Rooker’s Blow Sends Sacramento Fans Into a Frenzy; A’s walk off on Astros in 12-10 win

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Sacramento A’s Brook Rooker rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run in the bottom of the tenth against the Houston Astros at Sutter Health Park in Houston on Sun Apr 5, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

WEST SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Athletics are determined to remind the baseball world of their potential. Coming into Sunday’s game they were 2-6, had been steamrolled 11-0 by the Houston Astros the day before, and had stumbled through the season’s first week with a .201 team batting average and the lowest on-base percentage in the majors. The A’s delivered on Sunday in ten innings with a 12-10 win on a walk off three run home run in the tenth by Brent Rooker.

Still, there were a few signs this matchup might not stay gloomy for long. The A’s had split the first two games of the series. They showed moments of brilliance both at the plate with Max Muncy being a thorn in Houston’s side, and defensively with Jacob Wilson and Denzel Clarke robbing some key extra base hits. Sunday’s performance did not disappoint.

For four innings, Jacob Lopez gave the Green and Gold exactly what they needed. The left-hander looked keyed-in, calm, and far more dangerous than he had in his previous outing at Atlanta, when he failed to record a strikeout. This time he punched out Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Christian Walker in the first inning alone, then kept Houston off the board through four scoreless frames. Lopez had handled the Astros well in two starts against them last season, and for most of this afternoon he looked like he had picked up right where he left off.

The Athletics had chances early but kept tripping over their own shoelaces. In the first inning, Kurtz walked and Shea Langeliers followed with a single, only for Tyler Soderstrom to bounce into a double play that killed the threat. In the third, Kurtz singled, stole second after a successful challenge, and later advanced on a pickoff error, but the A’s still could not score.

Then came the fifth, and the game finally woke up snarling. After a brief delay, Jose Altuve singled and Yordan Alvarez hammered a two-run shot to right-center to give Houston a 2-0 lead. Correa later walked, stole second, and scored on Cam Smith’s single to make it 3-0. At that point, Sutter Health Park had every reason to brace for another rotten afternoon. Instead, the Athletics flipped the table.

Max Muncy continued his punishment by starting the bottom of the fifth with a single, Jeff McNeil walked, and Carlos Cortes drove in the first run with a double to right. Then the inning turned into a full-on stampede. Kurtz walked to load the bases, Langeliers hit a fly ball that was not deep enough to score a run, and Soderstrom answered by lashing a sharp fly ball into right for a bases-clearing triple. Just like that, a 3-1 deficit became a 4-3 lead. Brent Rooker followed with a sacrifice fly to score Soderstrom and push the Athletics ahead 5-3. One inning earlier the game felt like a slog. By the inning’s end, it felt like a brawl that was just getting started.

This game had no interest of behaving like a normal lazy Sunday afternoon at the ballpak. In the seventh, Correa singled and Walker crushed a two-run homer to left-center, tying the score at 5-5. The Athletics answered again in the bottom half. Soderstrom walked, and Rooker finally uncorked the kind of swing Sacramento had been waiting for all season, blasting a two-run homer to left for a 7-5 lead. That swing carried extra weight. Rooker entered the day sitting on 99 home runs as an Athletic, and that shot made him the 30th player in franchise history to reach 100. He was not done.

The A’s kept piling on in the seventh. Lawrence Butler doubled, Muncy again, singled, McNeil dropped in a run-scoring hit, and Cortes followed with another RBI single to stretch the lead to 9-5. It should have been enough, but the baseball God’s refused to call it a day. In the eighth, Jake Meyers led off with a homer, Altuve later doubled home another run, and with two outs Cam Smith lined a single to center that scored both Altuve and Nick Allen, tying the game at 9-9. Just like that, four runs were gone and the bullpen had turned a likely win into a fresh headache.

