A’s have a rough night on the mound as they fall to the Orioles 9-4

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Photo courtesy of Oakland A’s.

By Titus Wilkinson

OAKLAND- The A’s hosted Baltimore on Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum and had a rough outing on the mound as they lost to the Orioles by a final of 9-4.

Getting the start for the A’s was left-hander Francisco Pérez while for Baltimore Kyle Gibson got the nod.

Pérez had quite the rough first inning as after a Gunnar Henderson single Anthony Santander singled to third base. The ball though deflected off of Pérez and Jordan Diaz made a throwing error allowing everyone to be safe. Continuing the momentum Ryan Mountcastle singled bringing home a run and then Cedric Mullins doubled knocking in two runs making it 3-0. Mercifully for Pérez, the inning was ended by Austin Hays grounding out.

The A’s did have a response in the bottom of the first as Brent Rooker singled and then Seth Brown doubled cutting Baltimore’s lead down to two.

In the second inning, Oakland made a pitching change bringing in Luis Medina who at first was cruising getting two quick outs. Adley Rutschman though broke up the streak as he singled which was followed up by a wild pitch from Medina bringing Rutschman up to third. On a 2-1 pitch Henderson crushed one to right field extending their lead to 5-1. The ball exited the field at 111.4 mph and went 438 ft.

Once again the A’s had a response in the bottom of the inning as this time Tyler Soderstrom singled. After that, Tony Kemp got a double cutting the lead back to 5-2.

The third would go by with no hits but in the fourth, the bats reawoken as Austin Hays doubled for the Orioles. After that play the A’s made their second error of the game helping Adam Frazier reach and get Hays to third. Jordan Westburg then got Hays home on a sac fly to right field. The scoring in the fourth did not end though as Henderson once again came up with a big hit with a single and brought the score up to 7-2.

The A’s went to their bullpen in the fifth this time calling on Kyle Muller to help limit the damage. He would give up a lead-off single but then got the next two out though Ryan O’Hearn was able to steal second. Frazier with a double got O’Hearn home and brought up Westburg who wasted no time singling and getting the Orioles lead up to 9-2.

With the game so far gone Oakland did not give up as Rooker doubled in the bottom of the fifth knocking home a run. That RBI ended up being Rooker’s 50th of the season. Seth Brown singled as well getting Rooker home and making the score 9-4.

After the fifth that ended up being all the scoring, either team could muster up as Baltimore brought in Yennier Cano to close out the game. The A’s ended up going down in order thus closing the game out at a 9-4 final.

The win on the night went to pitcher Gibson who now improves his record to 12-7. He would finish the game with an okay stat line of four earned runs, nine hits, and six Ks. While Francisco Pérez took the loss bringing his record to 0-1.

The A’s will play the second of this three-game home series against Baltimore Saturday night at 6:07 p.m.

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Nevada Schools over Stadiums initiative could be last line of defense to save A’s in Oakland

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A benefit gathering to stop the use of Nevada public funds to build a Las Vegas A’s new stadium at the Tropicana and to get a referendum on the Nevada ballot to stop use of public funds for the ballpark. Members from Schools over Stadiums, the Oakland 68s, also former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan (in purple dress), and the Nevada State Education Association president Dawn Ectheverry to Quan’s right . (photo from @jeanquan)

On the A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel the Nevada Schools over Stadiums group who are ran by the Nevada State Education Association. The NSEA held a fund raising benefit for Schools over Stadiums which included the Oakland 68s a Oakland A’s fan group who are pushing the green Sell shirts and for A’s owner John Fisher to sell the A’s to someone that will keep them in Oakland. The benefit included former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and NSEA president Dawn Etcheverry. The benefit was on Thu Aug 17 in Oakland.

#2 Quan said that she is confident that the referendum will have enough signatures to make it on the ballot for spring and the former mayor said that it has a good chance of winning.

#3 Etcheverry said some districts in Nevada are starting the school year with 40% or more in teacher vacancies. Nevada has the highest teacher vacancies in the nation and are number 49 in education.

