San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Chapman homers and Snell goes 6 innings in 7-4 win in DC

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San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman (left) get a congratulatory hand shake from third base coach Matt Williams after hitting a home run in the top of the fifth inning at Nationals Park in DC on Wed Aug 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Heilot Ramos and Matt Chapman both contributed with a home run a piece in the top of the fifth inning at Washington’s Nationals Park in a three run 7-4 win. Michael talk a bit about the Ramos and Chapman homers.

#2 The homers by Ramos and Chapman broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning and it seems the Giants are getting those clutch hits at critical times.

#3 Ramos is swinging hot bat as Ramos hit a home run in second straight game and Chapman nearly scored a cycle he needed just a triple to accomplish it.

#4 The Giants are going well they have won nine of their last 12 games. Mike Yastrzemski also added some run production with a solo home run and an RBI triple. Talk about how Yastrzemski’s offense has made a difference in the line up.

#5 One more thing about Blake Snell he was coming off the no hitter to pitch against the Nationals and on Wednesday and turned out another successful outing going six innings, gave up four hits, three runs, one walk and eight strike outs. He certainly has recovered from his long injury.

Join Michael for the San Francisco Giants podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

White Sox’ 21-game losing streak is over, but their record-threatening issues persist

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–It took a whole month, but the White Sox shed that onerous 21-game losing streak on Tuesday night, avoiding the possibility of a mind-bending seventh, consecutive series in which they were swept.

That’s good. That’s great, really. But the challenges that put the South Siders in such a precarious position persist. After two runs in the first inning on Wednesday afternoon, eight, empty frames followed along with a 3-2 loss. The occasion of the final ChiSox game in Oakland was a bust, like the tiny Coliseum crowd, the 14-game losing spell that ended June 6, the 0-17 run following the All-Star Break, and the frustrating season as a whole.

Whatever happens next, started happening 11 hours after the Sox emptied the dugout with sheepish grins in celebration of their 5-1 win. No jumping around in a near empty Oakland Coliseum, coincidently another well-known place for baseball strife.

Instead, the youthful Sox kept it cool and applauded themselves for hanging in there without berating each other because of the losing. After recounting their saga for the media inside their less-burdened clubhouse, the Sox made a quick trip to their San Francisco hotel to prepare for the series matinee finale and sleep.

“I don’t hide away from blame. Blame is what it is. I’ve got the position, the office, that’s the chair. I would never blame our players for this season. That’s not my makeup.” -Pedro Grifol, CWS manager

Wednesday morning at 11:00 am, trade deadline acquisition Miguel Vargas was not where he needed to be and cranky, bench coach/fungo master Eddie Rodriguez was ready to light up the 22-year old infielder when Vargas materialized for warm-ups at 11:06 am.

“You said you’d be here at 11 o’clock. Everything’s picked up,” Rodriguez barked.

After a short discreet conversation, Rodriguez relented, and a fielding exercise unfolded with the veteran coach hitting grounders to the 6’3″ Vargas. The young Cuban got an opportunity to assume an everyday, middle infield role with the Dodgers in 2023, but his bat was underwhelming. He hit .195 with seven home runs in 81 games, and was demoted in July and spent the remainder of that season with Triple-A Oklahoma City. His defense wasn’t elite either, as he committed five errors as the Dodgers’ second baseman.

On Wednesday, fielding grounders didn’t change much. Vargas batted leadoff as the designated hitter, going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. He was filmed after Monday’s loss sitting dejectedly outside the Sox dugout, likely trying to process his fate as a star minor leaguer given a chance to impact the contending Dodgers, but suddenly traded to Chicago to contemplate his baseball future with a moribund franchise. The White Sox envision that Vargas can settle in, but everyone in Chicago knows that plan has a limited shelf life.

Gavin Sheets gained a measure of notoriety as the son of Larry Sheets, who started all 21 games for the Orioles during their notorious, 1988 losing string that torpedoed that season. The Orioles posted a winning record and contended in 1989, which is something the father and son have discussed in their daily phone calls the last month. Gavin admitted the phone calls have been critically important for his resolve as he navigates a nearly two-month stretch without hitting a home run.