The Athletics nearly escaped in the ninth, but Altuve made sure the Astros stayed alive by throwing out McNeil at the plate after Langeliers chopped a single through the infield. Houston then grabbed a 10-9 lead in the 10th when Correa grounded a single to left, scoring the automatic runner. Sacramento’s answer came quickly. Langeliers began the bottom half at second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and watched Soderstrom draw a walk. Then Rooker strode up again and ended the whole circus with one violent swing, launching a three-run walk-off homer to left.

It was messy, loud, uplifting, and probably bad for the blood pressure of every die-hard fan in the building. It was also exactly the kind of win the Athletics needed. They got punch from Soderstrom, spark from Kurtz, continued attack from Muncy, and a star turn from Rooker, who turned 99 franchise home runs into 101 in a single afternoon. On a day that looked ready to slide off the rails three different times, the Athletics kept climbing back on and finally rode the whole thing home.

The A’s now head east for three games beginning Tuesday the 7th against the Yankees and then a weekend series against the Mets, before returning back to West Sacramento on Monday the 13th to host the Texas Rangers for four games.

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. 

SF Giants game wrap: Mets four run eighth damages Giant 2-1 lead in SF’s third straight loss 5-2

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New York Mets Luis Torens slugs a two run double next to San Francisco Giant catcher Patrick Bailey in the top of the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Apr 5, 2026 (AP News photo)

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

New York Mets 5 (6-4)

San Francisco Giants 2 (3-7)

Win: Huascar Brazoban (1-0)

Loss: Keaton Winn (0-1)

Save: Devin Williams (2)

Time: 2:37

Attendance: 37,079

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants’ bullpen blew a great seven-inning performance by Logan Webb, as the Mets scored four runs in the top of the eighth to beat the Giants 5-2 and take the series Sunday.

After the Giants’ offense finally came to life in San Diego, and continued hitting in the opener of this four-game series against the Mets on Thursday, the bats have gone quiet again over the last two days. With Logan Webb going up against Kodai Senga, you figured that this was going to be a pitcher’s duel.

It was another beautiful day for baseball at Oracle Park, where there has been nothing but great weather to start the season. The game? Well, it would prove to be quite a bit less beautiful.

Webb was torched for six earned runs against the Yankees in the season opener on March 25. However, he bounced back for a nice quality outing on Tuesday in San Diego, giving up three hits over six innings.

Webb started day with a 1-2-3 top of the first, but the Mets got to him for a run in the top of the second on a bloop hit the other way to right by Mark Vientos. It could have been worse. Fortunately, Marcus Semien grounded into a double play, and Webb was able to get out of it, giving up just the run.

Meanwhile, the Giants offense predictably couldn’t do a thing against Senga, who struck out six of the first eight men he faced. The Giants finally got their first hit of the day when Luis Arraez led off the bottom of the fourth with a base-hit. It was the very kind of at-bat Buster Posey brought him in to take.

Arraez fouled off three two-strike pitches to work the count full, and then flipped the ninth pitch to right-center for a base-hit. Unfortunately, Matt Chapman grounded into a grounded into a double play right afterwards, so, so much for that.

Webb settled down after the second, and remained solid through the middle innings. As has been the case for so many years, the Giants’ offense couldn’t back him up.

Patrick Bailey has been off to a horrendous start this season, and came into this game hitting .083. In his first at-bat in the bottom of the third, Bailey made solid contact in a line out the other way to left. He then led off the bottom of the sixth with a bloop single to left.

Willy Adames and Arraez were retired, but Chapman lined a double down the left field line to tie the game. Rafael Devers then hit a fly ball that fell in there in front of the diving center-fielder, Luis Robert, and the Giants had their first lead of the game.

The Mets loaded the bases against Webb in the top of the seventh, and it happened in the worst possible way, as Francisco Alvarez reached on catcher’s interference with two outs. It was assumed Tony Vitello would bring in Erik Miller, who was warming up in the Giants’ bullpen, to face Francisco Lindor. However, Tony stuck with his ace, who got Lindor to ground out to second.