#4 Former San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly said that despite state increases Nevada teachers remain amongst the lowest in the US with the largest class sizes.

#5 Schools over Stadiums are asking the public’s in help to fund the campaign to fight the Nevada State legislature who are planning to give the A’s $380 million in public funds for the Tropicana ballpark.

#6 The teachers from the NSEA, Mayor Quan, and the Oakland 68s will be at the Oakland Coliseum for the next reverse boycott this Sat Aug 19 vs. the Baltimore Orioles and they will be seeking the A’s fans support for the ballot initiative to stop the use of public funding for the Vegas ballpark over education.

Join Daniel Daniel Fridays for the Oakland A’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hit Parade for Michael Harris II Beats Giants 4-0

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb throws to an Atlanta Braves batter during the first inning at Oracle Park San Francisco Fri Aug 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

Hit Parade for Michael Harris II Beats Giants 4-0

By Barbara Mason

Friday evening the Giants (64-58) began a three game series in Atlanta taking on the NL East leading Braves (79-42). San Francisco continued to skid losing 4-0 losing nine of their last 12. They have been winning a game here and there but have not been able to string much together.

The Giants will had their work cut out for them against these offensive giants (please pardon the pun) Braves. It is no laughing matter for the Giants right now who are fighting to stay in Wild Card contention.

Friday night recap: It was not the start that San Francisco was looking for. In the first inning the Braves scored twice taking a 2-0 lead. A familiar face Matt Olsen (former A) grounded into a fielder’s choice and Ronald Acuna Jr. scored for the first run and Eddie Rosario singled Olsen home for the second.

Atlanta scored another run in the second inning. Austin Riley doubled Michael Harris II home for a 3-0 lead. Part of the problem for San Francisco was Braves pitcher Spencer Strider who was proving very hard to hit. It would take the Giants three innings before they got anything off Strider.

Going into the fifth inning the score remained 3-0. San Francisco would have to get some offense going. Strider was having a great game with eight strikeouts through four innings only giving up one hit. He would be relieved in the eighth inning by Jimenez finishing with ten strikeouts.

With three hits already through five innings, a single, a double and a triple, Michael Harris II was having a terrific game for the Braves. It was all Braves so far in this game.

Atlanta was quiet through three innings but added to their lead in the sixth inning. Michael Harris went back to work with a second single added to his array of hits. Sean Murphy scored the fourth run of the game for the Braves now leading 4-0.

The game ended on a final strikeout, a 4-0 shutout for the Braves. The Giants only had two hits in the game.

Game two will start tomorrow at 4:20 PM. San Francisco will be looking to tie up the series. Logan Webb (9-9 ERA 3.26) will take the mound for the Giants. For Atlanta Yonny Chirinos (5-5 ERA 5.22) will get the nod.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s best way to beat O’s is score early and often

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Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman follows through on an RBI single against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore Sun Jul 30, 2023. Rutschman has been the key in the O’s line up as the Orioles face the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri Aug 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The A’s (34-87) will be starting Luis Medina to open the three game series against the Baltimore Orioles (74-47). Medina allowed 52 runs in 83 innings.

#2 Medina’s opponents have an .245 average, with a 11.5 walk average, Medina comes into the game with a 4.50 ERA. Can he get through the Orioles line up at least twice on Friday night.

#3 The A’s as a line up are struggling which they all have all season, they are the worst hitting team in the Majors with a .241, 19 home runs, they have 152 total bases. The A’s have got home run help from Shea Langeliers and Seth Brown combining 22 long balls.

#4 Jeremiah, talk about the job that Adley Rutschman. The Orioles have said he’s been the straw that’s been stirring the drink in Baltimore hitting .267, with 119 hits, 16 home runs and 58 RBIs he could give A’s pitching fits this weekend.

