swept by Brewers earn a comeback 4-3 win, on a Sunny Day in the East Bay

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Oakland A’s starter Joey Estes deals to the Milwaukee Brewers line up in the top of the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics (56-75) avoided being swept and doused with beer by the Milwaukee Brewers (75-55), with a gutsy 4-3 win on a delightful Sunday Afternoon.

Oakland had a different start in game three of the series, as opposed to one and two. The previous games the Athletics were up early and eventually lost the leads and games later in the contests.. Sunday they were behind early (2-0) in the second inning, then took the lead midway through the baseball battle.

Milwaukee got on the scoreboard first this time, with a two-run homer by catcher Gary Sanchez, also scoring right fielder Sal Frelick. Top of the second inning, the Brew Crew was up 2-0 and in a different position than the initial two games.

Not only were they leading by two, but former Oakland pitcher (2017 – 2022) Frankie Montas was dealing a perfect game through three full innings, with four strikeouts and only one ball hit out of the infield. That was a pop out to centerfield. He was dominating the first third of the game.

However, the bottom of the fourth turned out to be a nightmare during a Mid-Afternoon time frame. Right Fielder Lawrence Butler ended the no-hitter right away as the leadoff hitter of their half of the fourth, with a line drive to left field, Brent Rooker and JJ Bleday both followed with base hits to left and center respectively. At that point the previously unhittable pitcher was faced with a bases loaded, no outs dilemma.

The next four batters were responsible for the four runs in various manners. catcher Shea Langeliers was walked, forcing in a run ((Butler). First baseman Brent Rooker hit a single to right field, scoring Rooker. Daz Cameron’s sacrifice fly to right field plated the go-ahead run (Bleday), 3-2. Second baseman Zack Gelof also hit a sacrifice fly RBI, scoring Langliers for their fourth and final run.

“Frankie is a veteran pitcher; going through that, he’s a stud, he’s an ace pitcher.” Stated Athletics Manager, Mark Kotsay about Montas’ 4th inning. “That was a good decision on their {Brewers} part to let Frankie go through that; he only gave up those four runs and pitched the fifth and sixth shutout innings.”

Milwaukee responded in the top of the seventh inning with a solo home run by shortstop Willy Adames, and made it a one-run deficit, 4-3 Oakland. Unfortunately for the National League visitors, that was all they could muster, and lost the final game, but did win the series.

After nine innings, Oakland was the victor, 4-3, on the strength of the fourth inning. Montas took the loss, due to that same inning.

The A’s are next in action Tuesday, August 27, 6:40 PM EST in Cincinnati, to battle the National League Reds. Projected starters are Giants’ RHP Mitch Spence (7-9, 4.67) vs. TBA for the Reds.

The Brewers head back to Milwaukee to host the San Francisco Giants Tuesday, August 27, at 7:10 PM CST. Milwaukee’s RHP Tobias Myers ( 6-5, 2.87) vs. Giants’ RHP Logan Webb (11-8, 3.13)

Wasted opportunities burn Giants in 4-3 loss to Mariners in series finale in Seattle

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San Francisco Giants Grant McCray jogs the bases after hitting a top of the eighth inning home run against the Seattle Mariners at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Sun Aug 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024

T-Mobile Park

Seattle, Washington

San Francisco Giants 3 (66-66)

Seattle Mariners 4 (66-65)

Win: Bryan Woo (6-2)

Loss: Sean Hjelle (3-4)

Save: Andres Munoz (19)

Time: 2:39

Attendance: 35,062

By Stephen Ruderman

SEATTLE–Wasted opportunities once again came back to bite the Giants, as Robbie Ray left with left hamstring tightness after just three innings, and the Mariners edged out the Giants for a 4-3 win to take the series in Seattle.

Sunday was the rubber match of a series between two similarly-built teams in the similar spot of being around .500 and on the fringes of contention. The Mariners came back from down 5-1 to hand the Giants their worst loss of the season on Friday night. Saturday, the Giants bounced back in a real team effort for a much-needed 4-3 win

The weather had finally cleared after a pair of cold and rainy days, as the sun was out, and the roof was open on this beautiful partly-cloudy day for the series finale Sunday afternoon in Seattle. This would be the 2,000th game in the history of T-Mobile Park, which originally opened in July 1999 as Safeco Field.

Bryan Woo made the start for Seattle, and Tyler Fitzgerald stepped in to lead off the ballgame. Fitzgerald reached on a throwing error by third-baseman Josh Rojas. Two batters later, Heliot Ramos hit a two-run home run to left to put the Giants on the board.

