That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Is there any proof that Kane bet on hockey?

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Evander Kane (left) against his legal council’s advice released a statement on Monday saying the accusations by his wife Anna (right) that he gambled on hockey is false and no doubt will be looking for the proof he bet on hockey (photo from heavy.com)

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury the recent allegation of San Jose Shark Evander Kane 30 of betting on hockey has already drawn comparisons to former Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose who later confessed to betting on baseball. How concerning is this for the game of hockey and Kane’s career.

#2 Kane in November 2019 was sued by the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas for $500,000 in gambling debts which he paid back during a trip with the Sharks while playing against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

#3 Oakland A’s are battling for a wild card spot with the Boston Red Sox also they are behind the first place Houston Astros by 4.5 games they could battle to the end of the season to try and get a playoff spot.

#4 The New York Mets say they regret they have to pass on signing Vanderbilt star Kumar Rocker 21, Rocker didn’t pass the physical and the issue of concern was Rocker’s arm. Rocker’s agent Scott Boras said that numerous Orthopedic surgeons, Rocker had MRIs on his shoulder and elbow. Boras said that Rocker is in better shape this year than he was in 2018.

#5 Olympic baseball had four out of seven relievers on the US team gave up five runs to help give Team Japan a ten inning victory 7-6. The US had a three run lead and couldn’t hold the lead as the bullpen melted down and Japan came back and edged the US.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants blow big lead, recover in extras to best the D’Backs, increase NL West lead

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By Morris Phillips

Trade deadline activity that strengthens a competing club is energizing for the fans and organization. But it can be agonizing for players who may be on the departing end of a big trade.

Once the trade deadline passes, nervousness ceases and everybody gets back to work.

On Monday night in Phoenix, Alex Dickerson got back to work.

The Giants’ burly left fielder hit a grand slam to give the Giants a big lead, only to see it evaporate, and force the club to regain control in extra innings in an 11-8 victory over the Diamondbacks. With the acquisition of Kris Bryant, Dickerson had to be wondering about his current status with the club with Bryant offering a better option for the team’s outfield spots. But Monday found Bryant and Dickerson in the lineup together, a clear sign that manager Gabe Kapler hadn’t forgotten what a menace Dickerson has been when facing Arizona.

“He’s had quite a bit of success against the D-backs,” Kapler said. “He’s had quite a bit of success in this ballpark. I think he feels especially confident.”

“It hasn’t been the greatest year for me to this point, but they know and I know that I’m better than how I’ve played,” Dickerson said. “I just needed that kind of day where it all comes together. It was a good feeling to have everybody pulling for me.”

Kapler made it clear that while more is expected of Dickerson, hitting just .217, not much more is expected. Being an occasional home threat and delivering in that manner may be enough.

“I just think he needs to be the better version of Alex Dickerson. That’s a guy who’s a really tough out at the plate against righties and occasionally has games with big damage like he had today. I don’t want Alex to put any additional pressure on himself to be perfect every time out. Just be productive and keep the line moving.”

Dickerson’s slam off reliever J.B. Bukauskas in the fifth was typical, Giants home run express delivery: a poorly placed pitch in the hitting zone that wasn’t missed. That Dickerson sent the pitch 437 feet for his career-best 11th home run of the season said it all. The slam ended an 0 for 17 stretch for the slugger.

Despite building a 7-1 lead, the Giants found themselves in a nail bitter with a D’Backs club that came in 40 games below .500 and was embarassed by the Dodgers on Sunday, losing 13-0. Josh Reddick got the Arizona comeback started with a two-run shot off Anthony DeSclafani in the fifth. Asdrubral Cabrera followed with another two-run shot, and Christian Walker’s two-run double got the D’Backs even in the seventh.

Reliever Jay Jackson was victimized by Walker, a surprise after Jackson gave the eight, neat appearances in July, and had put himself in line for a bigger role out of the Giants’ pen. Jackson’s command issues on Monday were apparent prior to facing Walker, but Kapler was reluctant to turn to any of his top three relievers after a weekend of extended activity against the Astros.

With the game tied, Kapler did find some success with newly reacquired Tony Watson and hot arm Jarlin Garcia, who pitched the ninth and tenth innings. That gave the Giants a chance to catch a collective breather, and rally in the tenth. Buster Posey started it with a double that chased home Brandon Crawford, the placed runner to start an extra inning. Dickerson’s line out advanced Posey to third, and Austin Slater walked. Steven Duggar followed with an RBI single, and Donovan Solano capped the rally with a ground out that allowed Slater to score.