On Wednesday, Sheets broke a hitless streak with a pair of base hits while hitting seventh in the lineup. But his homerless streak reached 43 games, which is troubling for a guy billed as a power-hitting first baseman. Sheets has enjoyed some nice stretches across four seasons in Chicago, but right now, his 43 home runs in 1,173 career at-bats is a glaring negative.

Luis Robert has struggled to gain traction after missing 53 games earlier this season with a hip flexor. He came into Wednesday hitting .149 over his last 17 games with one homer over his last 21 games. The Cuban product is a performer with impressive history in Oakland, as well as a breakout season in 2023. But right now, he’s a prisoner of his thoughts.

“When you’re going well, you don’t have to think about anything,’’ he said. “When you’re struggling, that’s where the spiral goes. You have to get back to how things feel and your process.”

“I think he’s pressing,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “His swings in the strike zone are down. People forget how young this kid is. He’s learning the game. He has inconsistencies now.”

Davis Martin, in his second ever big league start on the road, was Wednesday’s bright spot for the Sox. Martin navigated six innings and kept the power hitting A’s from adding to their 148 home runs in just 115 games. Martin allowed two hits and a walk in a season-best six innings. Afterward, he exuded confidence.

“(Tommy John surgery) is hard. Sometimes you don’t have the feel for stuff,” Martin said. “The fact you can have some success in the big leagues post-TJ brings a lot of confidence the next week and the week after that. Just going forward, it’s a really good starting point for me to build off of and go from there.”

The Sox have 45 games remaining, starting with a series on Friday against the Cubs back home at Guaranteed Rate Field. They need to win 13 of those to avoid finishing with a worse record than the 1961 Mets that finished 40-120.

Thirteen wins shouldn’t be too taxing, except:

The Sox have won just 17 times at home (17-40).

And they’ve won just 11 times on the road (11-49).

And Thursday started with the hardly unexpected news that Grifol was let go after compiling a record of 89-190 in less than two seasons after he replaced Miguel Cairo to start 2023.

Stayed tuned. The losing streak has ended, but another one could be coming like a wind storm gathering off Lake Michigan. If so, it won’t be pretty for Chicago.

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Embiid leads Team USA with 14 points in win over Brazil; A’s sell their share of Coliseum to AASEG; plus more news

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Team Brazil’s Leo Meindel (left) has his shot blocked by Team USA’s Joel Embiid (right) at the men’s basketball game in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (AP photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 On Tuesday Team USA at the Paris Olympics put away Team Brazil 122-87. Joel Embiid led with 14 points, Kevin Durant had 11 points, Team USA had 18 assists on their first 19 baskets.

#2 The Oakland A’s have agreed to sell their half of the Oakland Coliseum property at $125 million to the African American Sports Entertainment Group. With the completion of the deal AASEG plans a “thriving sports, entertainment, educational and business district” 

#3 San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk appears that his trade demands might met sooner than later. Aiyuk is getting interest from teams who could use a good receiver. The three teams that are interested Steelers, Browns and Patriots.

#4 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will not play in this Saturday’s pre season game or play that much in the pre season. McCaffrey was who the NFL Offensive Player of the Year is trying to recover from a strained calf. The 49ers say he’ll have plenty of time to practice and be ready for the season opener on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets on Sep 9th.

#5 The Arizona Cardinals will rest quarterback Kyler Murray as he will sit out the rest of the pre season as a healthy scratch. Last pre season the Cardinals sat Murray for the pre season due to a knee injury. This pre season the Cardinals do not want to take any chances with their starting quarterback and will rest him for all pre season games.

Join Jessica for Headline Sports podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Snell strikes out eight in six innings, and offense comes to life for Giants in somewhat-dramatic 7-4 win over Nats

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell delivers against the Washington Nationals in the bottom of the third inning at Nationals Park in DC on Wed Aug 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024

Nationals Park

Washington, D.C.