That finished off another solid start by Webb. He gave up seven hits, but he gave up just the run in the top of the season. He also walked just one, and struck out three.

Huasar Brazoban pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh. 1-2-3 innings are generally uneventful, but this one was quite the opposite. Home Plate Umpire Edwin Jimenez called Jerar Encarnacion out on runner’s lane interference for the second out of the inning.

Jimenez nailed the call, but Tony, who let’s just say had a history with umpires in the SEC, came out anyway. Tony said his piece to Jimenez, but on his way back to the dugout, he was tossed by Third Base Umpire and Crew Chief David Rackley.

When Tony got back to the dugout, Arraez, Devers and Heliot Ramos all gave their skipper a pat on the behind, which really showed how much these guys really enjoy playing for Tony, and how much they really appreciate it.

You would have thought that with Tony putting on a show, it would really motivate the club to get the job done. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened.

Despite how weak the Giants’ bullpen was coming into the season, they got off to a solid start. Sunday, Keaton Winn was the guy for the eighth, and he got off to a nice start by getting Bo Bichette to ground out to third. However, Jorge Polanco doubled, and Robert singled pinch-runner Tyrone Taylor over to third.

Erik Miller was brought in, and Luis Torrens hit a pinch-hit double to put the Mets back ahead. It only got worse from there. Mark Vientos hit a ground ball to third, but Devers was unable to come up with Chapman’s one-hop throw from third, which skipped away and went out of play. It was now 4-2. Marcus Semien tacked on another run with a double to make it 5-2.

We all dreaded the Giants’ bullpen collapsing in the late innings, and today, they did. It of course figures that Luke Weaver threw a 1-2-3 shutdown bottom of the eighth for the Metropolitans.

JT Brubaker was able to work out of a jam in the top of the ninth to keep the deficit at three. The Giants had one last shot against Mets’ closer Devin Williams in the bottom of the ninth. Matt Chapman took a nice two-strike emergency hack—something he especially needed to do since the Giants were out of ABS challenges—and lined a leadoff base-hit to left.

It certainly gave me a jolt of hope and adrenaline. Unfortunately, Chapman was thrown out trying to steal second. Ramos singled to left with two outs, and Jung Hoo Lee worked the count full, but Lee went up the ladder on a high fastball to end it.

This was a tough loss for the Giants, who are now off to a 3-7 start on the young season. Unfortunately, things will not get any easier with the Phillies coming in for three starting Monday night.

Adrian Houser (0-1, 1.69 ERA), who had a solid Giants’ debut on Wednesday in San Diego, in which he gave up an earned run in five a third innings, will take the ball Monday. Andrew Painter (1-0, 1.69 ERA) will go for the Phillies.

First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

Bay FC match wrap: That’s the Spirit, Bay gets shutuout by Washington 2-0 at Pay Pal Park Sunday

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Bay FC worked hard to get a ball in the back of the net but the Washington Spirit were just too much on defense at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sun Apr 5, 2026 in NWSL action. (Bay FC photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC was back at PayPal Park on Easter Sunday to face off against Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit for the first time this season. Bay suffered a 2-0 shutout.

Washington was dominating the run of play and possession early on.

Just before the half-hour point, two players collided heads shortly after a corner causing a slight delay. Brooklyn Courtnall and Lucia Di Guglielmo both went down, but quickly got back to their feet. After both were back up, the game went into a short hydration break due to the high temperatures.

Two Washington defenders, Di Guglielmo and Tara Rudd collided with one another. Both went down and got medical attention. Di Guglielmo, who was covered in blood, was the first to walk off the field, while Rudd continued getting medical attention on field. Rudd eventually continued to play.

The game remained a 0-0 tie heading into halftime.

Washington took a 1-0 lead and broke the deadlock in the 57th minute when Jordan Silkowitz attempted to clear the ball and it took a wild deflection off of Brooklyn Courtnall for an own goal.

There was another collision in the 64th minute, this time it was Bay FC defender Sydney Collins who went down following a collision with Silkowitz and a Spirit attacker. Collins remained in the game.

