JP Sears Leads A’s To Series Win Over Blue Jays 8-4; Oakland six run first stands up in two run win

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Oakland A’s Lawrence Butler (4) beats the throw on a slide at second base under the glove of the Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Leo Jimenez (49) in the top of the fourth inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto (Canadian Press via AP photo)

By Barbara Mason

JP Sears had a banner day on the mound Sunday in game three of Oakland’s series with Toronto. He was on a tear going through the Toronto Blue Jays (54-64) lineup like a knife through butter. He went seven innings only allowing three hits and three earned runs.

Oakland A’s (50-69) bats were on fire outhitting Toronto 12 hits to five as the A’s took two out of three from the Jays 8-4. The A’s had a perfect blend of long balls and base on hits winning this series. Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, Zach Gelof and Brent Rooker were also instrumental in the win. Mason Miller capped off the win with another brilliant inning on the mound, three up and three down to once again close the door in relief.

Game recap: Whatever the A’s had in their Cheerios this morning they came out on fire scoring six runs in the first inning. They show-cased a blend of home runs and base hits. The first run of the inning came in thanks to a Blue Jays throwing error which allowed Lawrence Butler to score for the early one run lead and the A’s were just getting started.

Bleday hit a two run home run with Rooker on base followed by a Gelof two run homer with Seth Brown aboard and Oakland had a 5-0 lead. They finished off the inning with a Butler single and Daz Cameron scored taking a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the first inning.

Oakland extended their lead in the fourth inning with a Bleday single that brought Butler home for a 7-0 lead. The Blue Jays finally got on the board in the fourth with a solo home run from Daulton Varsho. That was all Toronto was able to muster so far in the game trailing 7-1.

The A’s tacked another run on in the sixth inning taking a 8-1 lead into the seventh inning. Rooker who was having a great day doubled to left and Max Schuemann scored from second base.

Going into the eighth inning, the Blue Jays were running out of time to make any kind of move, in fact, they were pretty close to finished after six innings. Through seven innings, the A’s had 12 hits while the Blue Jays were quiet with only three.

Sears was having a banner day going into the eighth innings with only 97 pitches in some amazing efficiency. He left the game in the beginning of the eighth inning after walking both Spencer Horwitz and Davis Schneider.

He had an amazing game going seven innings only allowing three hits, three runs, three walks and four strikeouts. Michel Otanez relieved him in the inning. Toronto made a huge move in the eighth inning with only one out.

Luis De Los Santos doubled Spencer Horwitz home and George Springer singled both Davis Schneider and Luis De Los Santos home. Toronto scored three runs to cut Oakland’s lead in half.

A monster threat came to the plate in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. This guy is capable of changing a game with one swing of the bat but he grounded into a double play to end the threat. The A’s were now three outs away from winning this series.

Mason Miller closed out this game in the manner that has become customary for him. It was a three up, three down ninth inning. Oakland really took it to Bassitt in this game who is typically a great starter. He allowed eight hits, seven runs, two walks and five strikeouts and only lasted four innings.

Game notes: Saturday, the A’s tied up their series with the Blue Jays after dropping game one on Friday. Game two featured a tense pitchers duel with the A’s finishing on top 1-0 thanks to the pitching of Osvaldo Bido and the closing brilliance of Mason Miller.

There was not much offensive effort from either team and it was the home run from Brent Rooker in the sixth inning that decided this game. In game three today, Oakland will be looking for their bats to get hot. JP Sears was the winning pitcher on Sunday improving his record to 10-8.

The Blue Jays started Chris Bassitt got lit up, Bassitt went four innings, allowed eight hits and seven earned runs. The stadium welcomed over 35,000 fans on hand for this game despite neither team having any chance for a playoff run.

Oakland will now travel to New York for a three game series with the Mets. The Mets are in third place in the National League East a half game behind the second place Atlanta Braves. Another familiar name will take the mound for the Mets in Paul Blackburn.

Blackburn was recently traded to New York in an effort to bolster the Mets rotation. His 3.86 ERA is solid as is his 5-2 win/loss record. The A’s will go with Ross Stripling with a 2-11, 5.72 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for Tuesday at 4:10 PM.