#5 The Orioles starter Kyle Gibson could have control on the A’s line up the A’s have been averaging 3.60 runs per game. Gibson has had command on opposing line ups going deep into a game and being able to hand the ball over the relievers to mop up.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson does the A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Chelsea Gray’s Triple Double Spurs Aces On to Win Over Liberty 88-75

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New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) defends against the Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Thu Aug 17, 2023 (@LVAces photo)

Chelsea Gray’s Triple Double Spurs Aces On to Win Over Liberty 88-75

By Barbara Mason

The Las Vegas Aces (27-3) had a huge game tonight at MIchelob ULTRA Center with a 88-75 win over the New York Liberty. They were desperate to crack the code that has held them hostage in the past two meetings with the New York Liberty (24-6). New York has been able to successfully box in A’Ja Wilson and so far the Aces have been unable to counter. The Liberty seem to be the only obstacle standing between the Aces and a second championship. They were able to break through in this game.

While the Aces did beat New York back in June on the 29th, the Liberty have had it their way ever since. They stunned the Aces on August 6 99-61 and most recently on August 15 a second loss 82-63. In both of those losses A’Ja Wilson was only able to hit nine points. It was something that the Aces have not seen this entire season.

It did not start off well for Las Vegas falling behind 8-0 in the early minutes. It was not until the final two minutes of the opening quarter that the Aces had their first lead of the game 21-19. Las Vegas pushed back and had a 25-21 lead after the first quarter of play. Wilson was still looking for her first points of the game.

At 6:37 in the second quarter Wilson made her first shot of the game, a free throw. Despite rushing shots at times, the Aces did take a 53- 40 lead at the half. A’Ja Wilson already had 11 points to her credit and Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelseas Gray also had double digits for the half.

The Aces led for the entire third quarter but the Liberty had cut into the Aces lead. They went on a 7-0 run to end the quarter with the Aces still leading 68-64.

Both teams fought hard throughout the fourth quarter but the Aces had finally broken through for the win.

Chelseas Gray had the franchises first triple double, with 22 points and 11 rebounds. A’Ja Wilson had turned things around finishing with 21 points and four boards and the Aces were back on track now with a 28-3 record. The team had their 21st home win in a row.

Saturday night the Aces will take on the Los Angeles Sparks in Las Vegas. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM. This game will be televised on ABC TV.

Aces bounce back from loss to Liberty, 88-75

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By Shawn McCullough

The Aces fell to the New York Liberty in the Commissioners Cup on Tuesday, but Las Vegas made a statement about who is still the best team in the WNBA.

Two days later, Las Vegas came out with a solid defensive game in an 88-75 win over the Liberty at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“Excellent job defensively,” said head coach Becky Hammon. “To hold them to 11 points in the fourth quarter is an exception job defensively.”

Chelsea Gray led the Aces with a triple-double: 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.

“I have great targets around me all the time and we were able to knock down shots,” said Gray.

“You feel really good when Chelsea Gray is on your team,” said Hammon. “She is one of the most competitive people I know.”

A’ja Wilson added 21 points and eight rebounds, while Kelsey Plum also scored 18.

“She [Wilson] missed some layouts in the first, but we just wanted to get her more touches in the fourth,” said Hammon. “She just continues to play the right way.”

The Liberty had beaten the Aces the last two games, including the Commissioners Cup on Tuesday.

“They [Aces] responded in a big way,” said Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello. “But you expect that from them after two straight losses.”

“This game, we did what we should have done in the past two games,” said Wilson.

The Aces extended their home winning streak to 21 games.

With the win, the Aces improved to 27-3 on the season heading into their next game at home on Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

The Aces shot 44.4% from the field.
Las Vegas out-rebounded the Liberty, 35-28.
The Liberty turned the ball over 15 times.

Game Starters:

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

Aces Injury Report:

Candace Parker, Out – Foot

Oakland A’s preview: A’s open three game series against mighty Orioles at Coliseum Friday

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Oakland Athletics’ Tyler Soderstrom (37) is congratulated by teammate Lawrence Butler (22) after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s had an off day on Thursday as they return to the Oakland Coliseum to start a six-game homestand. The A’s did not fare well as they were swept by the Washington Nationals and lost two out of three to the St. Louis Cardinals on the six-game road trip.