San Francisco Giants 7 (58-58)

Washington Nationals 4 (52-63)

Win: Blake Snell (2-3)

Loss: Jake Irvin (8-10)

Save: Camilo Doval (22)

Time: 2:36

Attendance: 13,310

By Stephen Ruderman

It came with a little bit of drama, but the Giants clicked on all cylinders Wednesday night, as the offense was able to combine power with some timely RBI hits, and Blake Snell delivered another strong quality outing for his second win to get the Giants back to .500 with a much-needed 7-4 win over the Nationals in D.C.

The Giants were unable to get back over .500 Tuesday night, as they lost a tough one 11-5. The Giants’ offense, which has been home run happy since their three-game set in Cincinnati over the weekend, jumped out to a 4-0 lead Tuesday night, but was unable to catch up after the Nationals pounded Hayden Birdsong for seven runs.

Wednesday night would be another overcast and humid night in our nation’s capital, as the Giants looked to get back to .500 again. The Giants scored in the top of the first inning in each of the first two games of this series. However they were unable to do so tonight against Nationals’ starter Jake Irvin, who pitched a scoreless top of the first.

Blake Snell took the ball for the Giants Wednesday night, as he was coming off his long-awaited first win as a Giant in his last start, in which all he really did was throw a no-hitter.

Snell made history in his last two starts. In his previous start prior to his no-hitter on Friday, he struck out 15 over the first six innings of the first game of the Giants’ doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies on July 27, becoming the first pitcher in Modern National League/American League History to do so.

Perhaps expecting him to accomplish another sort of historic achievement would be a tall order, but the Giants had every reason to feel confident with him on the mound. Spoiler Alert: He did not pitch another no-hitter tonight. Juan Yepez singled and stole second with two outs in the bottom of the first, but Snell ended up pitching a scoreless inning regardless.

Matt Chapman doubled to lead off the top of the second, but of course the Giants wasted it, as Irvin retired the side. Snell then threw a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second.

Irvin retired the first two men he faced in the top of the third, but the Giants avoided the 1-2-3 inning when LaMonte Wade reached on a bloop single. Heliot Ramos singled back to the mound, and a pair of hits that did not go very far suddenly put runners at first and second with two outs.

Michael Conforto has been swinging the bat better as of late, and he came up with a chance to get a key RBI hit with a runner in scoring position. Conforto fisted a ball out into shallow center field, which Nationals’ center-fielder Jacob Young was unable with, and Wade scored to put the Giants on the board.

Next up was Matt Chapman. Chapman hit a chopper to third that Trey Lipscomb charged and threw to first. Chapman was called out by First Base Umpire Stu Scheurwater, which meant that the inning was over. However, after the Giants challenged the play, Chapman was safe, and Ramos scored to make it 2-0.

The Giants may have struck first, but just like last night, the Nationals struck back with a crooked number. Snell walked Jacob Young to start the bottom of the third and allowed him to get to second when he tried to pick Young off at first, but threw the ball away.

Young got to third on a ground out by CJ Abrams, and that brought up Alex Call, who got Young in with a base-hit to left. The Nationals were on the board, and then Juan Yepez gave them the lead with a home run just fair down the left field line.

Mike Yastrzemski tied the game with a home run to right-center in the top of the fourth, and Snell settled back down in a scoreless bottom of the fourth. With one out in the top of the fifth, Heliot Ramos flipped a home run to the Giants’ bullpen in left-center to put them back ahead.

Two batters later, Chapman hit a home run of his own to almost the exact same spot in the Giants’ bullpen in left-center. The Giants manufactured a pair of runs, so of course they had to hit three home runs. Anyway, Snell followed it up with a 1-2-3 shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth.

In the top of the sixth, the Giants were at it again. Jose Ferrer came in for Irvin to start the inning, and he immediately hit Tyler Fitzgerald. Yastrzemski then pulled a bullet down the right field line for a triple that scored Fitzgerald and extended the Giants’ lead to 6-3.

Jerar Encarnacion was next up, and he joined the hit parade with a base-hit up the middle to center, which scored Yastrzemski to make it 7-3. See, there’s a couple of manufactured runs for you. They can still do it.