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: A’s even series as Bido and bullpen blank Jays 1-0 in Toronto

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Oakland A’s Brent Rooker gets congratulations for his home run in the top of the sixth inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto which turned out to be the only run of the game (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Augie:

#1 The Oakland A’s starter Oavaldo Bido with the help of three relievers got a two hitter blanking the Toronto Blue Jays in a close one 1-0 at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Saturday.

#2 Bido had another strong outing for Oakland and it was enough to ward off the Blue Jays. Bido went six innings allowing two hits, one run, and five strikeouts. He had his variety of pitches working for him.

#3 A’s slugger Brent Rooker accounted for the game’s only run with his 29th home run of the season in the top of the sixth inning. Rooker has been having success with the long ball this season.

#4 For the A’s they’ve won a number of series of late and the good pitching beating the good hitting has been a great help as Saturday’s game was the A’s ninth shutout of the season.

#5 A’s closer Mason Miller shut the door on the Jays pitching in the ninth and striking out three hitters without giving up a run. Miller has been one of the big key reasons why the A’s have won the close games.

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

Headline Sports podcast with Bruce Magowan: While 49ers are negotiating with Steelers on an Aiyuk deal he could play with no extension; 49ers Thomas with broken forearm; plus more news

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There two scenarios for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk he could be traded to a team of his choosing or he could play out the final year of his contract (2024) with the 49ers (Nevada Sport Net photo file )

On Headline Sports podcast with Bruce Magowan:

#1 Bruce, just wanted to get your take on San Francisco 49ers Brandon Aiyuk whose been pushing for a trade. The Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of the business day on Friday made a bid for Aiyuk and the New England Patriots who were talking turkey but Aiyuk turned the Patriots offer down. The deal with the Steelers is a matter if there is something the 49ers and Pittsburgh can agree on. There is also a chance that Aiyuk could remain with the 49ers without an extension as this is his last year with the 49ers.

#2 It didn’t take long before the 49ers had sustained it’s first injury and that’s what happened to cornerback Ambry Thomas who broke his forearm in Saturday’s first pre season game in Tennessee. Thomas tried to tackle Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph but missed and collapsed on the field and when Thomas got up tried not to move his right arm and ran off the field letting the arm hang from the shoulder.

#3 Turning to baseball the San Francisco Giants have taken the first two games of this current series with the Detroit Tigers on Friday the Giants won it on a Chad Pinder sac fly that allowed the winning run to score from third base in the ninth and on Saturday the Giants rallied for three runs in the sixth inning and that’s all they needed for a 3-1 win over the Tigers. The Giants are now three games over .500 the for the first time since last season.

#4 Paris Olympics in men’s basketball The Team USA on Saturday put the Team France to bed in a 98-87. Team USA’s Stephen Curry led with 24 points five assists, and eight three pointers. Curry started out slow in the beginning of the games but is now into his rhythm. Curry hit four 3’s in the last 2:48 of the contest.

#5 Too much injuries in pre season football continues as the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown went to the hospital for an exam after injuring his shoulder against the Jacksonville Jaguars Saturday. Brown ran for an 11 yard gain on a pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes but after a gain of 11 was tackled and landed on his left shoulder. Word from the Chiefs Brown is expected to be out for significant period of time.

Bruce Magowan is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: White Sox new manager Sizemore says he’s a different voice; Ohtani interpreter’s bookie pleads guilty to running illegal gambling business; plus more news

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Chicago White Sox manager Grady Sizemore takes a walk on the field at Guarantee Rate Field in Chicago in his first game at the helm replacing former manager Pedro Grifol. Sizemore lost in his managerial debut against the Chicago Cubs on Fri Aug 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Chicago White Sox are making headlines for all the wrong reasons and general manager Chris Getz changed managers because of it. After the Sox ended a 21 game losing streak short of tying the major league record on Tue 6th Getz fired manager Pedro Grifol and replaced him with Grady Sizemore who had been a coach.

#2 Sizemore said he was surprised and excited when he was offered the job. There was no doubt that Getz wanted to take the Sox in a different direction. Sizemore said he is a different voice and is a different person. In Sizemore’s first game at the helm on Friday he lost to crosstown rivals the Chicago Cubs 7-6.