It was Ramos’ 20th home run of the season, and he became the youngest Giant to have a 20-home run season since Pablo Sandoval hit 23 in 2011.

Making the start for the Giants would be Robbie Ray, who pitched for the Mariners the last two seasons. Ray walked Dylan Moore to start the bottom of the first inning, and Moore advanced to third base on a wild pitch with one out. Cal Raleigh then lined a base-hit to left, which scored Moore to put the Mariners on the board.

Woo pitched a one, two, three inning in the top of the second, and Ray pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the second. As the inning went along, Ray started grunting with each pitch, as he could be heard all the way up here in the press box.

Woo threw another one, two, three inning in the top of the third, and Ray escaped a jam in the bottom of the third. The Mariners had gotten a runner into scoring position in each of the first three innings against Ray.

After Woo pitched a scoreless top of the fourth, Ray came back out for the bottom of the fourth. Justin Turner led off the inning, and the second pitch of the at-bat was fouled back just a bit off to the right, as the ball was dropped by a fan in the suite level, before bouncing off the broadcast booths and eventually landing in the first deck.

That wasn’t the biggest story of that foul ball, however. Bob Melvin, Pitching Coach Bryan Price and the trainer all came out to check on Ray, who was in clear discomfort. After a conversation at the mound, Ray left the game with tightness in his left hamstring.

Sean Hjelle came in and ended up allowing a leadoff base-hit to Turner. Hjelle then ended up pitching a scoreless inning.

Ray ended up pitching three innings, while allowing just a hit in a run. He walked three and struck out four. Hjelle was saddled with Turner’s base-hit.

Woo pitched another scoreless inning in the top of the fifth, and the Mariners rallied against Hjelle in the bottom of the fifth. Josh Rojas led off the inning with a base-hit to right, and Leo Rivas sacrificed him over to second. Dylan Moore then hit a sharp ground ball to short that took a nasty hop and skipped off the glove of shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald, and Moore was aboard.

The Mariners had runners at the corners with one out for Julio Rodriguez. J-Rod hit a ground ball to first that LaMonte Wade threw to second for the second out of the inning, but Rodriguez beat out the backend with Hjelle covering at first. That allowed Rojas to score, which tied the game.

Woo threw a shutdown one, two, three inning in the top of the sixth. Woo was helped by right-fiedler Mitch Haniger, who made a great running catch on a flyball off the bat of Wade to right-center. Haniger’s catch almost certainly took away extra bases from Wade.

The Mariners loaded the bases with nobody out off Hjelle, who was back out for his third inning of work in the bottom of the sixth. Hjelle hit two guys and allowed a base-hit to Turner.

Following his great catch in the top of the inning, Haniger grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, but Arozarena scored to give the Mariners their first lead of the day. Bob Melvin pulled Hjelle for left-hander Taylor Rogers, and Rojas singled on a ground ball to right-center to knock in Turner and make it 4-2.

Woo came back out for the seventh, and he threw his sixth-straight scoreless inning to cap off a great afternoon for him. Mariners’ fans serenaded him with a long chant of “WOOOOOOOOOOO” as he headed back to the dugout.

Woo gave up just two runs and four hits over seven strong innings. He didn’t walk anybody, and he struck out seven.

Taylor Rogers came back out to throw a one, two, three bottom of the seventh, and that gave the Giants a little bit of a boost going into the eighth.

Mariners’ Interim Manager Dan Wilson brought in Friday night’s winning pitcher, Collin Snider, in for the top of the eighth. Grant McCray stepped in to lead off the inning, and he hooked a home run that hit off the facing of the second deck in right to make it a 4-3 game.

Mark Canha then pinch-hit and walked, and the Giants had the tying run aboard at first with nobody out for the top of the order. Wade walked with one out to put runners at first and second, but Ramos struck out swinging, and Michael Conforto grounded out to first, so the Giants of course wasted it.

Tyler Rogers came in for the bottom of the eighth. It was his first appearance since his disastrous eighth inning on Friday night, and he ran into trouble, as the Mariners put runners at the corners with two outs. However, Rogers struck Rojas out on a foul tip to complete a scoreless inning.

Mariners’ Closer Andres Munoz came in for the top of the ninth much to the excitement of this raucous crowd in Seattle. Matt Chapman walked to lead off the inning, but Mike Yastrzemski struck out for the first out. Thairo Estrada grounded out in front of the plate for the second out, but that did get the tying run in Chapman into scoring position.