Snell threw a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth, and his night was over. He may not have struck out 15 or thrown a no-hitter, but he still pitched a quality outing, and other than the three-run bottom of the third, quite a strong inning. Snell gave up just four hits and struck out eight. Simply put, the Giants are getting the real Blake Snell now.

Eduardo Salazar replaced Ferrer to finish the top of the sixth, and Salazar came back out to throw a 1-2-3 top of the seventh.

Erik Miller was the new pitcher for San Francisco in the bottom of the seventh, and he ran into trouble after a one-out triple by Riley Adams. Miller was able to get a brief reprieve when Young flew out to shallow center and was unable to get Adams in.

Though maybe it would have been for the best if Adams scored, because it would have been a rally killer, and it would still be a three-run game. With the rally still going, Miller walked Lipscomb on four pitches, and Abrams poked one off the end of the bat for a base-hit to left, which knocked in Adams to make it 7-4.

Now the tying run was at the plate, and Bob Melvin went out to bring in Ryan Walker. Alex Call lined a base-hit to left, and things were now starting to get a little scary. Juan Yepez was up and worked the count full. On the payoff pitch, Walker got Yepez to strike out swinging at a beautiful filthy slider right on the outside corner, and the crisis was averted.

Everyone could take a deep breath, and the game moved to the eighth. Tanner Rainey threw a 1-2-3 inning for Washington in the top of the eighth, and submariner Tyler Rogers did the exact same for the Giants in the bottom of the inning.

After Joan Adon then threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth for the Nationals, it was time for Camilo Doval in the bottom of the ninth. Doval pitched his first 1-2-3 inning in over a month on Monday, so he had to make it dramatic Wednesday night.

Doval hit Keibert Ruiz to start the inning, and Young singled to right to put runners at first and second and bring the tying run up to the plate with nobody out. Here we go again.

Luis Robert Jr. pinch-hit and moved the runners over to second and third, and Abrams walked to load the bases with one out. It was now time to be scared again.

After Giants Pitching Coach Bryan Price came out for a chat, Alex Call stepped up to the plate as the potential winning run. With the year that Doval has had, it was time to fear the worst. However, on the very first pitch, Call chopped into a 6-4-3 double play, and just like that, the game was over. Disaster was averted, and the Giants were back to .500.

Blake Snell got his second win; Jake Irvin took the loss; and Camilo Doval picked up his 22nd save, though he did not make it easy.

Wednesday night’s game was a healthy mix of power and timely situational hitting for the Giants, and as I’ve said many times, they will have to consistently keep getting the timely RBI hits the rest of the way if they want to go to the Playoffs.

Heliot Ramos and Mike Yastrzemski both hit two-hit nights, and Matt Chapman had three hits. As for Tyler Fitzgerald, since he’s been on a tear, and everyone wants to know how he did, he went 0-for-3. It happens.

The Giants are indeed back to .500, as they improve to 58-58. With the Braves’ 10-0 shellacking at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Giants are now three and a half games back of Atlanta for the third wild card spot.

Thursday is getaway day, and the Giants can take the series and cap off a 5-2 road trip with a win. Kyle Harrison (6-5, 4.09 ERA) will take the mound for the Giants, and DJ Herz (2-4, 4.27 ERA) will start for the Nationals.

Remember, with the outskirts of Tropical Storm Debby coming into D.C. later Thursday, the game has been moved up to 12:05 p.m. in Washington, and a very-early 9:05 a.m. in San Francisco.

National League Wild Card Standings:

*1. Diamondbacks 63-52 +2.0

*2. Padres 63-52 +2.0

  1. Braves 60-53 —

Mets 60-54 0.5

Cardinals 59-56 2.0

GIANTS 58-58 3.5

Pirates 56-57 4.0

Cubs 57-60 5.0

Reds 55-59 5.5

*Tiebreaking procedures taken into effect.