#3 Matthew Bowyer who was the bookie for Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business. Bowyer also plead guilty to money laundering and filing a false tax return. Mizuhara who used Ohtani’s money to place bets is recorded as winning $142 million and losing $183 million a net loss of $41 million. There was no evidence that Mizuhara bet on baseball. It was found that Mizuhara was tied to Bowyer in placing 100s of bets.

#4 The long anticipated return of Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts has arrived. Betts has been out of the Dodgers line up since June 16th with a fractured left hand. Betts will start in rightfield rather than at shortstop next week. Betts making the return at the stretch drive of the campaign and manager Dave Roberts has to be relieved to get him back in the line up.

#5 This week the African American Sports and Entertainment Group sewed up a deal with the Oakland A’s buying their half of the Oakland Coliseum property making them sole owners. AASEG says they plan to develop the property as giant entertainment and sports complex. If AASEG were able to develop a stadium that would rival say a So Fi or Allegiant Stadium would that give them enough leverage to get the attention of luring back an NFL something that AASEG said they wanted to do going into the deal. On the face of it AASEG does not have the money to build an NFL stadium but they have been pretty ambitious in their ideas of developing the Coliseum.

Charlie O does Headline Sports each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Coach Taylor says adapt to ACC or you won’t be relevant

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Stanford Cardinal head coach Troy Taylor disputes a play with an official against the USC Trojans on Sat Sep 9, 2023. Coach Taylor is getting the Cardinal ready for the adjustment to the ACC for the 2024 season. (AP News file photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Stanford Cardinal head coach Troy Taylor said they need to adapt to the ACC or the Cardinal won’t be relevant. The first game is not until Aug 30th against TCU so that gives them some time to psych themselves up for the change.

#2 At the time of learning about the break up of the Pac 12 a long storied league and how it’s history and what it once was is now gone.

#3 After the breakup of the Pac 12 the ACC was a landing spot for the Cardinal along with Big Game rival the Cal Bears. That was a important part of this change keeping them in the same division.

#4 Coach Taylor said any conference would love to have the Cardinal, that long history, the tradition, playing at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto.

#5 Coach Taylor said that the Cardinal had a successful program ten years ago. Taylor added the Cardinal need to build their program because the Cardinal will be in another position to be realigned again and having a strong program is important to attract other conferences when that time comes.

Michael Roberson is a Stanford Cardinal beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Giants move 3 games over .500 for first time since Sep 2023

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The San Francisco Giants Jerar Encarnacion (left) and Mike Yastrzemski (5) celebrate scoring on Brett Wisely’s RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Stephen:

#1 San Francisco Giants are now three game over .500 for the first time since September 15, 2023 that’s nearly a year’s worth of time. Stephen at this rate can you still see this team having a shot at a wild card spot.

#2 Tyler Fitzgerald has been doing it all first with the bat with 12 home runs. Now with some base running with his fourth career multi stolen base game. Fitzgerald stole three bases last Thursday in Washington.

#3 The Giants Brett Wisely has been key of late this time on Saturday he slugged a two run RBI double during a three run six inning rally in a two run 3-1 win for the Giants over the Detroit Tigers.

#4 Giants pitcher Logan Webb once again lights out pitching seven innings, surrendering four hits and no runs and striking out eight. Webb has three shutouts and two complete games this season so he’s bringing it this season he improves his record to 10-8.

#5 Tigers and Giants match up Sunday and a shot for San Francisco to sweep the series at Oracle Park. Tigers starter RHP Keider Montero (2-5, ERA 5.62) for the Giants Hayden Birdsong (3-1, ERA 4.73) first pitch at 1:05pm PT. The Tigers have been struggling losing eight of their last 11 games.

Stephen Ruderman is a podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The Ryan Walker Era Doesn’t Come With Frills and Extras

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Ryan Walker embraces opportunity and upward mobility. But he’s not ascending with thoughts of adding an entourage, theme music, or a mood-setting game entrance.

Instead, Walker’s setting the tone with his sinker and the maintenance of his low-key demeanor. Yeah, he’s got a beard and a hint of swag, but no, he’s not Brian Wilson 2.0 or Sergio Romo.

He’s Ryan Walker, selected by the Giants in the now-defunct 31st round of 2018 draft, and he doesn’t pontificate. Actually, he mumbles a bit. And he’s the Giants’ new closer in place of the demoted Camilo Doval.