The Giants gained a half game on the Dodgers and Padres, increasing their lead in the NL West to 3 1/2 games. The Giants have won six of eight and moved a season-best 28 games above .500 at 67-39. The season series against Arizona continues to be lopsided with the Giants capturing 10 of 11 meetings thus far.

On Tuesday, the veteran matchup sure to gain attention takes place with Johnny Cueto facing Madison Bumgarner, the former Giant and 2014 World Series hero at 6:40pm.

Zhang dominates Raducanu in feature match on Day 1 at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic

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8-2-21—ZHANG SHUAI WINS A POINT DURING HIS MATCH AGAINST EMMA RADUCANU AT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC ON MONDAY EVENING AT THE SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERISTY TENNIS COMPLEX. Courtesy of Sports Radio Service.

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–The Mumbadala Silicon Valley Classic returned to the San Jose State University Tennis Complex for 2021 on Monday after a year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The feature match during the evening was one that crossed the generations. Zhang Shuai of China ,who is 32 years of age, went up against 18-year old sensation Emma Raducanu of the United Kingdom.

Zhang dominated the match winning in straight sets 6-3 6-2 as she proved to be too much for the future face of women’s tennis in Raducanu.

“I still think I’m at the very beginning of my journey,” said Raducanu after the match. “Every opportunity I get, I’m very grateful for because I feel like I’m constantly learning. I just wanted to to enjoy the moment while I was out there and to keep enjoying what I’m doing.”

Raducanu took the world by storm last month at Wimbledon as she advanced to the fourth only to have withdraw from her match with Ajla Tomljanovic due to a medical condition that forced her to retire. She had trouble keeping up with the strong volleys from Zhang throughout the match.

“Emma she played really well,” Zhang said after the match. “For me, I just played my game. I tried to open the court (up). If I had a chance come to the net (and be aggressive). I was very lucky, everything went right (for me) today.”

Raducanu, who came into the tournament as one of the two wild cards in the main draw, says she is just at the start of what looks to be a promising career as this was just her second WTA tournament. She loved being the fan favorite during the match.

“It’s an amazing experience to be honest. The fans were so supportive, I was loving it, all of their support. Especially here in the (United) States where it’s not the home (crowd) support, I was really appreciative.”

In a battle of two Americans, Alison Riske defeated Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets 6-3 6-4 in the final match of day play. Riske won nine games in a row after losing the first three games to start the match.

Vandeweghe, despite her strong serve, wasn’t able to overcome her unforced errors that had her talking to herself at times. Riske took advantage and was able to keep momentum on her side.

“I played a sloppy first service game ,” said Riske. “I thought ‘oh no here we go’. I was really happy how I rebounded and stayed true to the game plan. It kind of unfolded really quickly for me and honestly I’m just grateful to have gotten the win.”

Riske used her double-backhand as her main weapon throughout the match. She held serve to finish off her victory in just under an hour and a half.

“Yeah my backhand (shot) has been my ride or die for my career. I’m definitely comfortable hitting it,” Riske said.

In earlier singles matches during the day time 33rd ranked Petra Martic of Croatia defeated Lativa’s Anastasija Sevastova in straight sets 6-3 6-3 to advance to the round of 16.

Poland’s Magda Linette beat Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove of the Netherlands in straight sets 6-3 6-3 and Croatia’s Ana Konjuh won a spirited three-set battle with Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova 7-5 3-6 7-5.

The last match of the evening had Caroline Garcia of France end the Cinderella run of American Emina Bektas in straight sets 6-3 6-4. Betkas earned her way to the main draw after winning two matches in the qualifying tournament. The former University of Michigan standout until early in the morning this past Saturday after a illness to Catherine McNally freed up a spot for her to participate in the qualifying tournament.

In doubles play, the team of Darija Jurak (CRO) and Andreja Klepac (SLO) defeated the team of American Amanda Anisimova and Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-3 5-7 (10-8).

Sharks Offseason: Kane Accused, Jones Bought Out, Reimer Returns

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Evander Kane (7) seen here skating against the Arizona Coyotes on March 26, 2021 has said his wife’s accusations that he bet on hockey are false. The NHL taking the charges serious are investigating to see if there is any proof that Kane did bet on hockey. (AP file photo)

By Mary Walsh

San Jose Sharks forward, Evander Kane, has been accused by his wife of betting on hockey games, including those he played in. She made the accusations by way of her Instagram account. Last Saturday, the NHL released a statement saying that they would investigate the charges. They said, in part: “The integrity of our game is paramount and the League takes these allegations very seriously. We intend to conduct a full investigation and will have no further comment at this time.”

