San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (51) is on the 10 day IL out with a back injury as of Fri May 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman:
#1 The Giants have now lost four straight games and are 2-7 in their last nine games. The loss on Friday night to the Chicago White Sox was not much of encouragement allowing nine runs in the top of the fourth inning at Oracle Park.
#2 Talk about pitcher Trevor McDonald he had a great break in with the Giants when he was called up and looked in command on Friday night until that fourth inning when the White Sox saw the baseball as big as beach balls.
#3 Also in the fourth inning McDonald and reliever Ryan Boruki hit outfielder Sam Antonacci it was the first time Giants pitchers hit the same batter whether it was the same pitcher or different pitchers.
#4 The Giants third baseman Matt Chapman has four extra base hits in his last six games. Chapman is hitting .304 with a .863 over the last six games.
#5 Talk about today’s starting pitchers for the White Sox RHP Erick Fedde (0-4 ERA 4.30) for the Giants RHP Andrian Houser (2-4 ERA 5.25) first pitch 1:05pm PDT
Former Oakland A and current San Diego Padre Ramon Laureano watches his home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Sacramento A’s at Petco Park in San Diego on Fri May 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Mauricio Segura:
#1 Mauricio, Talk about A’s pitchers Jeffrey Springs and Jack Perkins who both got touched up by the San Diego Padres early in the game.
#2 The Padres got home run help from Ramon Laureano, Manny Machado, and Nick Castellanos the long ball put the A’s out of business early.
#3 Which Athletics hitters were expected to be key offensive contributors entering the series against San Diego?
#4 In spite of the loss the A’s still maintain a 1.5 game lead on the second place Seattle Mariners in the AL West
#5 How important will this Memorial Day weekend series for the Athletics’ be in the standings in the AL West race?
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Vegas Golden Knights center Nic Dowd (left) puts a shot on Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood in the first period during game 2 of the third round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena in Denver on Fri May 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast Mary Lisa:
#1 How did the Golden Knights manage to rally in the third period after trailing 1-0 for most of the game?
#2 What impact did the absences of Cale Makar and Mark Stone have on Game 2?
#3 Which player had the biggest influence on Vegas’ 3-1 victory at Ball Arena?
#4 Why has Colorado struggled to convert its scoring chances despite outshooting Vegas in the series?
#5 With the series shifting to Las Vegas and the Golden Knights leading 2-0, what adjustments must the Avalanche make to stay alive in the Western Conference Final?
Chicago White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami (5) and Colson Montgomery (12) celebrate after both scored on Andrew Benintendi’s two-run double during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants Friday, May 22, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
By Ryan Hannagan
San Francisco — The Giants and White Sox faced off for game one of a three game series Friday night at Oracle Park. After a heartbreaking loss that resulted in a sweep Wednesday afternoon in Arizona, the Giants looked to bounce out of the loss column with a series opening win, only to lose following a nine-run fourth inning rally. Final score, 9-4.
Giants manager Tony Vitello turned to right-handed pitcher Trevor McDonald for the start on the mound. McDonald had spent time bouncing between the AAA River Cats and the Giants this season, but entered Friday’s game with strong numbers for the orange and black. Through three starts, he owned a 2-0 record, 2.37 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. On the other side, the White Sox handed the ball to Davis Martin. Martin entered the game leading the American League with six wins while posting a 1.61 ERA, 0.982 WHIP and 3.0 WAR.
The first three innings were scoreless as both pitchers settled into an early rhythm. Giants starter Trevor McDonald was perfect through three innings before the White Sox offense erupted in the fourth. Chicago opened the inning with back-to-back hit batters before Colson Montgomery’s infield single loaded the bases. With one out, Chase Meidroth drew a walk to force in the game’s first run. Andrew Benintendi followed with a two-run double, and Edgar Quero added an RBI hit to make it 4-0.
The White Sox were far from finished. Derek Hill’s RBI single pushed the lead to 5-0 and prompted manager Tony Vitello to turn to the bullpen. Ryan Borucki entered and immediately hit Nick Antonacci, marking the second time Antonacci had been hit by a pitch in the inning, making him just the seventh player since 2000 to be hit twice in the same frame. With the bases loaded, Munetaka Murakami cleared them with a three-run double to extend the lead to 8-0. Miguel Vargas then reached on an infield single that got away from Rafael Devers, allowing Murakami to score and cap the nine-run inning before Montgomery struck out to end the frame.
The damage had been done. 13 at bats, five hits, nine runs. Boos rained down from the fans at Oracle Park. The nine allowed to the White Sox in one inning is the most runs allowed in a single inning by the Giants since August 16th, 2020 vs the Athletics (also nine). They have seen a lot of struggles lately, and that 4th inning symbolically captured how this season has come to be for the Giants so far.
The Giants half of the 4th inning was a polar opposite to the White Sox’. They went down in order, one-two-three.