A’s take series with 3-2 getaway win over White Sox

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Oakland A’s reliever Mason Miller (right) gets a hug from catcher Kyle McCann (left) after retiring the Chicago White Sox in the top of the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Wed Aug 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Oakland, California

Chicago White Sox 2 (28-89)

Oakland Athletics 3 (48-68)

Win: T.J. McFarland (2-1)

Loss: Touki Toussaint (0-2)

Save: Mason Miller (16)

Time: 2:14

Attendance: 6,964

By Stephen Ruderman

OAKLAND–We weren’t going to see history today at the Coliseum, but it was still a beautiful day for a baseball game, and the Oakland A’s rewarded the faithful who showed up with a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox to take the series in a Wednesday matinee.

Tuesday night, the A’s suffered the misfortune of being the team that the White Sox beat to snap their historic 21-game losing streak. Wednesday, the A’s still had a chance to take the series behind their young right-hander, Joey Estes.

Estes started the afternoon inning with a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. Davis Martin made the start for White Sox, and he also pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first.

Andrew Vaughn doubled to right field to start the top of the second and advanced to third base on an error. That brought up Andrew Benintendi, who hit a home run to right-center to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead.

The A’s had a rally for free going against Martin in the bottom of the second. However, Martin struck out the side, and the A’s were unable to come through.

Both pitchers threw 1-2-3 innings in the third. Estes had to deal with a pair of two-out singles in the top of the fourth, but Nicky Lopez grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning. Martin then threw another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth.

Both pitchers pitched scoreless innings in the fifth, and Estes was done after five innings. Estes was a bit shaky, as he gave up six hits, but he limited the damage to two runs.

Will Klein pitched a 1-2-3 top of the sixth for Oakland, and Martin did the same for Chicago in the bottom of the sixth to cap off his afternoon. Martin went six shutout innings, giving up just a pair of hits and striking out four. The fact that he was done after six innings and 82 pitches was a bit surprising, but hey, I’m not the manager.

The A’s were trailing 2-0 going to the seventh, and they were nine offensive outs away from losing two-straight to a team that had just snapped a 21-game losing streak. T.J. McFarland pitched a scoreless top of the seventh for Oakland, and when Touku Toussaint came in for the White Sox in the bottom of the seventh, the A’s finally pounced.

Brent Rooker lined a base-hit to left to lead off the inning, and Abraham Toro walked with one out. That brought up Armando Alvarez, who flipped a base-hit to left. Rooker scored, and the A’s were on the board. Zack Gelof then flipped a base-hit to left, and Toro scored to tie the game. After a fielder’s choice moved the runners to second and third, Lawrence Butler gave the A’s the lead with a sacrifice fly to left.

Tyler Ferguson came in for the A’s in the top of the eighth, and he pitched a 1-2-3 shutdown inning. John Brebbia then pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

Mason Miller, who last pitched on July 22 against the Houston Astros before breaking his left pinkie finger, was activated off the 15-Day Injured List prior to today’s game, and he came in for the top of the ninth to try and notch down the save. Miller didn’t miss a beat, and he threw a 1-2-3 inning to close it out

“I’m just excited to be back and part of the group,” said Miller, who didn’t pitch in a rehab assignment and convinced the A’s he was ready to go after throwing live batting practice on Monday. “

T.J. McFarland got the win; Touki Toussaint took the loss; and Mason Miller got the save.

The A’s improve to 48-68, and they will head north of the border to play the Toronto Blue Jays for three this weekend. After a day off Thursday, the two teams will kick off a three game series Friday night. Mitch Spence (7-7, 4.40 ERA) will make the start for Oakland, and the Blue Jays have yet to announce who they will go with.

First pitch will be at 7:07 p.m. in Toronto, 4:07 p.m. back home in Oakland.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The one “Must See” Baseball Game this Year in the Bay Area

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The Oakland A’s will be giving away an Oakland Coliseum replica at the last home game on Thu Sep 26, 2024 against the Texas Rangers the final home game in Oakland history for the A’s before moving to Sacramento in 2025 (Oakland A’s photo)

The one “Must See” Baseball Game this Year in the Bay Area

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–The last game of the Oakland A’s at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is scheduled for September 26 against the Texas Rangers. It will be a Thursday afternoon game, with the first pitch at 12:37.