The Sharks also responded to the charges, saying that they were in contact with the NHL about the allegations, and that they “support a full and transparent investigation into the situation to maintain the integrity of the game and consistency with our team values.”

Kane released his own statement denying the charges:

“Unfortunately, I would like to address the completely FALSE accusations that my estranged wife and soon to be ex wife has made against me. Even against the advice of my legal team I feel strongly that the public and fans hear this directly from me. I have NEVER gambled/bet on Hockey, NEVER gambled/bet on a Sharks game, NEVER GAMBLED/BET on any of my games and NEVER thrown a hockey game. The facts are I personally had my best season of my career last year and was the most consistent I’ve been throughout any season, I’m proud of that. I love the game of Hockey and would never do any of what was alleged. I look forward to cooperating with the league’s investigation, having my name cleared and looking forward to this upcoming season.”

Earlier in 2021, Kane publicly acknowledged that he had a serious gambling problem, and he filed for bankruptcy. The filing triggered a number of law suits from creditors. Despite those numerous investigations into his financial situation, this is the first time we have heard anyone seriously charge that he was betting on his own games.

In other offseason news from the Sharks, the team bought out goaltender Martin Jones’s contract. Jones quickly signed a one year dealwith the Philadelphia Flyers.

On July 28, the Sharks signed veteran goaltender James Reimer to a two-year contract. Reimer played 22 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, posting a 2.66 GAA and .906 save percentage. Reimer was with the Sharks in 2016 for their trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Earlier in the month, San Jose acquired goaltender Adin Hill from Arizona, along with a 2022 seventh-round pick, in exchange for Josef Korenar and a 2022 second-round pick.

The Sharks also added center Nick Bonino on a two-year contract and center Andrew Cogliano on a one-year deal.

On July 26, the Sharks traded defenseman Christian Jaros to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Nicholas Merkley. Merkley signed a one-year, two way contract on July 28.

Forward Alexander True was the Shark selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft.

Preview San Diego Padres-Oakland A’s: A’s at home after ten game road trip

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Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea seen pitching in his last start will start against the San Diego Padres Tue Aug 3, 2021 at Oakland Coliseum (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (60-47) have an off-day on Monday. The A’s were 4-2 on the last road trip against the San Diego Padres (61-47) and Los Angeles Angels (52-53). The A’s split the series last Tuesday and Wednesday against the Padres in San Diego.

The A’s moved up to Anaheim to play four against the Angels. The A’s won three of the four games. They would have had a sweep if they had given Cole Irvin some run support last Saturday. Irvin pitched a gem but was the losing pitching as the A’s fell to the Angels 1-0.

After the two-game set concluded last Wednesday, both teams were active before the July 30th trade deadline. The Padres were hoping to make a big splash by landing Max Scherzer from the Washington Nationals. Most of the pundits had the big righty heading to San Diego.

San Diego’s hopes were dashed when the Los Angeles Dodgers snagged Scherzer and Trea Turner. Turner going to LA was unexpected. The Dodgers made quite a few headlines with the deal. The Padres did make a deal as they traded for Nats’ reliever Daniel Hudson.

The A’s acquired four players as they hope to catch the Houston Astros in the race for the AL West crown. The A’s bolstered their bullpen as they made a deal to acquire lefty Andrew Chafin from the Chicago Cubs. Before the trade, Jake Diekman was the only lefty in the A’s bullpen.

The move helped A’s manager have more flexibility using his relievers. The next big move was the trade to get outfielder Starling Marte from the Miami Marlins. The A’s gave up Jesus Luzardo in the trade. It was sad to see Luzardo go, but the team needed improvement in the outfield.

The A’s finished the wheeling and dealing by making a trade with the Washington National. They sent prospects to the Nats in exchange for catcher Yan Gomes and the versatile Josh Harrison. All three players have contributed since coming to the A’s. Gomes homered in yesterday’s game to help the A’s beat the Angels 8-3.

So, let’s look at what happened last week in the two-game series in San Diego. San Diego beat the A’s and starter James Kaprielian 7-4 last Tuesday night. Kaprielian went four innings and took the loss. The winning pitcher was Chris Paddack. Both pitchers are now on the 10-day IL. Kaprielian has a shoulder impingement.