The remainder of the game the White Sox were kept off the board. The Giants attempted to mount a comeback with a three run 5th inning and another added run in the 6th. The four runs were too little too late for the Giants, as the score ended 9-4.
Despite the unfavorable score, the 37,524 in attendance were still lively. Starting in the 7th, the MLB-wide “tarps off” trend came alive at Oracle Park. Beginning in the centerfield bleachers, a group of an estimated 50-75 fans began waving their shirts over their heads like rally towels. Soon the rest of Oracle Park caught on, and fans in every section were waving their shirts with pride. It was the loudest the ball park got all night, and a witty way to go about the situation on the field. No luck from the rally tarps in igniting a Giants comeback, but fun at the ballpark on a cold San Francisco night.
With Friday’s loss the Giants move to 20-31, a season-low 11 games under .500 after four straight losses. Two wins in their last nine. Davis Martin got the win, his 7th on the season leading the American League. His ERA now sits at 2.04, good enough for eighth-lowest in the MLB.
Game two is Saturday, first pitch at 1:05 p.m. PST. RHP Erick Fedde scheduled to be on the mound for the White Sox. RHP Adrian Houser gets the nod for the Giants.
San Diego Padres base runner Fernando Tatis (left) is tagged out by Sacramento A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) in the bottom of the fifth inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Fri May 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s game wrap:
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento A’s just couldn’t hold the lead and later faltered to the San Diego Padres 7-3 at Petco Park in San Diego on Friday night. In the first inning was one that usually gives the dugout a false sense of ease. Carlos Cortes started it with a single to center, and Nick Kurtz followed by driving a double to center that brought Cortes home and extended his already impressive run of reaching base.
Kurtz entered this matchup carrying a 44-game on-base streak, the fourth longest in Athletics history, and he wasted no time adding another note to that growing file. Shea Langeliers moved him to third with a grounder, and Brent Rooker’s groundout scored him for a quick 2-0 lead.
The Padres answered with less traffic but more force. Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a free pass in the bottom half, and after Jeffrey Springs retired Miguel Andujar and Gavin Sheets, Manny Machado turned the game with one swing, sending a two-run homer to left center. Just like that, the Athletics’ early cushion was gone, and the game settled into a tug-of-war between Springs trying to keep the Padres quiet and the A’s trying to rebuild pressure against Walker Buehler.
The Green and Gold had chances, but the small details kept getting expensive. Henry Bolte drew a free pass and Jeff McNeil singled in the second, only for Darell Hernaiz and Cortes to leave both stranded. Kurtz reached again in the third, but the middle of the order could not cash him in. In the fourth, Zack Gelof opened with a double to left, and Bolte followed with a single to center that scored Gelof, giving the A’s a 3-2 lead. Bolte’s speed created the run, but his attempt to take second was cut down by Rodolfo Durán and Xander Bogaerts, trimming a possible larger inning into something much smaller.
Springs did his best to make that lead hold. He got a double play in the third, worked a steady fourth, and handled the sixth with three groundouts. That mattered because Springs had been trying to shake a rough stretch that included four straight losses entering the game, and for much of the night he looked ready to bend the trend back in the right direction.
The problem was that San Diego did not need many openings. Nick Castellanos tied the game in the fifth with a homer to left, and Ramón Laureano gave the Padres the lead in the seventh with another solo shot. Springs allowed only three hits, but all three left the yard, a cruel little baseball math problem with no friendly answer.
The sixth inning may haunt the Athletics more than any other. Bolte and McNeil singled with two outs, Hernaiz loaded the bases with a free pass, and the Padres had to bring in Adrian Morejon to face pinch-hitter Colby Thomas. With the game still tied and one swing able to change everything, Thomas struck out, leaving a bitter taste that continued to squirm on the palate throughout the rest of the game.
San Diego finally broke it open in the eighth. Durán, Tatis, Andujar, and Sheets opened the inning with four straight singles off Jack Perkins, with Sheets bringing home two runs. Machado struck out, but Bogaerts added a sacrifice fly to score Andujar, pushing the Padres ahead 7-3. José Suarez stopped the inning from stretching further by getting Sung-Mun Song to pop out, but the damage had already turned a tense game into a virtual unreachable summit.
The Athletics went quietly in the ninth against Jeremiah Estrada, with McNeil striking out, Lawrence Butler grounding out as a pinch-hitter, and Thomas flying out to center. The final score told one story, but the innings told a fuller one: the A’s started fast, Springs competed, Kurtz kept reaching, Bolte supplied a run, and San Diego’s power plus one late rally made the difference.
For a team that had just won back-to-back extra-inning games and remained in first place in the American League West, this was not a collapse so much as a reminder. In the majors, being close for seven innings only matters if the eighth does not bite you.
