Teams like the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins might pursue Pittsburgh Pirates Paul Skenes during the July trade deadlines (AP file photo)
That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:
#1 Here’s a crazy potential trade that was brought up on ESPN today the Atlanta Braves Ronald Acuna Jr for the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes or Skenes for the Minnesota Twins Byron Buxton as the baseball trade deadline heats up here in July.
#2 New York Yankees All Star Jazz Chisholm Jr after starting 28 games in a row at third base will be returning to his second base position. Yanks manager Aaron Boone said. Chisholm is hitting .245, 45 homers, 38 RBIs with ten steals in 59 games. Chisholm had been suffering right shoulder soreness which is one of the reasons for moving back to second base.
#3 San Diego Padres Manny Machado picked up his 2,000th career hit on Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks hitting a bullet off the glove of the D-Backs shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. Machado got the hit off pitcher Zac Gallen in the fourth inning and got a standing ovation from the Petco Park fans.
#4 Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman whose been out since May 24th with a strained right quad believes he can skip the minor league rehab session and get right back into the show and in the line up joining the Sox just before the All Star break. His return could happen as soon as the end of this week.
#5 The last time an Sacramento Athletics shortstop started an All Star Game you’d have to go back to 1975 when Bert Campaneris started at that All Star Classic. Jacob Wilson was voted the starting shortstop for the 2025 All Star game representing the A’s in Atlanta on Wed Jul 15th. Wilson has had himself a season hitting .331, nine home runs, 111 hits, and 42 RBIs.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame
Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki runs the bases after hitting a three run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Tue June 17, 2025 (AP News photo)
Headline Sports podcast Jessica Kwong:
#1 Jessica the Chicago Cubs are competing they are six and half games in front of the second place Milwaukee Brewers and have won six of their last ten games. The first four hitters in the Cubs line up all scored runs on Tuesday night and Wednesday night’s game was rained out.
#2 At the press conference for new San Francisco Giant Rafael Devers he said he was there to play wherever they want him to play. When Devers was at the Red Sox he said he wanted to play at third base when he was moved to DH for Alex Bregman. Devers unhappy wanted to leave Boston and now says he’s willing to play anywhere the Giants want him to. How do you see this working out.
#3 Jessica, the awkward thing about Devers coming to San Francisco is that his old team the Boston Red Sox are coming to Oracle Park on Friday night. It’s curious to see the greeting his old team will give him when he comes up to the plate against them.
#4 Philadelphia Phillie right fielder Nick Castellanos was scratched from Tuesday’s line up for “an inappropriate comment” according to Phillies manager Rob Thomson. Castellanos was upset after being replaced moving Max Kepler to right and inserting Johan Rojas to center.
#5 What happened to the New York Yankees they have now lost five straight games and were shutout by the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim Stadium on Tuesday night 4-0. The Yankees are hanging onto a 2.5 game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Boston Red Sox Alex Bregman bends over in pain after straining his right quad against the Baltimore Orioles on Sat May 24, 2025 at Fenway Park in Boston. Bregman has been placed on the 10 day IL. (AP News photo)
MLB The Show podcast Charlie O Sun May 25, 2025:
#1 Between games of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Alex Bregman had a significant injury. The injury is similar to the one he had back in 2021 when h e was out for two months. The injury put Bregman on the ten day IL with a right quad strain.
#2 New York Mets Juan Soto said after hitting the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher’s Tony Gonsolin’s splitter that was right over the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning with two down and the bags loaded “Don’t catch it” as Soto wound up getting a double and drove in runs that led to 5-2 win. Soto breaks out of his slump. Soto in five at bats had two hits and two RBIs on Saturday night.
#3 Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees says he a work in progress and he’s saying that after he hit back to back home runs on two consecutive nights at Coors Field in Denver against the Colorado Rockies in a 13-1 win. Judge is hitting .395, with 18 home runs and 46 RBIs. If he’s a work in progress than you can only wonder what his finished work will look like?
#4 The Texas Rangers continue to have more troubles in losing players after it was learned that Joc Pederson broke his right hand when he was hit by a 87.5 mph cutter by White Sox right hand pitcher Bryse Wilson. Pederson hit the ground after he was hit. Ironically Pederson stayed in the game and scored on Marcus Seimien’s sac fly. Pederson is in a two year contract with the Rangers worth $37 million. The Rangers are on a six game losing streak
#5 The A’s continue with their losing streak as it reaches 11 games. In the bottom of the tenth inning the bases loaded sac fly to the Philadelphia Phillies centerfielder Brandon Marsh threw the ball to catcher Realmuto for the sweep tag on the A’s base runner Logan Davidson review ruled Davidson out. The Phillies wind up scoring three runs in the top of the 11th inning and put the A’s away 9-6.
New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil and a former American League Rookie of the Year is out with shoulder and injury and will miss the start of the season (AP News file photo)
That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:
#1 The New York Yankees injuries are starting to adding up Giancarlo Stanton (elbows), DJ LeMahieu (calf injury) and now pitcher Luis Gil a starting pitcher has been diagnosed with a high grade lat strain in his right shoulder. With these injuries it’s got to have manager Aaron Boone concerned this early in spring training.