It was now up to McCray, who homered his last time up to lead off the eighth. McCray worked the count full to 3-2, as Chapman advanced to third on defensive indifference. McCray walked to keep the game going for Canha, but Canha struck out to end it, and the Mariners held on to win it 4-3.

Bryan Woo got the win; Sean Hjelle took the loss; and Andrews Munoz got the save. The Giants fall to 66-66, but they remain five games back of the Braves, who lost Sunday, for the third wild card.

The Giants will now head to Milwaukee, where after a day off Monday, they will begin a three-game series against the powerful Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. Logan Webb (11-8, 3.13 ERA) will be on the mound for the Giants, and he will be opposed by Tobias Myers (6-5, 2.87 ERA).

First pitch will be at 7:10 p.m. in Milwaukee, 5:10 p.m. back home in San Francisco.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Diamondbacks 75-56 +4.5
  2. Padres 74-58 +3.0
  3. Braves 70-60 —

Mets 68-63 2.5

GIANTS 66-66 5.0

Cardinals 65-65 5.0

Cubs 65-66 5.5

Giants News and Notes:

The Giants have received infielder Nate Furman from the Cleveland Guardians as the player to be named later for Alex Cobb.

Major League Baseball News and Notes:

With the Chicago White Sox’s 9-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers, they have become the second-fastest team to lose 100 games in the Modern Era of National League and American League Baseball.

The fastest team to lose 100 games was the 1916 Philadelphia A’s. While the 1962 New York Mets finished with the most losses in a single season in the Modern Era at 40-120 in the first season the National League had a 162-game schedule, the 1936’s finished with the worst record in Modern History at 36-117 with a .2352 winning percentage.

To finish with the worst record in Modern NL/AL History, the White Sox would have to finish at 38-124, which would amount to a .2345 winning percentage. Even though the White Sox’ current winning percentage is .2366, they are currently on pace to lose 124 games, and have the worst season in Modern NL/AL History.

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: A’s try and avoid sweep by Brewers today in series finale

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Oakland A’s starter Joe Boyle delivers to the Milwaukee Brewers line up in the top of the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Aug 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Augie:

#1 In game two Saturday of this three game series the Milwaukee Brewers Jake Bauers homered and scored three times in a four run win to defeat the Oakland A’s 9-5 at the Oakland Coliseum.

#2 Willy Adames, Rhys Hoskins and Garrett Mitchell all had two hits each. The Brewers scored runs in four different innings.

#3 A’s starter Joey Boyle struggled and pitched five innings, allowing five hits and five earned runs. The Brewers just kept adding more runners on base and Boyle struggled to get outs.

#4 The A’s silver lining was when designated hitter Brent Rooker slugged his 30th home run of the season and got three RBIs.

#5 The A’s go at it again today to conclude this three game series at the Coliseum for the Brewers starting pitcher RHP Frankie Montas (6-8, ERA 4.57) and for the A’s RHP Joey Estes (5-6, 4.44). Augie what your take on the starters and what are the A’s chances of avoiding a sweep today?

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

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Is there a quarterback controversy before Stanford’s opener Friday?

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Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels seen here dropping back to pass in practice on Tue Jul 30, 2024 is also competing for the starter job with quarterbacks Justin Lamson and Elijah Brown (Bay Area News Group photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels doesn’t have a lock as starting quarterback. Stanford head coach Troy Taylor has not announced a starter for this Friday night’s opener against TCU.

#2 Daniels knows about the imminent quarterback controversy and that’s a good thing all three quarterbacks trying to make starter have had good camps.

#3 Daniels said having a team first and positive attitude have helped during this competitive practices and what could seen as a tryout to make first string.

#4 This is no different than last season as Daniels had to compete for the first string job this season he’s competing with Justin Lamson and Elijah Brown. This might be a decision that goes right down to practice the day before the game.

#5 Coach Taylor is also considering using multiple quarterbacks like what he did last season. He used multiple quarterbacks in 11 different games last season.

Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Can Ohtani make the 50-50 club?; Astros Neris returns to Houston for second time; plus more

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Los Angeles Dodgers two way player Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting a grand slam against the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the ninth at Dodger Stadium on Fri Aug 23, 2024 (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Los Angeles Dodgers two way player Shohei Ohtani became the sixth player to join the 40-40 club hitting a home run and stealing a base against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodgers Stadium on Friday night. Ohtani has been call a once in lifetime player and often compared to Babe Ruth being able to pitch and swing the bat.