Fans in attendance will receive a Replica Coliseum Stadium, a memorable giveaway to remember the stadium many of you and your family have visited for generations. It has been a popular spot for sports and entertainment in the Bay Area for over 50 years.

For that historic last game at the Oakland Coliseum, the A’s might open the Mount Davis seats in center field, approximately 12,000 extra seats. The decision is imminent. One way or another, it will be a sellout, and the following day, three million people in the Bay Area will tell you they were there and were part of history.

It always happens like that. But it is “all good”, It is the last time you will hear vendors walking by your seat selling hot dogs, beer, and popcorn or welcoming you at the entrance with a friendly smile like Kenny Keltz did for years; this is part of the experience of attending a baseball game in Oakland.

The people who worked at the Coliseum are part of our community; they live, work, and pay taxes like everybody. September 26 will be an extraordinary day in Oakland, where the Oakland A’s have played and won numerous championships, including Four World Series.

The only other California team to have won in their park more is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have played in Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium since 1958 and have five World Series titles. The Dodgers were recently here and some of the media from LA share the nostalgia of the Oakland Coliseum, and they will never return to watch a game here.

Understandably, A’s fans are distraught for the A’s to leave town. Baseball is a generational sport; kids were raised going to these games with their parents and friends, and after all, it is not every day that a Major League team leaves the city and place they have played for over a half-century.

Of course, people are upset for many reasons, which we all know, from ownership to poor leadership by politicos in Oakland City Hall and all reasons in-between that we are very familiar with, at least those of us who made our home in the Bay Area.

But this last game at Oakland should be a memorable game, as we will close the book inside our brains of attending games here. For me although I have broadcasted for a total of five different major league teams (including the Giants) and traveled with them, the Oakland Coliseum has been my baseball home since the early 1970’s and I always comeback to work here, because this is my home and I love the Bay Area. It will be a sad day, but a memorable and unforgettable day, at least for me. September 26, will be the One Must See Baseball game in the Bay Area in 2024.

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

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Nats hitting too much for Giants Birdsong; Snell starts for Giants today

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Washington Nationals James Wood (right) steals second base on San Francisco Giants second baseman Casey Schmitt (left) in the bottom of the sixth inning on Tue Aug 6, 2024 at Nationals Park in DC (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Stephen:

#1 The Washington Nationals James Wood hit a home run, tripled, and scored four runs as the Nationals closed the gap on the San Francisco Giants Tuesday night in a 11-5 win.

#2 Wood also walked twice and stole two bases for the Nats. He’s been an asset for Washington.

#3 Nationals manager Dave Martinez said the game went from “gloom and boom” talk about how the Giants pitching just couldn’t hold them Tuesday night.

#4 For the Giants Michael Conforto hit a three run home run, doubled and walked but it wasn’t enough for San Francisco.

#5 3:45pm PT for today’s first pitch for the Giants LHP Blake Snell gets the call (1-3, ERA 4.29). For the Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (8-9, ERA 3.56) at National Park.

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

Oakland A’s podcast with Morris Phillips: Big weight off Sox shoulders snapping 21 game skid; A’s and Sox finishing rubber game today

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Chicago White Sox Andrew Benintendi watches the flight of his two run home run in the top of the fourth inning against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Aug 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 The Chicago White Sox ended their 21 game skid against the Oakland A’s. The A’s know about losing streaks and can appreciate the services the Sox went through.

#2 How relieving does it got to be for a ballclub that’s suffered through all this to get that weight off their backs.

#3 The Sox got home run help from Andrew Benitendi who hit a two run home run and the Sox didn’t look back winning it 5-1.

#4 The A’s starter Ross Stripling suffered his 11 loss. Pitching 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, four earned runs, walked one and struck out two hitters.

#5 The White Sox and A’s wrap up the three game series today at the Coliseum. Starting pitcher for the Sox RHP Davis Martin (0-1, ERA 7.11) and for the A’s RHP Joey Estes (5-4, ERA 4.77). How do you see today’s match ups.