Gift Monday added Washington’s second goal of the night in the 86th minute, making it 2-0 and seemingly putting the game away for Washington.

The Spirit would maintain the shutout, and walk away victorious.

NCAA Champinonship Final podcast Michael Villanueva: It boils down to two teams UConn vs. Michigan Monday

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UConn Huskies Braylon Mullins (24) hugs Huskies head coach Dan Hurley (right) after defeating the Illinois Fighting Ilini Sat Apr 4, 2026 to advance to the NCAA Championship Final to face the Michigan Wolverines on Mon Apr 6, 2026 (AP News photo)

NCAA Championship Final podcast Michael Villanueva:

#1 What key factors led to Michigan’s dominant 91–73 victory over Arizona in the Final Four?

#2 How did Michigan’s three-point shooting and defense impact Arizona’s ability to stay competitive in the game?

#3 How did UConn’s defensive strategy affect Illinois’ offensive rhythm throughout the game?

#4 What UConn players had the biggest impact on the outcome, and how did their performances shape the final result?

#5 So Michael it all boils down to UConn and Michigan for the NCAA Championship game Mon Apr 6 at 5:50pm PDT.

Michael Villanueva covered NCAA basketball for the 2025-26 season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman: Giants conclude four game set with Mets Sunday; SF suffering with no hitting and no pitching in last two games

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San Francisco Giants right hander Logan Webb (62) gets the start against the New York Mets Sun Apr 5, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP file photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 The Giants are 1-5 in their first six games to start the 2026 season. Since the opening of Pac Bell Park in 2000 this si the worse start for San Francisco going 1-5 or worse.

#2 The Giants have also struggled agianst the New York Mets in their last seven meetings with the Metropolitans the Giants are 1-6 vs. the Mets and have lost two of the first three games against New York in the current series.

#3 The Giants third baseman Matt Chapman has been doing the heavy lifting on offense of sorts when it comes to facing Sunday’s Mets starter Kodai Senga in his last seven at bats against him going 3-4 with a double, two home runs, three RBIs and three walks.

#4 San Francisco starter Logan Webb (1-1 ERA 7.36) got his first win at Petco Park in San Diego on Tue Mar 31st in a 9-3 win. After walking four batters in the first three innings of pitching he settled down and allowed just three runs over six innings.

#5 The Mets will start RHP Kodai Senga (0-1 ERA 3.00) facing RHP Logan Webb (1-1 ERA 7.36) to conclude the four game set with New York a 1:05pm PDT first pitch. The Giants open up a three game series with the Phillies starting Monday night with RHP Andrew Painter (1-0, ERA 1.69) going for Philadelphia and RHP Adrian Houser (0-1, 1.69) first ptich 6:45pm PDT at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Stephen Ruderman is a San Francisco Giants beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O: Pirates continue to farm out great talent; Mets Soto out with calf injury; plus more news

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Pittsburgh Pirates Konnor Griffin sprints for home plate in the second inning against the San Diego Padres Fri Apr 3, 2026 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh (AP News photo)

MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:

#1 How significant is Konnor Griffin’s debut for the Pirates, and what does it suggest about their future competitiveness? (Griffin had an RBI double in his first at-bat and helped secure a win.) Once again the Pirates know how to bring up some solid talent.

#2 What impact could Juan Soto’s early exit with a calf injury have on the Mets’ lineup and short-term outlook?

#3 Are the Dodgers emerging as early offensive favorites after Shohei Ohtani’s explosive performance (HR and 4 RBIs)?

#4 How might weather-related postponements and doubleheaders (like Brewers–Royals and Cubs–Guardians) affect team momentum and pitching rotations this week?

#5 Some of the moves talked about on some of the San Francisco radio station about Tony Vitello the San Francisco Giants manager that he’s over his head jumping from college right to The Show. The Giants were clobbered twice by the New York Mets in their four game series and lost that last game three to the San Diego Padres to close their series 7-1. Is more a concern about a pitching staff than Vitello’s managing?