“I was really excited for the opportunity,” Walker said. “I never really thought this could happen.”

What’s happened is quite unlikely. Beyond Walker being drafted so late, four years passed before he got his big league promotion. And when he arrived in San Francisco, his ceiling was being a setup man, or so he thought.

But the Giants started to think differently when Walker’s sinker, slider combination showed refinement, and his strikeout numbers increased. The final step was harnessing his control and lowering his walk rate.

Then the unforseen happened when Camilo Doval struggled to the point he went from National League All-Star closer in 2023 to Pacific Coast League reclamation project. First, the fans built a groundswell of support for Walker–along with disdain for Doval’s shortcomings–and team president Farhan Zaidi and manager Bob Melvin shockingly followed suit.

“Could we have put (Doval) in a lesser role?” Melvin pondered. “I don’t know that it would help. I think that some of the issues that he needs to work on would be easier to do somewhere else than the big leagues. He’s an All-Star. We expect him to come back and be an All-Star.”

Melvin also stated Walker’s case beyond his effective sinker, slider combo that mirrors Saturday’s starter, Logan Webb.

He’s pretty good,” Melvin said prior to Saturday’s game. “Probably had our toughest role in that he would come in with guys on base all the time, and a lot of times go out for the next inning.”

Walker’s been described as a pitcher who sets the table with his sinker, which tops out at 97 mph, and confounds hitters with his slider at 84 mph. Called on to protect a 3-1 lead, the right-hander threw nine sliders and nine sinkers, and struck out Dillon Dingler and Javier Baez to end the game. Walker also ramped up the tension by allowing two of the first three hitters, Gio Urshela and Bligh Madris, to reach, giving the 28-year old a true first test as closer.

“Awesome. Nerve-racking,” he said.

Already this season, Walker has compiled a major-league leading 59 appearances, including eight in which he’s pitched more than an inning. Even more appealing, he has 73 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings work. His 2.20 ERA is half of what Doval built up, and he’s all business.

Could Walker take this once-in-a-baseball-life opportunity and run with it?

He could. Just don’t expect him to expound on his good fortune in a show of self-promotion.

49ers Drop Pre-Season Opener to Tennessee 17-13

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (5) is airborne taking a dive into the end zone leaping over the Tennessee Titans Eric Garror (25) and linebacker Chance Campbell (45) to score a touchdown in Tennessee. In pre season action on Sat Aug 10, 2024. (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The 49ers final drive of the game was a good one but the team just ran out of clock. They drove into Titan territory but with so little time left in the game were forced to take deep shots into the end zone one of which was intercepted by Tennessee as the clock expired. They came just short losing the first game of the pre-season 17-13.

As summer begins to wind down, there is that magic in the air, the approach of yet another NFL season. Saturday, games across the league got underway in a pre-season that now consists of three games with one game in particular that carried special interest for fans in Northern California. All eyes were no doubt focused on the San Francisco 49ers versus the Tennessee Titans and a look at the players who are hoping to make the final roster for the upcoming 2024 season. The players who make that final roster are the future of this franchise and this is an exciting opportunity for all of these athletes. The unfortunate side of it all is always the disappointment for those players who end up being cut when the final roster is finally determined.

Quarterback Brock Purdy despite only going into his third year is now considered a veteran which is really crazy to entertain. The future this guy has is insane and he will only continue to grow and become an even better player and leader. Fans are eager to see him out on the field but none of the starters were taking the field in this game.

San Francisco quarterback Brandon Allen got this game underway finishing the quarter going 7 of 13 connecting for 98 yard with an average 7.5 yards per play. Jordan Mason scored the first touchdown of the game for San Francisco, a rush up the middle for 4 yards giving the 49ers a 7-0 lead. The Jake Moody extra point attempt was good. The Titans tied up this game at 6:05 in the opening quarter when Will Levis scampered for one yard up the middle for the touchdown. The Nick Folk extra point attempt was good.

San Francisco would take the tie into the second quarter but it was the Titans who would take the lead to start the second quarter. At 14:56 Tennessee took a 14-7 lead when Tyjae Spears rushed for four yards into the end zone and Nick Folk kicked his second extra point of the game. Tennessee would take the 14-7 lead into the locker room at the half.