#2 The Houston Astros signed right hander Hector Neris. This is Neris’ second time back with the Astros and he was a free agent when the Astros picked him up. The Astros did not disclose terms. Neris this season is 8-4, ERA 3.89 for the Chicago Cubs before being released on Thursday. Neris pitched for the Astros in 2022-23 going 12-7, ERA 2.69.

#3 Philadelphia Phillies centerfielder Alex Call has been place on the ten day IL due to a foot injury. The Phillies in turn called up catcher Drew Millas from Triple A Rochester. Call was hitting .343, with three home run and 14 RBIs. They’ll no doubt miss his bat.

#4 The San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis who is recovering from stress in the right thigh bone. Tatis took batting practice last Friday. Tatis has been out with the injury for the last two months. Tatis last played on June 21st and was placed on the IL on June 24th. Tatis was hitting .279, 14 home runs and 36 RBIs.

#5 The State of Nevada all of sudden has found public funds to finance a Warner Brothers studio in Las Vegas when they have no finances for public Schools. Nevada is already financing the future Las Vegas A’s with public tax money to the tune of $380 million and said they don’t have money to fund public schools. Same likely excuse when they fund for Warner Bros no money for schools and plenty for Warner Bros studios. Nevada is the number 34 out of 50 in the country in public education.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Schools over Stadiums makes its point as Nevada prepares to spend public money for Warner Bros studios

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Las Vegas Stadium Authority CEO Steve Hill (left) and Oakland A’s president David Kaval (right) are seen discussing the Las Vegas Ballpark in 2023 (LV Sports Biz file photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 According to Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo said that parents should see his open letter about free school meals. Lombardo is trying to show that the state is doing something with public money to help schools at the same time using public money for the A’s ballpark.

#2 On Tuesday Schools over Stadiums representative Alexander Marks said that while Lombardo claims he’s transparent then why does he refuse speak to the press about the free school meals budget when they’ve asked for public comment proves the point that the State of Nevada and the Lombardo are not being transparent.

#3 Also on Tuesday it was announced that a Nevada judge will rule if it’s legal to earmark $380 million in public funds to help fund the Las Vegas A’s ballpark on Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana.

#4 Marks writes on X Tuesday that if the State of Nevada were to a write movie about having a fully funded school system with 20 students per class it would be a like a rated F movie that requires billionaires to build their own studios without public money after news broke that Warner Bros wants to build studios in Vegas if the Nevada State Legislature approves a film tax for the studios. More public money being used for studios and stadiums instead of public schools.

#5 Marks also mentioned Las Vegas Stadium Authority CEO Steven Hill in last week’s meeting regarding the financial progress of the A’s paying for their share of the ballpark that “We’re rounding third and headed for home. There are not many open issues left.” Marks countered by writing on Schools over Stadiums X page, “Except for financing, final renderings, actual stadium location, the constitutional lawsuit, the 2026 referendum…yup very few open issues left”

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

College Football’s Power Four Is The New Reality: You Have the Power (And The Money) Or You Don’t

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By Morris Phillips

RENO—ACC Football kicked off Saturday morning in Dublin at Aviva Stadium, and the reception was deadly, shenanigans commenced with the second half kickoff, and a traditional Irish jig aced by a trio of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets highlighted the impromptu postgame celebration.

Inside the stadium, the pre-dominant Seminoles fans itched as Georgia Tech comported itself as a miserable pox. And outside the stadium, and across the U.S. football fans consumed it all via television.

ACC Football in 2024 has expanded its reach, entertained the masses and adapted to the prevailing conditions, whether it’s what really needed or not.

A Week 0 mandate: ACC, you better put your blocking, tackling and mistake-free football closer to the top of your list. A glaring loss by Florida State followed by a narrow win at Nevada by SMU isn’t the ratings winner the expanded league wants.

“We found a way to win in the fourth quarter,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Guys dug deep. It’s not always how you won, it’s that we won. We’re 1-0.”

SMU’s circumstances of demanding that they be included with the big boys is unique. The SMU athletic department agreed to take what they were offered (or leave it) from the ACC. They didn’t care. The SMU boosters and sponsors stepped up, and the Mustangs are in. And in 2024, being in is a 180 degree spin from being out.

Nevada and coach Jeff Choate in his first game as head coach were noticeably poised and prepared. Offensive coordinator Matt Lubick dialed up a great scheme that caught the Mustangs’ defense by surprise early on. Lashlee obviously noticed that he needed to step up as much as his players, and he was quick to acknowledge Choate afterwards.

“He’s hard nosed, tough, culture-type guy and I think his team played with the edge he’s going to want them to play with moving forward,” Lashlee said.