Charlie O does the MLB The Show podcasts each Sunday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Preds Crush Sharks Winning Streak at the Tank: Nashville wins 6-3 over Sharks

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Willam Eklund at game warm-up at SAP Center on April 4, 2026 (Sharks Media)

By Fernando Abarca

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The San Jose Sharks’ four-game winning streak ended in disappointment as they fell short in a high-stakes matchup against the Nashville Predators 6-3, missing an opportunity to strengthen their push for a Western Conference wild-card spot.

Both teams entered the night with similar postseason aspirations, but Nashville carried early momentum after a hard-fought shootout game against the Los Angeles Kings. That edge showed immediately.

The Predators took control in the first period, capitalizing on special teams and defensive lapses to build a commanding lead. Filip Forsberg scored twice, while Steven Stamkos added a late power-play goal to give Nashville a 3-0 advantage after one.

San Jose responded with urgency in the second period, showing resilience and physicality. William Eklund set the tone with an edge in his play, and the Sharks began to generate offensive pressure.

Their breakthrough came off a determined sequence behind the net, as Eklund created a turnover that led to a Nick Leddy goal, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

The Sharks continued to push. Rookie Macklin Celebrini sparked another scoring play, linking up with Colin Graf before finishing from the slot to bring San Jose within one. The surge shifted momentum, with the Sharks closing the period looking like a completely different team.

San Jose carried that energy into the third period, where Alexander Wennberg completed the comeback, erasing the three-goal deficit and tying the game at three.

But Nashville answered.

Ryan O’Reilly restored the lead with 11:32 remaining, beating goaltender Yaroslav Askarov with a quick snap shot to make it 4-3.

The Sharks had a late power-play opportunity to equalize but were unable to convert. Nashville sealed the victory with two empty-net goals in the final minutes from Erik Haula and Tyson Jost.

The loss deals a setback to San Jose’s playoff hopes as the regular season winds down, while Nashville strengthens its position in the tightly contested wild-card race.

The fifth game at home continues this Monday night over Chicago Blackhawks

Tsakiris’ brace powers Earthquakes over San Diego FC 3-0

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San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris celebrates his second goal of the match with his fellow teammates against San Diego FC at PayPal Park on Saturday APR 4, 2026. (San Jose Earthquakes)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Niko Tsakiris made franchise history by joining some select company.

The San Jose Earthquakes midfielder recorded his first career brace as the Quakes dominated from start to finish in a 3-0 rout of San Diego FC on Saturday evening at PayPal Park.

San Jose has won two games in a row and five of their first six matches for its best start in franchise history. San Diego suffered its first loss of its MLS campaign after starting the season undefeated with points in its first five matches.

San Jose (5-1-0) struck first early in the first half. Preston Judd intercepted a back pass and quickly found Tsakiris along the left wing. The 20-year-old fifth year player dribbled into the box before roofing a left footed shot into the back of the net as a San Diego defender closed in on him for his first goal of the season in the 13th minute.

San Diego’s (3-1-2) high scoring attack had limited possession throughout the match as the pitch was tilted inside their defensive zone thanks to San Jose’s high press attack that kept the ball from the feet of Anders Dyers and leading goal scorer Marcus Ingvartsen.

The match quickly went south for SDFC when fullback Manu Duah pushed down Judd from behind after he made a move to get around Duah inside the box in the 28th minute. Referee Fotis Bazakos awarded a penalty kick to San Jose. After a VAR review, it was determined that Duah never made a play for the ball resulting in a red card and automatic ejection. San Diego played a man down for the final 62 minutes of the match.

Tsakiris completed his brace when slammed home the penalty kick into the upper right corner of the net beating his fellow Under-23 U.S. Men’s National Team teammate SDFC goalkeeper Duran Ferree in the 34th minute.