The 49ers continued to trail going into the late third quarter and the game score remained 14-7 as the game entered the fourth quarter. Tennessee would extend their lead to 17-7 at 12:09 in the final quarter when Braydon Narveson kicked a 34 yard field goal.

The Titans had outplayed San Francisco offensively so far in this game. The 49ers put together a solid drive culminating in a Josua Dobbs touchdown. The quarterback rushed for 6 yards at 8:26 with the 49ers continuing to trail 17-13. San Francisco went for the two-point conversion which failed.

With 1:56 left in the game, the 49ers had a nice drive going that went sideways when the Titans defense made a huge play. Tennessee came with a heavy blitz that resulted in a huge loss on fourth down and Tennessee took over on downs at midfield.

San Francisco got their hands back on the ball with 1:32 left in the game but no time outs. The 49ers drove down to the Titan 40 yard line with 36 ticks left on the clock. With one second on the clock, San Fracciso went for the Hail Mary which was intercepted by Tennessee. The final was 17-13.

The Titans outplayed the 49ers at every turn in this game. Time of possession for the Titans was 35:19 to San Francisco’s 24:41. The 49ers had a lot more penalties then the Titans with 8 for 48 yards while Tennessee only had 3 for 15 yards. Total yards were a bit closer. Tennessee had 336 yards and San Francisco had 286 yards.

Tennessee’s 3rd down efficiency was twice as good as the 49ers. All in all San Francisco did play a pretty good game in this first pre-season contest. They came up just short running out of clock.

Next up for the 49ers will be the New Orleans Saints at Levi Stadium on Sunday August 18th. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Rudolp came in to start the second quarter.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez: Vikings edge Raiders 24-23 to snap 10 game pre season losing streak

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The Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy throws under pressure from the Las Vegas Raiders defense in first half action at US Bank Stadium on Sat Aug 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez:

#1 Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy rebounded after getting picked off by the Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones earlier and threw for two touchdown passes which led to the Vikings defeating the Raiders by one point 24-23.

#2 Vikings kicker rookie Will Reichard booted a 37 yard field goal with no time left and it helped the Vikings get that one point win over the Raiders.

#3 Rich, the Vikings didn’t know where their next pre season win was coming from they brought in a ten game pre season losing streak into US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and just won it but were able to snap the loss streak.

#4 Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew who is battling with Aidan O’Connell for the starting job threw 6-12, 117 yards, and one touchdown. Minshew got a second quarter touchdown to DJ Turner.

#5 Rich you’ll be on hand for the first pre season game at Allegiant Field in Las Vegas as the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders duel on Sat Aug 17th for the second pre season game of 2024. Talk about being able to see the competition live between these two teams.

Rich Perez does the Raiders post game wrap up podcasts after each Raiders game at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants rally for 3 runs in 6th; Webb holds off Tigers for 7 innings in 3-1 win

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The San Francisco Giants Brett Wisley slugs a sixth inning two run RBI double against the Detroit Tigers at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Aug 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By William Espy

SAN FRANCISCO–The San Francisco Giants (61-58) hosted the Detroit Tigers (55-63) in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd at Oracle Park. Prior to the game, they hosted their 2014 World Series reunion.

With organizational legends in attendance, the modern Giants had some pressure on their shoulders. Logan Webb was on the mound for the Giants to start the night, while Alex Faedo started for the Tigers. The Giants picked all the runs they needed in the bottom of the sixth scoring three times for a 3-1 win Saturday.

The Tigers’ night started with three batters coming up, and immediately getting out allowing Webb to escape the first inning with only seven pitches thrown. The Giants on the other hand, immediately evened up with pitch count with just their first batter, as Tyler Fitzgerald fought his way to a full count before eventually being walked by Faedo.

The second batter of the night Heliot Ramos also drew a walk, putting the visitors in a tough spot early into the game. Faedo got one out when Michael Conforto struck out, but once again walked Matt Chapman, loading the bases for the Giants with just one out. The Tigers escaped the inning though, as a broken bat pop out from Patrick Bailey and a flyout by Mark Canha ended the inning, stranding all three runners.

The second inning started the same as the first, with three up and three down for the Tigers, this time on just 12 pitches for Webb. The Tigers made a pitching change for the bottom of the second, with Brant Hurter entering the game, who would give the Giants the same fate, three up, three down.