If there’s any observation, it’s this: the pool of great high school players may be deep enough to stock Power 4 rosters, but the coaching pool may be deeper. That dynamic was on display Saturday night in Reno with Choate and Lubick, who almost pulled off a spectacular debut.

For the coaching staffs at Stanford and Cal, SMU-Nevada was appointment viewing. Every year, the new ACC trio competes in football they’ll see each other. In this first season of new rivalries, SMU will visit Stanford, and Cal will travel to Dallas to see the Mustangs in the regular season finale. Forget what the Bruins, Trojans, and Ducks are doing. For the ACC’s Bay Area teams, SMU gets a big share of their attention. If Cal and Stanford can hold their own against the Pony Express, then maybe, just maybe, they can have realistic hopes of hanging with Clemson and Florida State as well.

For all three programs, the ACC presents a unique challenge. Given significantly less resources, and a smaller cut of the league’s contract with its broadcast partners, they must compete. While coaches and their student athletes probably don’t like cross-country flights, they do like to compete, and it’s clear that they will do that and let those around them make the excuses.

Lashlee got his first taste and it was nearly bitter. After a big fourth quarter in which they shocked Nevada with 16 unanswered points to win 29-24, the taste was sweet.

“The experience, we’re going to need it,” Lashlee said. “Like I said, I’ve been on teams that lost games like that, but we find ways to win games like that early in the year and it ends up helping us later in the season.“

And a little clarification regarding the phrase “deadly.” In Dublin, that’s an up-to-the-minute slang term of curious origins that means “good or great.”

In the newfangled ACC, you’ve got to know your surroundings, and knowing them sooner is much better than later.

Quakes Espinoza and Pellegrino score in shutout against Real Salt Lake 2-0 at America First Field

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The San Jose Earthquakes got scoring help from Cristian Espinoza and Amahl Pellegrino against Real Salt Lake at America First Field in Sandy UT on Sat Aug 24, 2024 (San Jose Earthquakes image)

By William Espy

The San Jose Earthquakes visited Real Salt Lake in Utah on Saturday night. It was the second straight night that a team from the Bay Area played at America First Field in Sandy UT, as Bay FC was there the night before. After a surprisingly strong showing in the Leagues Cup, the Quakes were hoping to use that momentum to move up the table in the MLS. They did when they got a shutout against Real Salt Lake 2-0.

Earthquakes Starting XI: Daniel, Costa, Rodrigues, Munie, Kikanovic, Gruezo, Yueill, Pellegrino, Lopez, Espinoza, Bouda

Salt Lake Starting XI: MacMath, Hidalgo, Glad, Vera, Katranis, Eneli, Ojeda, Chang, Crooks, Goncalves, Arango

Right out of the gate, Salt Lake brought some heavy attacking power getting a few low-quality scoring chances in the opening minutes. Ultimately though, it wouldn’t matter as Cristian Espinoza would get the visitors on the board first with a goal despite it being a low percentage chance in the 20th minute off of an assist by Jackson Yueill. The Earthquakes had an early lead, but playing with a lead has been one of their biggest issues so far this season. They’re used to trailing, and as a result they seem to panic when they’re the team in front.

It wouldn’t take long for the Quakes to extend their lead, as Amahl Pellegrino would score from inside of the box in the 33rd minute to make it 2-0 in favor of San Jose. The Earthquakes would hold the lead into the break, as Real Salt Lake was unable to get on the board before half time.

Despite the fact that Salt Lake was dominating in terms of possession, they weren’t creating the same quality of chances that the Earthquakes were. The total number of shot attempts were similar, however much more of San Jose’s were getting on target and as a result they had a much higher expected goals. The Quakes were also doing a good job of blocking shots to prevent quality scoring chances.

Statistically, Salt Lake played a strong game. They were completing a lot of passes, maintaining possession and earning themselves quite a few corner kicks. They were generating chances as well, but since they weren’t on target it didn’t do much to help them out. It was essentially the reverse of the Bay FC vs Utah Royals game from the night before, as the home team couldn’t score but the visitors were taking advantage of their opportunities, even if they were low quality.

Considering the fact that Real Salt Lake was third in the Western Conference entering the match and the Earthquakes were dead last in the conference, most likely would have written off San Jose before the game even started. The Quakes showed that their improved performances in the Leagues Cup wasn’t a fluke though, as they aim to finish the season on a much more positive note. San Jose is quite a ways off of the team in front of them, as St Louis had a 9 point advantage, however it’s a step in the right direction for the Earthquakes and something they’ll need to build off of.