The A’s did salvage a win as they played one of their best games of the season. A’s starter Paul Blackburn gave the A’s seven innings of outstanding pitching. Reliever Austin Pruitt held the Cardinal scoreless in the last two innings of the game.

The A’s offense came through with 14 hits. Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof had four hits, two of them were doubles, and the A’s defense did not commit an error. A’s manager Mark Kotsay had to be pleased with his team’s performance on Wednesday.

The A’s will be hosting the Baltimore Orioles this weekend. The Orioles are in first place in the tough American League East Division. Their record is 74-47, and they have a two-game lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays.

The Orioles, managed by Brandon Hyde, were picked by only a few of the pundits to have the best record in the American League. Hyde, who became skipper in 2019, inherited a team managed by Buck Showalter in 2018.

The Orioles record in 2018 was 47-115. A’s manager Mark Kotsay can relate to Hyde’s position as manager in 2019. The A’s are on track to have a similar record in 2023. The Orioles continued their losing ways in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The Orioles were 54-108 in 2019, 2020 was shortened due to Covid, but they still had a losing year; in 2021, Baltimore finished with a record of 52-110. They had over 100 losses in four years, from 2018 to 2021. What changed? In 2022, the Orioles brought up catcher Adley Rutschman from the minor leagues.

Rutschman was the first player picked in the 2019 Major League draft. Rutschman was a star at Oregon State University. He was the Pac-12’s player of the year. The Orioles added other players like Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander, and their fortunes began to change. In 2022, The Orioles finished fourth in the AL East with a record of 83-79.

Rutscman is the engine that drives the Orioles. Last season, Rutschman was named the Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Player. This season, Rutschman made the AL All_Star team. He is hitting .267 with 16 homers and 58 RBIs. His OPS is .787.

The Orioles have a lot of other good players. Right fielder Anthony Santander leads the club with 21 homers and 65 RBIs. The Orioles use two players at first base that are also solid. Ryan O’Hearn is hitting. 300 with 10 Homers and 40 RBIs. Ryan Mountcastle is at .271, with 16 homers and 55 RBIs.

Rookie Gunnar Henderson, who s 22 years old, had added to the Orioles offense. Henderson plays shortstop and third base for the team. His numbers are .238, 19 home runs, and 56 runs batted in. Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins also contribute to the O’s offense.

Hays is hitting. 279 with 11 dingers and 46 knocked in. Mullins is at .254 with ten big flies and 50 RBIs. The Orioles will use Mountcastle or Santander as the DH. Just looking at the Oriole lineup shows how the players have contributed to the team’s overall success. There are no easy outs in this lineup.

The Orioles bolstered their starting rotation with the addition of Jack Flaherty. Flaherty came to the Orioles from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline. The other starters in the rotation include Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Kyle Gibson, and Grayson Rodriguez. Gibson will start against the A’s Friday night. Bradish will pitch on Sunday.

Former A’s starter, lefty Cole Irvin, will face his old mates on Saturday. Irvin would love nothing better than sending the A’s down to defeat. The Orioles’ closer is Felix Bautista. Bautista is 7-2 with 32 saves. The setup man is Yennier Cano.

Cano is 1-2 with four saves. The only negative is Cano’s five-blown saves. Other pitchers in the bullpen include former A’s reliever Shintaro Fujinami, Michael Baumann, and Jacob Webb. The lefties in the ‘pen include Nick Vespi and Ciomel Perez.

The A’s are in the same situation as the Orioles were in 2019. 2023 will be the second season the A’s will lose over 100 games. A’s manager Mark Kotsay is trying to rebuild the team. There are bright spots on the A’s roster.

Rookie second baseman Zack Gelof looks like the real deal. Esteury Ruiz, acquired from Milwaukee in the deal that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta, is leading the AL in steals and is second in all of baseball with 48. Ruiz is a clutch hitter, especially with men in scoring positions.

The A’s brought up Lawrence Butler to pay centerfield. Butler hit his first home run against the Cardinals Tuesday night. Let’s hope Butler can emulate Gelof’s performance. Jordan Diaz, 22 years old, found a home at third base. Diaz has played well and has some pop in his bat. Diaz and Gelof should help the A’s rebirth.