After a third straight inning without a base runner for the Tigers, the Giants needed to take advantage of their defensive play and get on the scoreboard early to avoid a similar outcome to the night before, when the difference-maker was a walk-off single by Mark Canha in the bottom of the ninth.

A win is a win, but the Giants needed to take advantage of their strong performances early to avoid unnecessary drama. They were unable to make anything happen in the bottom of the third though, and to this point, neither team had been able to record a hit.

That quickly changed though, as the Tigers got the first hit of the ballgame in the top of the fourth, when a dribbler by Akil Baddoo allowed him to out-run the throw. He advanced to second on a groundout to second base, giving the Tigers a runner-in-scoring position with just a single out. The Giants would get the next two batters out though, stranding Baddoo at second.

A one-out triple in the top of the fifth by Parker Meadows put some major pressure on the Giants. The next batter Dillon Dingler hit a groundball to the shortstop Fitzgerald who attempted to throw Meadows out at first, but was unsuccessful and the visitors took a 1-0 lead. That would be the only damage the Tigers could do though, as the Giants were able to get out of the inning.

Mike Yastrzemski got the Giants’ first hit of the night to open up the bottom of the fifth inning. That seemed to open the floodgates for the home team though, as Jerar Encarnacion hit a single, which advanced the runner to third and advanced to second himself on an E7.

A double by Brett Wisely brought both of them home, and it quickly went from a 1-0 deficit to a 2-1 lead for San Francisco. Hurter had a strong performance, but it seems he was left out too long. A single up the middle by Heliot Ramos drove in Wisely, extending the Giants lead to 3-1 and at this point, the Tigers had some movement in the bullpen.

The Tigers should’ve gotten out of the inning on a groundball by Chapman to short, but Javier Baez bobbled the ball, and the throw was still in time despite the error, but Bligh Madris was unable to cleanly make the catch and dropped the ball.

If either one had done their part correctly, they would’ve escaped the inning, but now Patrick Bailey had an opportunity to make them pay. He’d end up grounding to Baez, who would cleanly make the play this time, and a toss to Colt Keith at second got them the out.

A two-out double by Justyn-Henry Malloy showed some life for the Tigers, it seemed like Meadows was going to drive in the run with a blooper over Chapman’s head, but a sensational jumping catch robbed him of the hit to end the inning.

In a bit of a mind-boggling move, Hurter came out to start the bottom of the sixth inning as well. He had played well, but overall it seemed like he was being hung out to dry. He got through the inning without issue though. He had thrown 76 pitches through five innings, which was more than enough for the young reliever. At this point, it seemed certain that he was done for the night and wouldn’t be back for the seventh.

A two-out single by Baez was the Tigers’ only offense for the top of the seventh inning, and as expected they had a new pitcher enter the game for the bottom half of the inning, Shelby Miller. Fitzgerald immediately got on base with a leadoff single, putting pressure on the new pitcher immediately. He then stole both second and third base, while in the meantime Heliot Ramos struck out. Ultimately it wouldn’t lead to anything, as the Tigers would hold the Giants without a run.

Right-handed submarine pitcher Tyler Rogers entered the Giants to start the eighth inning. Chapman once again made a phenomenal play on a ground ball by Colt Keith, showing he still has his Gold Glove ability. Rogers did his job effectively, with the Tigers once again having a three up, three down inning.

Lefty Joey Wentz took the mound for the Tigers in the bottom of the eighth. Patrick Bailey got on base to lead off the inning after the ball went through Gio Urshela’s legs at third base. Canha popped out to first, then Yastrzemski got his second hit of the night putting runners on first and second. A fielder’s choice got the second out of the inning and Wisely stepped up with two outs and runners on the corners. Wisely would strike out swinging to end the inning.

With Camilo Doval no longer in the big leagues, newly promoted closer Ryan Walker entered the game in the top of the ninth inning. After a flyout by Urshela to start the inning, Walker walked Madris, giving the Tigers a base runner with one out.

Meadows followed that up with a single to left field, putting the tying run on first. Dingler struck out looking, bringing up Baez as the Tigers’ last chance to get back into the game. He’d strike out swinging, and the Giants walked away with a 3-1 victory and lead the series two games to none.