Tsakiris became the second youngest player in franchise history to record a brace. The youngest just happens to be the greatest American born soccer player ever in Landon Donovan.

The Earthquakes made it 3-0 just before halftime when Beau Leroux centered the ball from down the left sideline into the middle of the box where Judd one-timed it into the right corner of the net for his team leading third goal of the season in the third minute of stoppage time.

In the second half, San Jose took advantage of being up a man as they continued to create chances and kept the ball out of danger as head coach Bruce Arena subbed out five of his starters for a more defensive oriented lineup.

Quakes goalkeeper Daniel needed to make just one save to record his fifth clean sheet of the season. To date, Daniel has only conceded one goal on the season. Ferree kept the match from being a bigger blowout as he made seven saves on 10 shots on target in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with seven corner kicks. SDFC had five.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels out to the Midwest as they take on Sporting Kansas City on Saturday April 11 at 5:30pm at Sporting Park.

Giants fall to Mets in 9-0 blowout

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New York Mets pitcher Tobias Myers, right, and catcher Luis Torrens celebrate after the team’s victory over the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in San Francisco, (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)

By Ryan Hannagan

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants fell to the New York Mets 9-0 on Saturday night at Oracle Park, as a lack of offense and costly defensive mistakes proved too much to overcome.

The game remained scoreless through the first inning, highlighted by Giants right-hander Landen Roupp striking out the side in order. However, the Mets broke through in the second inning. After loading the bases, New York capitalized on defensive miscues, including errors by third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Jerar Encarnacion, allowing two runs to score. Luis Torrens added a run on a fielder’s choice to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.

San Francisco was unable to respond offensively, managing just three hits through the first seven innings and failing to generate sustained pressure against Mets starter Clay Holmes.

The Mets extended their lead in the fifth inning. Bo Bichette singled to center to score Torrens, and Mark Vientos followed later with an RBI single. Tyrone Taylor, pinch-hitting for Jacob Young, delivered the decisive blow with a three-run home run to left-center, capping a five-run inning and pushing the lead to 8-0.

New York added another run in the seventh inning when Taylor singled to right, scoring Vientos. An error in right field allowed Taylor to advance to second on the play.

Roupp was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, finishing with seven hits allowed and six earned runs while striking out seven. Holmes worked seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

The Giants’ offense struggled throughout, recording one hit over their final 4 1/3 innings and leaving multiple runners stranded. Jung Hoo Lee’s single in the seventh inning marked their first hit in more than three innings.

San Francisco turned to position player Christian Koss to pitch the ninth inning, and he responded with a three-up, three-down frame.

The Giants were retired in order in the ninth, sealing the shutout. With the loss, San Francisco has now been shut out three times in nine games to start the season.

The series concludes Sunday afternoon, with the Giants looking to bounce back and split the four-game set. Starting pitcher for New York RHP Kodai Senga (0-1 ERA 3.00) for San Francisco RHP Logan Webb (1-1 ERA 7.36) first pitch 1:05 pm PDT.

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Sharks try to build on play in take on Nashville Saturday night

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Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) puts stop on the San Jose Sharks center Zack Ostapchuk (63) in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Apr 2, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 Can the Sharks extend their momentum in the playoff race? San Jose enters this matchup on a winning streak and currently holds a wild-card position, making this a crucial game for maintaining momentum.

#2 Will Nashville’s recent surge continue on the road? The Predators are coming off a big shootout win and are tied in points with San Jose, highlighting how critical this head-to-head matchup is in the standings.

#3 Which team’s offense will break through defensively vulnerable opponents? Both teams allow over three goals per game on average, raising the question of whether this turns into a high-scoring contest.

#4 Can Nashville maintain its dominance in the head-to-head series? The Predators have already beaten the Sharks this season and have historically performed very well in recent matchups.

#5 How will goaltending impact a tightly matched game? With similar records and point totals, performances from key goalies like Juuse Saros could be the deciding factor.

Join Lincoln Juarez for the San Jose Sharks podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com