Salt Lake didn’t get much of an opportunity in stoppage time, as only two minutes were added. When the final whistle blew, it marked a clean sheet for the Earthquakes as they walked away with a 2-0 victory over one of the top teams in their conference. It’s a bit ambitious to think of this as a massive spark for the team moving forward, but it certainly doesn’t hurt and can get them on the right track for the remainder of the season.

Giants bounce back from brutal loss with massive team effort in 4-3 win in Seattle

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San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski (5) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the seventh inning at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Sat Aug 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024

T-Mobile Park

Seattle, Washington

San Francisco Giants 4 (66-65)

Seattle Mariners 3 (65-65)

Win: Spencer Bivens (3-1)

Loss: George Kirby (9-10)

Save: Ryan Walker (3)

Time: 3:04

Attendance: 38,027

By Stephen Ruderman

SEATTLE–After blowing a 5-1 lead to suffer their worst loss of the season Saturday night, the Giants bounced back today with a 4-3 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

The roof was closed again on another cold and rainy day in the Pacific Northwest, as the Giants looked to bounce back from their worst loss of the season Friday night. Friday night, the Giants had a 5-1 lead going to the bottom of the eighth inning, but Tyler Rogers imploded, and the Mariners scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie it. The Mariners then won the game in the 10th inning.

It was the kind of loss that will truly test the resilience of a team. The 2024 Giants have been a very streaky team with a lot of ups and downs, but last night’s game took the cake. They came into Saturday, 65-65, and five games back of the Braves for the third wild card with 32 games left to play. How they would respond today could be a real indicator of what this team is all about.

The Giants responded nicely against Mariners’ starter George Kirby in the top of the first inning. Tyler Fitzgerald led off the ballgame with a bunt single past the mound on the third base side. LaMonte Wade swung out swinging, but Heliot Ramos was hit by a pitch, and Michael Conforto walked to load the bases.

Matt Chapman was up, and he lined a slider from Kirby down the left field line, but Mariners’ left-fielder Randy Arozarena ran and dove to his right to make a tremendous diving catch to rob Chapman of a base-hit. Chapman still got an RBI though, as Fitzgerald scored, and it ended up being a sacrifice fly.

Arozarena hurt himself on the play, and he was down for a couple of minutes. However, being the gamer that he is, he stayed in the game.

Blake Snell made the start for the Giants, and the Giants hoped he could continue his historic stretch with another strong start Sunday. The first man Snell would face would be Victor Robles, and Robles appeared to be hit on one of his hands and fell to the ground.

Unlike Arozarena, Robles would have to leave the game. Not only that, but Home Plate Umpire Tripp Gibson ruled it a foul ball, so it proved to be one of the most painful strikes in the history of the game. Luke Raley pinch-hit and flew out to left field.

Snell pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the first, and the Giants would rally again in the top of the second. Thairo Estrada and Grant McCray started the inning with back-to-back singles. Curt Casali struck out, but Tyler Fitzgerald lined a base-hit down the left field line, which knocked in Thairo to make it 2-0.

The Giants were unable to add on in the top of the second, and it would prove quite costly when Snell completely lost his command in the bottom of the second. Snell walked five guys in the bottom of the second, which gave the Mariners two runs to tie the game. Talk about a rally for free.

Hayden Birdsong had a hard time throwing strikes last night, and the same thing was happening to Snell today, as he had issued six walks in his first two innings of work. Was there something wrong with the mound at T-Mobile Park? Who knows, but Snell’s second inning just came out of the blue.

“It’s why the game is beautiful,” said Snell. “There’s always something to work on; something to learn; [and] something I could have told myself to make the inning quicker.”

The Giants wasted an opportunity in the top of the third, and Snell bounced back with a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the third. Snell had thrown 74 pitches, and he was done after three no-hit innings. Snell gave up two runs and struck out six.

“You know what, a lot of innings here kinda recently added up for him,” said Bob Melvin. “Obviously, he didn’t have his command in the second, so [we] called it a day a little bit early for him and gave him a little bit of a break. He’s been pitching deep in games [and] throwing a ton of pitches. [He] just felt pretty sluggish from the start today, as far as his body goes, so that’s why we did that.”

“[I] gotta make adjustments quicker to allow myself to get deeper into games,” added Snell. “Just a weird [start], but [I’ll] learn from it [and] get better.”

Kirby pitched a scoreless inning in the top of the fourth, and Melvin went to Spencer Bivens in the bottom of the fourth. Bivens gave up a two-out single, but pitched a scoreless inning.