Game two Saturday will feature J.T. Ginn (2-2, 2.98 ERA, 44 K) back on the mound after his devastating near no-hitter loss in Anaheim a few nights ago. He’ll face Lucas Giolito (1-0, 5.40 ERA, 3 K), who will be making just his second appearance for San Diego. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
San Francisco Giants starter Trevor McDonald allowed three hits and seven runs in the top of the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri May 22, 2026 (SF Giants Instagram file photo)
San Francisco Giants podcast Augie Mesenburg:
The San Francisco Giants are trying to find out what kind of team they are and starting pitcher Trevor McDonald got lit up in the top of the fourth inning by the Chicago White Sox for three hits and seven runs. Releiver Ryan Boruki got touched up following MacDonald 1.1 inning allowing two hits and one run.
The Giants are not playing that well they came off a three game sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road trip and were eaten up in the top of the ninth inning by the White Sox. McDonald had success in his first two outings for San Francisco but was lit up in his appearance against Chicago.
The Giants have a go at it again on Saturday starting pitcher for the White Sox RHP Erick Fedde (0-4 ERA 4.30) and for the Giants RHP Andrian Houser (2-4 ERA 5.25) first pitch 1:05pm PDT.
San Francisco Giants team president Buster Posey said the Giants bullpen will get better over time during a local San Francisco radio interview on Thu May 21, 2026 (AP News photo)
San Francisco Giants podcast Lincoln Juarez:
#1 San Francisco Giants president Buster Posey says that not signing Edwin Diaz is a hypothetical wish and he is satisfied with who he has in the bullpen.
#2 Posey said that the Giants have some guys in the bullpen with good stuff but the results say otherwise the Giants are just hovering over last place by one game over the Colorado Rockies in the NL West and have lost six of their last ten and got shellacked by the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-2 on Monday and swept in a three game series the rest of the way.
#3 Posey says Keaton Winn and Caleb Killan is throwing the ball great this year and that the bullpen needs some time and that the Giants will have to see what they turn into. Is the ciritcs and the media’s confidence in Posey starting to show cracks.
#4 Posey said he has no regrets not only signing the following players Diaz who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for three years for $69M, Devin Williams signed with the New York Mets for three years at $51M, and Robert Suarez signed a $45 M deal with the Atlanta Braves for three years, $45M and the Baltimore Orioles signed Ryan Helsley for two years for $28M.
#5 Posey said that he doesn’t regret not signing those high priced bullpen artists “Do we think the cost-benefit of signing this guy is worth it?’ And we didn’t see it, so no, I don’t regret it.”
Kyle Busch, driver of the #7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with daughter, Lennix Busch son, Brexton Busch, and wife, Samantha Busch in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 at Echo Park Speedway on February 21, 2026 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo be Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
By Michael Villanueva
“Because you never know when the last race is”, said two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch just this past Saturday. NASCAR icon Kyle Busch was hospitalized after his social media team announced that he was battling a severe illness. Then, just hours later, they would announce the tragic news on Thursday. Kyle’s NASCAR time can be described in the race car world as longevity and greatness. Busch experienced shortness of breath, felt he was overheating, and was coughing up blood all day before his death, according to a 911 call obtained on Friday by the Associated Press.
To share what he left in his career and will forever be in NASCAR history: 234 wins across NASCAR’s three National series, an all-time record. As his win in 19 consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2023. He also hasn’t missed a race since 2015, including last weekend, where he just had won a truck series race. Busch ranks 9th on the all-time Cup series win list (63). He was nicknamed “Rowdy” for the rowdy racing style and for having one of the most polarizing personalities.
Just 11 days ago, Busch was dealing with a sinus infection at Watkins Glen, where he wanted to see a doctor after his race. However, medical history and treatment can not verify and say these were the early signs and stages of the illness. The sports world honored him, especially at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Busch was a two-time winner of the Brickyard 400.
He is arguably one of the greatest racer of all time; he has been a first ballot NASCAR Hall of Famer for a long time. Racers can say he was a guy who would make you just feel all the emotions a human being should feel. Whether you liked him or hated him, Kyle was a heartfelt man. He now leaves his two children, Brexton (11 years old) and Lennix (4 years old), with his widowed wife, Samantha.
Kyle Busch’s life will forever live on, whether it’s on the racetrack, in the Hall of Fame, or even being remembered by family and friends, because that was the type of racer Kyle was. His impact and the person he was have touched so many people deeply. The NASCAR community is still shocked by the tragic news, but the community will come together and honor his life. NASCAR officials have also said the Coca-Cola 600 will go as planned Sunday.
Los Angeles Angels Josh Lowe tries to break up a double play that sends the Sacramento A’s second baseman Jeff McNeil to step away to complete a double play at Angels Stadium in Anaheim on Fri May 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics came away with a 10 inning 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels to take three out of four from the Angels Thursday night. The A’s spent five innings trying to solve José Soriano while the Angels held a 2-0 lead built on one swing from Nolan Schanuel.