Morris Phillips is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Patriots and Browns make offer to Aiyuk

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is listening to offers from other NFL teams for his services. Aiyuk had formerly asked the 49ers for a trade. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that nothing had changed as of Tue Aug 6, 2024 night (AP News photo)

On the SF 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 The New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns have contract offers for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Critics of the deal say he should leave a few mil on the table and have a chance to win every year with the 49ers.

#2 Midday on Tuesday the Pittsburgh Steelers have made offers for Aiyuk’s services but that talks had stalled. Later in the day talks resumed. Aiyuk is taking a look from all around.

#3 The latest towards the end of the business day on Tuesday has Aiyuk considering either the Browns or the Patriots. If Aiyuk goes to either team it’s unlikely he will be on a Super Bowl team with either one? Nick Bosa said that losing Aiyuk would create a big hole and that would impact any Super Bowl team.

David Zizmor podcasts 49ers football each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Home run-happy Giants get off to fast start but unable to catch up after Nationals pound Birdsong to win 11-5

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San Francisco Giants centerfielder Heliot Ramos misses the ball hit by the Washington Nationals Alex Call in the bottom of the sixth inning at Nationals Park in DC on Tue Aug 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024

Nationals Park

Washington, D.C.

San Francisco Giants 5 (57-58)

Washington Nationals 11 (52-62)

Win: MacKenzie Gore (7-9)

Loss: Hayden Birdsong (3-1)

Time: 3:02

Attendance: 17,044

By Stephen Ruderman

The San Francisco Giants got off to a great start and seemed poised to get back over .500, as they scored four runs in the first inning, but Hayden Birdsong could not hold it, and the Washington Nationals ended up winning a wild one by a final of 11-5 Tuesday night at Nationals Park in DC.

The Giants finally had a chance to get back over .500 for the first time since an off day on May 30. They were in a solid position to do so, as had their young phenom, Hayden Birdsong back up and going for them Tuesday night.

There has been some wild weather on the East Coast. Games in New York and Cleveland were postponed, but fortunately, the storm system stayed north of the Beltway, so this game was a go on an overcast but humid night in D.C.

The Giants have been home run happy since they clubbed eight home runs over the weekend at Great American Smallpark in Cincinnati. They also hit two home runs enroute to their 4-1 win in the series opener Monday night.

Tuesday night, they immediately kept it going in the top of the first inning against Nationals’ starter MacKenzie Gore. Tyler Fitzgerald, who led off last night’s game with his 12th home run of the season, flew out to center field to start the game. However, Helliot who was back in the lineup after missing two games due to his jammed right thumb, then hit a home run out to right-center.

Matt Chapman walked with two outs, and then Mark Canha was hit by a pitch. That brought up Michael Conforto, and what did he do? You guessed it; he hit a three-run shot to right-center.

Birdsong had himself a 4-0 lead, and he took advantage of that with a scoreless bottom of the first inning. However, MacKenzie pitched a scoreless inning in the top of the second, the heat and humidity got to Birdsong in the bottom of the second.

James Wood led off the inning with a triple out to center and scored on a ground out by Travis Blankenhorn. Alex Call and Ildemaro Vargas walked, and then Jacob Young fisted a base-hit up the middle to center to knock in Call and make it 4-2.

That brought up CJ Abrams. Birdsong got Abrams to a 1-2 count, and then Abrams took a high fastball from Birdsong and tomahawked it out of the yard to right to suddenly put the Nationals ahead 5-4.

The Giants wasted an opportunity against MacKenzie in the top of the third, but with how home run happy they’ve become, that should be expected.

Birdsong had yet to give up more than three runs in a game, but he had just suddenly just given up five runs in. It may have caught Birdsong and the Giants off guard, but the Nationals were ready to go again in the bottom of the third.

Keibert Ruiz led off the inning with a home run to right to make it 6-4. James Wood then walked, and that ended the night for Birdsong. Wood stole second after Bob Melvin brought in Randy Roriguez, and he scored on a base-hit by Alex Call.