Kirby retired the first two men he faced in the top of the fifth, but Mike Yastrzemski doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Thairo then came up and lined a base-hit down the left field line to knock in Yaz, and the Giants were back ahead 3-2.

Bivens pitched another scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth, and JT Chargois, who came in for Kirby in the top of the fifth, pitched a scoreless top of the sixth. Bivens returned for his third inning of work in the bottom of the sixth, and he threw a one, two, three inning.

“Bivens all the sudden [made] a three-inning start out of Blake a six-inning start,” said Melvin. “It was almost like Blake pitched six innings today.”

It was not expected for Snell to only last three innings, and after Bob Melvin used six pitchers out of the bullpen last night, Bivens gave his team a huge performance.

Austin Voth came in for Seattle in the top of the seventh. After Voth retired the first two hitters he faced, Yaz came up and hit a line-drive home run to the first row in right to make it 4-2.

Aaron Hicks, who hurt himself warming up in the bullpen Friday night, was summoned for the bottom of the seventh. Hicks walked Raley with one out, and Julio Rodriguez hit a ground-rule double to right-center to put runners at second and third. Justin Turner then walked to load the bases for the always-dangerous Randy Arozarena.

Arozarena hit a ground ball to short and was originally called out on the backend of a double play by First Base Umpire Brock Ballou to end the inning. However, the Mariners challenged the call, and it was overturned. Raley scored to make it 4-3, and the inning was still alive.

Melvin then brought in Camilo Doval, who was brought back up from Sacramento after five games, in which he went 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA. Doval made his return to the majors in the ballpark where he pitched in the All-Star Game last season.

Doval immediately fell behind 3-0 to the first hitter he faced, Jorge Polanco. Arozarena then stole second, and Melved elected to put Polanco on to load the bases for former Giant Mitch Haniger, who grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Giants still had the lead going to the eighth, as Trent Thornton came in for the Mariners. McCray lined a base-hit into center field, and Curt Casali bunted him over to second. However, the Giants were unable to come through.

Melvin let Doval go back out for the bottom of the eighth, and Doval did not disappoint, as he threw a one, two, three inning, striking out the final two.

Tayler Saucedo then pitched a one, two, three top of the ninth for the Mariners.

Ryan Walker was originally not supposed to pitch today after his dominant two-inning performance last night. However, Walker really wanted to pitch, and got his wish, as he came in and retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the ninth.

Justin Turner kept the game going with a base-hit to center to bring up Arozarena as the potential winning run. Of course it had to be a little scary, but Arozarena grounded out to short to end it, and the Giants were able to hold on for a desperately-needed 4-3 win.

Spencer Bivens got the win with his three-inning performance; George Kirby took the loss; and Ryan Walker picked up his third save.

“[Walker] volunteered today,” said Melvin. “[That] allowed us to do things a little bit differently earlier in the game. [If he didn’t volunteer], you wouldn’t have seen Doval or Hicks in the innings that they pitched.”

“He’s our workhorse down there,” added Yaz. “You can throw him into any role, and he’s gonna say ‘yes.’ He’s not gonna put up a stink; he’s gonna do what needs to be done for the team and do it well…..I’m glad I don’t have to face him right now.”

Thairo and Fitzgerald both went 2-for-4, but the guy who really came through today was Yastrzemski, who went 3-for-5.

The Giants are back over .500, as they improve to 66-65. However, they remain five games back of the Braves, who beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 in Atlanta.

The Giants can take the series with a win Sunday. Robbie Ray (3-2, 4.88 ERA) will make the start for the Giants, and Bryan Woo (5-2, 2.12 ERA) will take the ball for Seattle. First pitch will be at 1:10 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Diamondbacks 74-56 +3.5
  2. Padres 73-58 +2.0
  3. Braves 70-59 —

Mets 68-62 2.5

GIANTS 66-65 5.0

Cubs 65-65 5.5

Cardinals 64-65 6.0

Giants News and Notes:

Camilo Doval had a lot of help from Ryan Vogelsong and Johnny Cueto in his brief stint in Sacramento. Doval had a conversation with Cueto, a former Giant who was pitching for the Los Angeles Angels’ Triple-A affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees.

Cueto has shown throughout his career that he possesses a lot of pitching knowledge, and he very well could be a pitching coach after he retires.

With Doval back up, Landed Roupp, who pitched for the first time in nine days last night, was sent back to Sacramento.

Even with Doval back, Walker will remain the closer.