The A’s pitching staff, both starters and relievers, must improve. Paul Balckburn is a proven starter. Players like Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk, J.P.Sears, and Freddy Tarnok are learning on the job. If these four guys can improve as pitchers, the A’s, like the Orioles, can go from the outhouse to the penthouse.

The weekend series features the best team in the AL going against the worst team. The A’s would love to upset the O’s apple cart this weekend. Is it possible? Perhaps. No one knows what will happen on any given day in baseball.

Giants Face First Place Braves Friday night at Truist Field

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Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, left, turns a double play next to San Francisco Giants’ Joc Pederson, right, during the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Face First Place Braves Friday night at Truist Field

By Barbara Mason

We got to see history made in Wednesday’s pinch-hit, inside-the -park home run. It was however the Tampa Bay Rays who celebrated that milestone, the first in Rays history as they beat the San Francisco Giants 6-1 winning the three game series.

San Francisco has lost six or their last eight games and have lost quite a bit of ground in the NL West now trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by a full ten games. It was not so long ago that the Giants were a single game out of first place but they have really struggled recently.

San Francisco did shut out the Rays in game two of the series 7-0 but the offense of Tampa Bay in games one and three was spectacular. They had 18 hits to the Giants six in game one and 14 in game three.

The Giants did have the bases loaded in the seventh inning with one out but could only manage the one run. Despite being an exciting addition to the bullpen San Francisco pitcher Ross Stripling had a rough outing giving up 11 hits and five runs in six innings. He relieved Ryan Walker who was relieved in the second inning after giving up one hit and one run.

So now the question remains; what can the Giants (64-57) do to get back those late inning come from behind wins and their dominating offense. Management will be discussing these and more issues currently facing the team on their day off before taking on the mighty Atlanta Braves who right now are sporting a 78-42 record and have a strangle hold on the NL East.

This three game series will begin on Friday night in Atlanta at Truist Park with first pitch schedueld for 4:20 PM. We do have probable starting pitchers for both teams. San Francisco’s Alex Cobb may get the nod with a 6-4 win/loss record and an 3.62 ERA. Spencer Strider is a good bet to start for the Braves with a 13-4 win/loss record and a 3.75 ERA.

The Giants will need some fire power against Atlanta looking to Wilmer Flores, LaMonte Wade Jr. and J.D. Davis to get this team back on track. They will be facing former A Matt Olson who leads the Braves with the most home runs, an unbelievable 43 scored and 107 RBIs. Another threat from Atlanta will be Ronald Acuna Jr. with a .335 batting average.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Memories of Oakland (No.10 in Series) 1981 The Players strike and Billy Ball’s

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Former Oakland A’s manager Billy Martin and the book Billy Ball (Focus and Getty file photo)

Memories of Oakland (No. 10 in Series)

1981 The Players strike and Billy Ball

By Amaury Pi-González

In 1981 the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) voted unanimously to strike. The issue was free agent compensation, and it marked the first time a work stoppage since 1972 caused regular season games to be canceled. This strike lasted from June 12 to July 31, and some 50 games were missed. The season was split in half, and a considerable controversy when various teams missed out on postseason participation.

In the American League West, the Oakland A’s were the class of that division. The Kansas City Royals were a .500 team in the first half, but they went 30-23 in the second half to better the A’s by one game. This meant there were no playoffs for the Texas Rangers (57-48) or the Chicago White Sox (54-52); in the first round, the A’s swept the Royals.

My broadcast partner Julio González and yours truly indeed called the three-game series as the Athletics won the first two games at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, then two days later as the A’s beat the Royals again for the sweep. I wanted to visit the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, just a few miles from Royal’s Stadium, but I did not have the time.

I would have to put it off for a future visit to the “City of Fountains”. The radio station was KIQI La Grande 1010AM, San Francisco, which was acquired by Cuban-born René De La Rosa from Bay Area media radio and television entrepreneur James Gabbert.