Birdsong gave up seven runs over two-plus innings when all was said and done. It ballooned his ERA all the way up to 4.73, which is unfortunately going to happen when you have a bad outing in just your seventh game. He just needs a few more solid outings like he’s had, and that ERA will be right back down.

Birdsong gave up seven runs over two-plus innings when all was said and done. It ballooned his ERA all the way up to 4.73, which is unfortunately going to happen when you have a bad outing

The Giants got some hope in the top of the fourth. Fitzgerald led off the inning with a base-hit to left, and that brought up Ramos. Ramos singled to left, and then it went under the glove of left-fielder James Wood, which allowed Fitzgerald to score all the way from first.

The Giants had a runner at second and the tying run at the plate with nobody out, and they had a golden opportunity to come right back in a game that had quickly turned into a slugfest. However, Gore retired the side, and the Nationals kept their 7-5 lead.

The Nationals tacked on another run against Rodriguez in the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-5, and the Giants wasted a leadoff double by Matt Chapman in the top of the fifth. Gore set down the side after Chapman’s double to end his night, and that started a streak of 12-straight Giants set down by Nationals’ pitching.

Former Giant Derek Law threw two 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh, and Robert Garcia pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth. The Nationals scored a run off Taylor Rogers in the bottom of the sixth when Call doubled in Wood to make it 9-5. Call hit the double off Sean Hjelle, who had come in for Rogers.

Washington scored two more when Wood hit an opposite-field shot to left-center off Hjelle in the bottom of the eighth to make it 11-5.

Fitzgerald hit a double off Tanner Rainey to lead off the top of the ninth, but of course, Rainey retired the side in order to end the game.

Through this craziness, MacKenzie Gore got the win, and Hayden Birdsong suffered his first major league loss. As I said, this was eventually going to happen to Birdsong. It happens

“Our situational at-bats were terrible tonight,” Melvin bluntly told reporters after the game.

It was true, and with the Giants being completely home run happy right now, it is costing them big time with runners in scoring position. If they are to make a serious run at the Playoffs, they can not continue to play this way.

The Giants fall back to under .500 at 57-58, and their standing in the wild card race will depend on what the Padres do against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. At the moment, the Padres hold a 4-0 lead in the top of the eighth.

The Giants can bounce back and get back to .500 with a win in the third game of this series. Though they’re 3-11 in that position. Blake Snell (1-3, 4.29 ERA), who will be making his first start after his no-hitter Friday, will go Wednesday. Jake Irvin (8-9, 3.56 ERA) will make the start for the Nationals.

Just like Monday night and Tuesday night, first pitch will be at 6:45 p.m. in D.C., 3:45 p.m. PT in San Francisco.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 62-52 +1.0
  2. Diamondbacks 61-52 +0.5
  3. Braves 60-52 —

Mets 59-54 1.5

Cardinals 58-56 3.0

Pirates 56-56 4.0

GIANTS 57-58 4.5

Reds 55-58 5.5

Cubs 56-60 6.0

Giants News and Notes:

Wilmer Flores, who has been dealing with tendinitis in his right knee throughout much of the season, is now done for the year following the non-surgical Tenex procedure on his right quad tendon Tuesday afternoon.

Flores, who turned 33 years old today, and is in his fifth season with the Giants, was hitting .204 with just four home runs. He is a free agent at the end of the season, but he has a $3.5-million player option for next season.

With Hayden Birdsong called up, reliever Spencer Bivens was sent down to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Catcher Curt Casali was placed on the Paternity List, and catcher Jakson Reetz was called up from Triple-A Sacramento

The weather north of the Beltway is not the only storm system expected to affect our nation’s capital this week. With the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby expected to impact the Beltway starting late Thursday and early Friday, Thursday’s game, which had originally had been scheduled for the late afternoon, had been moved up to 12:05 p.m. EDT/9:05 a.m. PDT.

Major League Baseball News and Notes:

The Chicago White Sox, who tied the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the second-longest losing streak in Baseball History at 21 games, finally snapped their losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Oakland A’s Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum.

The White Sox will not catch the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies, who lost a modern major league record 23 games in a row.