Mike Trout singled in the first, and Schanuel followed by sending a fly ball over the wall in right, giving Los Angeles an early advantage before the Green and Gold had even put a runner in scoring position.
For a while, that looked like it might be enough. The A’s struck out three times in the first, went down in order in the second and third, and had Carlos Cortes thrown out trying to stretch a fourth-inning single. It was the kind of start that makes a dugout feel like it is chewing on gravel.
Luis Severino, however, refused to let the game drift away. After Schanuel’s homer, the right-hander settled into one of his best rhythms of the season. He struck out Jose Siri and Sebastián Rivero in the second, then wiped out Adam Frazier, Zach Neto, and Trout in the third.
When Josh Lowe singled to begin the fifth, Severino got Siri to ground into a Zack Gelof-to-Jeff McNeil-to-Nick Kurtz double play, then struck out Rivero to end the inning. By the time his night was done, Severino had given the Athletics seven innings of two-run baseball with ten strikeouts and no free passes, a terrific answer after entering with three straight losses and a season-long issue with bases on balls.
The comeback began quietly, which fit the game just fine. Shea Langeliers opened the sixth-inning scoring chance with a double to left. Kurtz, who already had extended his reaching-base streak with a fourth-inning free pass, then lined a ground-ball single to center to score Langeliers and cut the deficit to 2-1. That streak, already tied for fourth longest in Athletics history entering the game, moved another step forward and continued a run that has placed Kurtz among the most dangerous on-base bats in the majors.
The seventh inning turned the game from survival mode into a real fight. Tyler Soderstrom singled, and Gelof replaced him at first on a force out before stealing second. McNeil moved Gelof to third with a groundout, and Darell Hernaiz delivered the tying hit, a line-drive single to left that scored Gelof. Hernaiz then stole second, showing the kind of pressure the A’s have needed during a stretch where tight games have become part of their regular diet.
The Athletics had chances to take control earlier than they did. In the eighth, Langeliers reached, Kurtz and Brent Rooker put two runners aboard, and a wild pitch moved both into scoring position before Soderstrom was intentionally issued first base. Gelof struck out, leaving the bases loaded. In the ninth, McNeil reached on Vaughn Grissom’s throwing error, Henry Bolte stole second as a pinch-runner, and Cortes reached, but Langeliers grounded out to keep the score tied.
The tenth inning finally tilted the game. Langeliers began at second, Kurtz was intentionally put aboard, and Rooker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Soderstrom’s grounder forced Langeliers out at home, giving the Angels a brief breath of relief. Then came the night’s defining review. Gelof hit a grounder to short, and after the Athletics challenged the call, the ruling was overturned. Kurtz scored, the A’s had a 3-2 lead, and Gelof had turned a frustrating offensive night into the most important plate appearance of the game.
The Angels still had one more threat. Vaughn Grissom began the bottom of the tenth at second, and Jo Adell singled to center, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Mark Leiter Jr. had no room for a mistake, but he found his escape route the hard way. He struck out Lowe, then got Jorge Soler to ground into a game-ending double play started by Gelof at third and finished through Hernaiz and Kurtz. It was a perfect ending for an A’s team that leaned on Severino’s grit, Kurtz’s steady bat, Hernaiz’s timely swing, Gelof’s legs and glove, and a bullpen that held the final three innings together.
The result was a 3-2 extra-inning win for the Athletics, their third victory of this four-game series against the Angels and another example of why this club has stayed on top of the AL West. They did not overpower Los Angeles. They outlasted them, one grind-it-out at-bat, one stolen base, one review, and one huge double play at a time. The final out came just before the 9:35pm start time for Disneyland’s fireworks down the street, Hakuna Matata!
The A’s will board the team bus Thursday night and head a couple of hours south to San Diego where they will play the Padres Friday for a three-game set. Jefferey Springs ( 3-4 / 3.93 ERA / 47 K) will take the mound for Sacramento facing off against Walker Buehler (3-2 / 5.01 ERA / 37 K) at 6:40pm.
Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.
Carolina’s Mark Jankowski (77) checks Montréal’s Lane Hutson (48) during the second period of the Hurricanes’ game against the Canadiens in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Lenovo Center Thursday, May, 21, 2026. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast Len Shapiro:
#1 How did Carolina’s long layoff before the Eastern Conference Final affect their performance against Montreal?
#2 How did the Montreal Canadiens respond after the early goal by the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
#3 Which player had the biggest impact offensively for the Canadiens in Game 1 against the Hurricanes?
#4 What role did goaltending play in the outcome of the Canadiens vs. Hurricanes Game 1 matchup?
#5 What adjustments should the Hurricanes make before Game 2 to slow down Montreal’s transition offense?
Sports Radio Service 