During the American League Championship Series, the New York Yankees swept the Oakland A’s in three games. We traveled to New York. At the old Yankee Stadium, the Yankees beat the Athletics in the first two games, then back to Oakland, where the Yankees completed the sweep.

This was also Billy Martin’s return to Yankee Stadium for the first time since the Yankees fired him in 1979. It was sort of a tense environment in New York, as it happens with all the passion for the NY Yankee fans.

I remember as the team bus with A’s media and executives parked in front of Yankee Stadium, some kids were throwing small rocks and pebbles at us as we came out of the bus and headed to the entrance of the famous park, the House that Ruth built. Welcome to New York!

The Oakland A’s outfield was one of the best in baseball, with Rickey Henderson in left, Dwayne Murphy in center, and Tony Armas in right. Rickey in the previous season (1980) stole 100 bases. Rickey was “warming up” and stole 56 during this 1981 abbreviated season in 108 regular season games.

After 25 years in the majors, Rickey played for many teams, including different stints with the A’s, and holds the major league record with 1,406 stolen bags. Dwayne Murphy was an excellent center fielder with great range, a good bat with power, and a great attitude.

When I needed an interview, Tony Armas was always available to speak in Spanish with me, a good guy with a cannon of an arm from the right field. During that shortened season Tony Armas led the league in home runs with 22 and games played with109, and the Sporting News named Armas the American League Player of the Year.

Other well-known Athletics player at the time were Mike Davis, Steve McCatty, Mike Norris, Rick Langford, Wayne Gross, and Matt Keough. But I always got a kick from Rickey, Dwayne, and Tony since they were all hanging together handling the outfield for the team.

I once asked Billy Martin why he sympathized so much with Latino ballplayers, and he told me that they play with a lot of flair and passion, and I share that with these guys. Marketing guru Andy Dolich, an award-winning executive, spearheaded the Billy Ball campaign. It even included a song Billy Ball Baseball, Dolich understood the great asset that Billy Martin was for the team. As temperamental and controversial as Billy Martin was, in my opinion, he was an excellent baseball strategist. Hear the Billy Ball song: https://www.tiktok.com/@battingstanceguy/video/7183214326118108462

At the end of this historic 1981 shortened season, the two teams that played in the World Series were the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although the A’s did not make it, I did get to send reports and interviews from Dodger Stadium, and I was lucky that after the Yankees won the first two games, I covered the last four, which took place in Los Angeles as the Dodgers won that World Series in six games.

Some of the interviews were with Dodger manager Tommy LaSorda, Fernando Valenzuela and with the Yankees, Lou Piniella and Aurelio Rodríguez. During the last four games (which they won) the LA Dodgers average over 50,000 in attendance for each game.

Note: Jeff Katz is the Mayor of Cooperstown and a NY author of baseball books, one of his best is “Split Season: 1981: Fernandomania, the Bronx Zoo, and the Strike that Saved Baseball.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Rays defeat Giants as Raley pinch hits into history books; San Francisco opens series in Atlanta

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The Tampa Bay Rays Luke Raley makes for home plate for a inside the park home run in the top of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco against the San Francisco Giants on Wed Aug 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The Tampa Bay Rays Luke Raley pinched hit into Rays history with a top of the sixth inning inside the park home run. It was the first Rays pinch hit inside the park home run in franchise history.

#2 Rays pitcher Aaron Civale pitch six strong innings as a starter with five hits and five strikeouts it was a strong outing for Civale.

#3 After getting clobbered by the Giants on Tuesday night 7-0 the Rays turned things around in Wednesday’s matinee with a comeback win 6-1. Raley said of his contribution that the inside the park homer wasn’t designed that way and that he would have rather hit it over the wall and take a nice jog.

#4 Relief pitcher Ryan Walker who came in for starter and opener Ross Stripling in the second inning. The Rays tagged Stripling pretty good in six innings of work, giving up 11 hits, five runs and three strike outs.

#5 The Giants give it another go they open up a three game series with the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Cobb County for a 4:20pm PT first pitch. The Giants have not announced a starter for the Braves Spencer Strider (13-4 ERA 3.75).

Michael Duca does the Giants podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com