The A’s brought up Dulton Jefferies to take his spot in the rotation. Jefferies made his second Major League start on Sunday against the Angels and was the winning pitcher. In the 7-4 loss to the Padres Last Tuesday, the Padres’ young superstar, Fernando Tatis, Jr., homered, doubled. Veteran third baseman Manny Machado also hit a big fly in the game.

The Padres pounded A’s pitchers for 12 hits Tuesday night. The A’s turned the tables on the Padres on Wednesday. The A’s had no trouble with Pads’ starter, Blake Snell. They sent Snell to the showers at the end of the fourth inning. Snell gave up seven hits and seven runs as he absorbed his fourth loss of the year. The A’s won the game 10-4. A’s starter Sean Manaea went six innings and allowed one hit.

The A’s played four against the Angels last week. They won three of the four. The Padres split their four games series with the Colorado Rockies.

Both teams are in the second Wild Card spot in their respective leagues. If the Wild Card Games were to be played today, The Padres would travel to Dodger Stadium and face the Dodgers. The A’s would fly to Boston for the one-game playoff against the Red Sox.

The probable pitchers for the series will feature the Padres’ lefty Blake Snell going against Sean Manaea. Frankie Montas will go for Oakland Wednesday, and Joe Musgrove pitches for San Diego.

Fernando Tatis, Jr. will not be in the PAdre lineup as he suffered a partial dislocation of his left shoulder. The Padres placed him on the 10-day IL.

The Padres still have a lot of firepower on their roster. Keep your eyes on third baseman Manny Machado, Second Baseman Jake Cronenworth, Adam Frazier, and Eric Hosmer. Tommy Pham, Wil Meyers, and Trent Grisham all can win ball games for San Diego.

Marte, Harrison, and Gomes have bolstered the A’s offense. The A’s are now four and 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West. The Astros made two moves to bolster their bullpen. They traded for former A’s starter Kendall Graveman from the Seattle Mariners. The M’s converted Graveman to a closer, and he has resurrected his career. The Astros also acquired Yimi Garcia from Miami to strengthen the ‘pen.

The A’s are 60-47 for the season. They made the moves to better the team. The A’s have made the playoffs the last three seasons. They know how to win. They can do it by playing better against the Mariners, Rangers, and Astros. The A’s meet the Rangers six times in the next two weeks. The last-place Rangers have given the A’ fits this year. The Rangers traded their best player, Joey Gallo, to the Yankees. Hopefully, the A”s will turn the tables on the Rangers.

The A’s now they can beat the Padres. A’s fans will be hoping for a sweep. The Padres have other thoughts.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: If you like shutouts A’s-Angels series was for you

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Oakland A’s pitcher Frankie Montas kicked off the four game series at the Big A in Anaheim with a three hit 4-0 shutout over the Los Angeles Angels one of multiple shutouts during the A’s visit to the Southland (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara the Oakland A’s came into Anaheim to battle their Southland rivals the Los Angeles Angels and although many don’t look at these two teams as rivals the first three games of the series were like it was with three consecutive shutouts pitched.

#2 The first game on Thursday night that was pitched in the series Oakland starter Frankie Montas threw for seven innings, three hits, three walks, the real kicker here was he kept Angel hitters off balance all game long and ended up with ten srikeouts.

#3 In the second shutout of the series on Friday night A’s starter Chris Bassitt was lazer beamed down Broadway throwing strikes showing command and getting Angels out and working his pitches through the innings. Bassitt went seven innings, giving up six hits, a walk and seven strikeouts in a 2-0 shutout.

#4 The third shutout came on Saturday afternoon when the Angels starter Jamie Barria was absolutely a mystery against the A’s line up. Barria was able to keep the A’s top hitters off balance with Mark Canha 1-3, Starling Marte 1-3, Matt Olson 1-4, and Ramon Laurenao 1-4. Barria’s line for the afternoon, 6.2 innings, two hits, one walk, and three strikeouts for the 1-0 shutout.

#5 The A’s have Monday off and return to Oakland Tuesday after concluding their ten game road trip to face Fernando Tatis Jr and the San Diego Padres. Starters for Tuesday night’s game for the Padres Blake Snell (4-4 ERA 5.44) and the A’s have not announced at starter.

Join Barbara for the A’s podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Charlie O: Bryant’s addition to the line up just an added spark

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On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Charlie, O San Francisco Giants outfielder Kris Bryant has been a great addition to the Giants line up. After the Chicago Cubs had their fire sale he comes to San Francisco makes his debut on Sunday against the Houston Astros and it was a big test as Bryant participated in a game of two first place teams.