Brew Crew takes it to A’s again in four run 9-5 win at Coliseum

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Oakland A’s Daz Cameron (28) takes a swing against the Milwaukee Brewers at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Aug 24, 2024 (Oakland A’s X photo)

By William Espy

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s hosted the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon for the second game of the three-game series. After dropping the first game 11-3, the A’s desperately needed a stronger performance to get back on track. Unfortunately for the A’s they just couldn’t get tracked for the second game of the series dropping Saturday’s contest 9-5 in front of 12,769 fans at the Oakland Coliseum.

Joe Boyle started the game on the mound for the A’s, while Colin Rea got the nod for the Brewers, which marked the first start of his career against Oakland. Rea has played well so far in the 2024 season, as he came into the game with an 11-4 record.

Boyle had struggled so far this season, entering the night with a 3-5 record and an ERA of 6.21, but you wouldn’t be able to tell based on the opening inning, as it was three-up, three-down in just 1ten pitches. Center fielder JJ Bleday gave the A’s the lead in the bottom of the inning, with a two-out home run.

Willy Adames opened the second inning with a single to center, giving the Brewers their first hit of the game. The next batter, Jake Bauers would be walked putting runners on first and second with no outs. Rhys Hoskins would get a single, with a line drive right back up the middle that hit Boyle.

A fielder’s choice on a groundball from Garrett Mitchell would score the tying run and advance the other runners to scoring position. Blake Perkins would hit the ball to Max Schuemann at short, but the throw to first would be too late making it an RBI single, giving the Brewers a 2-1 lead.

The next batter, Joey Ortiz would draw a walk, once again loading the bases. Things had the potential to get out of hand very quickly for the A’s. Brice Turang would strike out, but Boyle would walk Jackson Chourio giving the Brewers a third run.

Contreras would ground out to short, allowing the A’s to stop the bleeding and get out of the inning. It quickly went from an A’s lead to a significant deficit. The A’s wouldn’t be able to get any offense going in their half of the inning, recording three straight outs.

Adames would draw the third walk of the game for the Brewers to start the top of the third. The next batter Bauers struck out, but Adames stole second base in the meantime. Hoskins and Mitchell would both strike out as well, getting the A’s out of the inning.

It took until the bottom of the fourth inning for the A’s to show more signs of life, as Brent Rooker got a leadoff double. It would be short-lived though, as that would be the only offense they’d get in the inning. In the top of the fifth, the Brewers would extend their lead with a two-run home run by Bauers that drove in Adames, making it 5-1. TJ McFarland would enter the game for the A’s to start the top of the sixth inning, ending Boyle’s night.

Rooker brought the A’s within two runs in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run blast of his own driving in Lawrence Butler, cutting the Brewer’s lead to 5-3. McFarland had a strong inning, but he’d only get one as J.T. Ginn came in for the top of the seventh.

Zack Gelof got things going for the A’s in the bottom of the seventh with a single, which led to him stealing second. With two outs in the inning, Jared Koenig came into the game for Milwaukee ending Rea’s night. Daz Cameron pinch-hit for Butler and a two-out double drove in Gelof making it a one-run game.

They intentionally walked Rooker, bringing up Bleday. After Bleday was called for taking too long to enter the batters’ box, Mark Kotsay came out of the dugout to have some words with the home plate umpire. He’d strike out looking to end the inning and the Brewers maintained a one-run lead.

The Brewers got another run in the top of the eighth when a two-out blooper to the outfield dropped between Nevin and Andujar while Bauers was on second base, allowing him to score. After an intentional walk, Michel Otanez entered the game to face Joey Ortiz with a runner on first and second.

Ortiz would strike out to end the inning and the Brewers had a 6-4 lead. Joel Payamps took over on the mound for the bottom of the inning. He’d get through the 3-4-5 spots without any trouble, and the A’s would have one chance remaining to get back into the game.

A groundball to third allowed the Brewers to extend their lead when the throw home wasn’t in time and Brice Turang scored from third. Chourio would then go on to score on a passed ball, extending the lead to 8-4. A bloop single from Hoskins drove in Contreras making it 9-4 in favor of Milwaukee.

The A’s got a run on the board with a broken-bat single by Rooker which drove in Gelof from second base and advanced Cameron to third base. That would be all they could get going though, as they’d fall by a large margin for the second night in a row with the Brewers winning 9-5.

The Brewers and A’s conclude this series Sunday afternoon for a 1:07pm PT first pitch for the Brewers RHP Frankie Montas (6-8, ERA 4.57) for the A’s RHP Joey Estes (5-6, ERA 4.44).