#2 Bryant came into Sunday’s game against the Astros hitting .267, 87 hits, 18 home runs, and 51 RBIs. Tell us about what it will be like for him hitting with the dimensions at Oracle Park.

#3 In the series with against the Astros over the weekend lots of offense you saw the Astros defeat the Giants on Friday night 9-6 and the Giants came right back on Saturday afternoon with a 8-6 win it was a series of two true first place clubs.

#4 The Astros Jose Altuve is a guy the Giants have to pitch carefully to on Friday he had a big night going 3-6 with three hits, three runs, five RBIs.

#5 The Giants open a four game series in Phoenix tonight against the Diamondbacks (33-72) last place in the NL West but regardless where the Diamondbacks are in the standings they always get up for the Giants this could be an interesting series as the Giants try to add more space between them and the Dodgers in the NL West standings.

Charlie O is filling in for Morris Phillips. The Giants podcasts are heard each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Where’s the Help? Gomes, Marte and Harrison answer the call for the A’s in 8-3 win over the Angels

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By Morris Phillips

Veterans making their debut with a new club are more likely to go well than a rookie getting his MLB debut in the face of a powerful, above average big league offense.

That in a nutshell was the story of the A’s-Angels series finale in Anaheim that went to the A’s 8-3 on Sunday.

The A’s trio of trade deadline acquisitions–Yan Gomes, Josh Harrison and Starling Marte–combined for six hits and three stolen bases. Reid Detmers, 22, the Angels highly touted pitching prospect with just 13 professional appearances under his belt, allowed two homers and six earned runs in taking the loss in his big league debut.

“Obviously, I’ve been dreaming of that moment since I was a little kid,” Detmers said. “Obviously, it didn’t go as planned. But that’s baseball. Just got to bounce back. I’m looking forward to my next start. I’m just enjoying the moment right now.”

Detmers struggled with his fastball command, couldn’t get the proper touch on his offspeed pitches, and saw his entire afternoon blow up in the third inning when Matt Olson hit a three-run homer followed by Gomes’ two-run shot. That wiped out a 3-0 Angels lead and sent the home team, desperate to change the tenor of the division rivalry, to a 12th loss to the A’s in 16 meetings in 2021.

“The slider and the curveball kind of became moot,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He just could not land them where he wanted to and then it put them in good hitting counts, and they got him.”

The A’s early rally allowed Daulton Jeffries to ditch the jitters, expected as the A’s No. 4 prospect was making just his second major league appearance with the first coming last season in a COVID-protect environment, which translated was an empty stadium without opposing fans looking to throw you off your stride. Veteran catcher Gomes did the trick there as well, settling Jeffries.

“Yan came up to me and said, ‘Hey, your stuff is good. Just take a little more time between pitches and breathe,’” Jeffries said. “My mind was relaxed but my body was ready to go, so I just had to create a little balance.”

Jeffries retired eight of the final 10 hitters he faced, and a quartet of A’s relievers took it from there. Yusmeiro Petit, Jake Diekman, newly acquired Andrew Chafina and Sergio Romo each handled an inning, combing to allow the Angels just two hits, and no more than one baserunner at any juncture, ideal for stopping a team intent on a comeback dead in its tracks.

Meanwhile, the A’s added on with Gomes’ RBI single in the fifth, and Jed Lowrie’s single in the seventh that knocked in two runs. If Gomes, acquired from the Nationals, sounds like the second coming of “Crash” Davis from Bull Durham from his multifaceted contributions on Sunday, he’s not. But the 34-year old catcher with his fourth club in his 10th major league season is having a resurgent season, clubbing 10 home runs and batting .274 in 63 games with the Nats, and one game with the A’s. Gomes has now hit double-digit homers in seven of his 10 seasons, and will likely be a quality backup to Sean Murphy behind the plate.

Marte provided three hits–and three stolen bases–just what an offense that’s capable but has been prone to droughts needs. The A’s are below average in batting average, and prone to strikeouts without being overly capable of drawing walks. Marte helps in all those areas, currently hitting .306 with 32 walks drawn in 63 games.

Harrison contributed a hit, but wowed at second base where he turned a pair of double plays on balls hit by Shohei Ohtani. That marked the first time Ohtani’s been doubled up twice in a game this season, and caught the eye of manager Bob Melvin.

“Those are pretty good double plays, you don’t see Ohtani hit into too many double plays,” Melvin said.

The A’s return to the Coliseum on Tuesday for a meeting with the Padres, and a glut of off-days in the upcoming 10 days will determine whether Jeffries gets another turn in the rotation or James Kaprelian’s health improves enough for him to reassume his position in the rotation.

Giants take down Astros 5-3 in Bryant’s debut

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The newest San Francisco Giant Kris Bryant is all smiles in the Giants dugout after hitting a third inning home run against the Houston Astros on Sun Aug 1, 2021 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN FRANCISCO–Kris Bryant was jokingly asked before the game if he felt pressure to hit a home run in his debut game for his new team since two of his former Chicago Cubs teammates had done the day before for their respective new clubs.

If he did, you wouldn’t have known as the newly acquired Giant, hit a solo home run in his second at bat to help The San Francisco Giants beat the Houston Astros 5-3 in the rubber match of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park.

San Francisco took two out of three from Houston and went 5-4 on its nine-game homestand, 4-2 in the last six games. They remained three games ahead of Los Angeles and six and a half games up on San Diego in the National League West. Houston has lost two in a row and lead Oakland by four and half games in the American League West.

“I think it says we’re steady”, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said after his team won the past two series against contending teams. “We’re not going to let one day, spill into the next. But I also think the confidence is growing. And I think we’ve played well against some of the best teams in baseball.”

Bryant finished the game going 1-4 with the home run and RBI. He also made an errant throw to first base on a Martin Maldonado ground ball to third base in the fifth inning.

Bryant, who started at third base for Kapler, ignited the two-out three-run third inning for San Francisco with his 19th home run of the season. Brandon Crawford singled in Mike Yaztrzemski to tie the game at 2-2.

“I feel giddy”, said Bryant after his first game with his new team. “It felt like Christmas morning honestly. It’s really cool to be part of it and experience it first hand”

Darin Ruff who went 3-4 with a HR and three RBI, just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, ended up upstaging his new teammate. His RBI single in the third inning gave the Giants the lead they wouldn’t relinquish. His two-run homer in the fifth inning gave San Francisco all the runs they would need on the sunny afternoon.

“Today in particular, I focused on not missing a fastball (thrown at me). Luckily, I was on time and ran into some good pitches, you know squaring them up pretty well. Overall for the series I don’t know maybe a little bit more aggressive. You gotta find some holes out there and get lucky sometimes. I fell into a good rhythm,” Ruff said.

Ruff feasted on Astros pitching over the weekend going 6-13 (.461) with a home run, 5 RBI and four runs scored.

Logan Webb started the series finale for San Francisco (66-39). He pitch a strong 6 plus innings giving up only two earned runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking one batter. Webb settled down after the first inning when he gave up a two-run home run to Yuli Gurriel.

“We wanted to stay with the same game plan”, said Webb. “Keep attacking those guys. They got some hits but (when) you keep them to singles, I’ll take that all day.”

Astros starter Luis Garcia went four and two-thirds innings giving up five earned runs on eight hits, striking out seven and walking two batters.

Houston (64-42) scored a run in the eighth inning off of Tyler Rogers when Kyle Tucker hit into a 1-6-3 double play.

Jake McGee came in and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his 23rd save of the season.

GAME NOTES: The Giants left six runners on base. Houston stranded seven.

To make room for Bryant on the 26-man roster, the Giants optioned infielder Jason Vosler down to Triple-A Sacramento.

Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo became the first trio in MLB history to all homer in the debuts for their new teams.

The Giants home record of 35-17 is the best in MLB and their day game record is now 26-14 (4th best in MLB).

UP NEXT: The Giants began a seven-game road trip when the travel out Arizona to begin a four-games series with the Diamondback on Monday 8/2 at 6:40pm at Chase Field.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: 49ers now with less than ten players unvaccinated

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San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa meets with the press on Thu Jul 29, 2021 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (photo from the San Francisco Chronicle)

San Francisco 49ers defensive

On the 49ers podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 Joe, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said that more than 90% of the team is vaccinated now he had to work on getting Pro Bowl defensive end Nick Bosa vaccinated as Bosa said he wasn’t amongst the 90%.

#2 Bosa in an interview this week at Levi’s Stadium said he was evaluating the possibility of getting vaccinated right now and hasn’t made a decision yet.

#3 The 49ers entire coaching staff has been vaccinated and if you look at Lynch’s numbers that would mean fewer than ten players are not vaccinated.

#4 Under NFL rules unvaccinated players must be tested everyday and vaccinated players must be test every two weeks.

#5 The NFL also issued warnings that teams could end up forfeiting games if they end up getting outbreaks because of unvaccinated players.

Join Joe Hawkes for the 49ers Sunday podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com