#2 The Houston Astros Jose Altuve is expected to play in left field this season. Altuve is an All Star and a three time MVP and has played second base in 1767 games. A gold glove winner in 2015 and 2020. The idea of putting Altuve in left was brought up when Alex Bregman was with the team but signed with the Boston Red Sox. The Astros will use Isaac Paredes at second base and play Altuve in left.
#3 Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy will miss the beginning of the start of the season due to a rib injury. Murphy is an All Star and Gold Glove winner and the Braves announced that he will be on the Injured List for four to six week with a cracked rib on his left side. A big name out of the line up.
#4 The big news this week is Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is considering lifting the lifetime ban against Pete Rose who has been banned from baseball since 1989 for betting on baseball. If reinstated will that also open the door for Joe Jackson who was accused of being in on the fix during the 1919 World Series. Jackson has the numbers to be a Hall of Famer.
#5 The Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles are finished with their litigation over TV rights that dates back to 2012 when MLB announced Monday the Nats will be freed up from their deal with Mid-Atlantic Sports Network after the 2025 season.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame
A radar device, replay screen, is set up behind home plate at the Atlantic League’s PeoplesBank Park minor ballpark on Jul 10, 2019 in York PA. 13 Spring Training parks will use the robo umpire that will host 19 teams in Major League Baseball Cactus and Grapefruit League games (AP file photo)
Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong:
#1 Major League Baseball announced that they will give a demonstration on how the auto balls and strikes challenge system will work. As baseball is moving towards using the Robo-umpires. In the minor leagues the robo umpire was used. The players have voiced their objections to the idea of using robo umpires, “It’s just not a video game” said San Francisco Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison.
#2 One of the sticking points of a negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLBPA is the salary cap and Commissioner Rob Manfred realizes that’s a touchy point with the players and if a cap were to be instituted it could trigger a players strike after the 2026 season. As the owner complain that the Los Angeles Dodgers have a monopoly of high priced talent Manfred is backpedaling on any idea of a salary cap saying he would not commit to a salary cap.
#3 It’s a real competition and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is not hesitating on coming up to par with the Dodgers. Cohen so far has a payroll of $325 million for the 2025 season that includes a 15 year $765 million contract with Juan Soto. Jessica there is no doubt that Cohen wants to build a winner.
#4 The Tampa Bay Rays have outspent the Chicago Cubs for the 2025 season in free agency money and that’s considering that the Rays will be playing in the New York Yankees spring training facility for the regular season in a park that seats 11,000 fans. That had third baseman Alex Bregman looking for greener pastures leaving the Cubs for the Boston Red Sox and leaving Cubs owner Tom Ricketts with very little answers on how the Cubs will be competitive this sesason?
#5 The Rays are not the only big league club that will be playing in a minor league park for the 2025 season. The Sacramento A’s will be using the San Francisco Giants minor league park Sutter Health Field in West Sacramento for their regular season games. The Sacramento park seats 14,014 and is nearly sold out for it’s games. The A’s will play any post season games at a neutral site location to be named later.
The scoreboard just kept showing happy news for A’s fans Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Oakland — A’s starting pitcher Chris Bassitt had to throw 31 pitches to get out of the top of the first against the Houston Astros on Saturday afternoon. That usually means two things:
The chances of that starting pitcher being in the game after the fifth inning is almost nil. In fact, a starter who throws that many pitches in the first inning almost never lasts past the fourth inning.
The other fact you can take the bank is that a pitcher who starts a game by throwing that many pitches will finish the game with a no-decision.
Someone forgot to tell Chris Bassitt that he needed to conform to the standards of baseball on Saturday. After that rough first inning, the A’s starter pulled things together in the second inning.
Bassitt was back in hot water in the top the third inning as the Astros scored two runs on three hits. When the inning ended, there were two Houston runners on base which means the inning could have been much worse.
Bassitt’s team members really picked him up in the home half of the third inning. The Athletics put five runs up on the scoreboard to stake their pitcher to a three-run lead. The amazing part of the third inning rally was the fact that the A’s scored those runs without hitting a home run.
Bassitt pitched a scoreless fourth inning and gave up one run to Houston in the fifth inning to make it a 5-3 game in favor of Oakland. The consensus in the press box was that we had seen the last of Bassitt for the day.
The Astros sent their starting pitcher – Rogelio Armenteros – to the showers and sent Chris Denvenski to the mound to face the A’s in the bottom of the fifth inning. Oakland took advantage of a walk, hit-by-pitch, two singles, and a sacrifice fly to put three more runs up on the board. That cleared the way for Bassitt to come back out for the sixth inning.
The first hitter to face Bassitt in the sixth inning was Yuli Gurriel who singled to left field and everyone thought that was going to be all for Bassitt, but Bob Melvin left the right-hander in the game. The next batter – catcher Martin Maldonado – hit a ball on the ground to shortstop Marcus Semien who fielded it and threw to Corban Joseph at second to erase Gurriel. Joseph turned and threw to first to get Maldonado for the double play. Bassitt was able to get Jake Marisnick to pop out to Joseph at second to end the inning.
Bassitt finished his six innings throwing a career-high 116 pitches. In his postgame comments, mangers Bob Melvin said that Bassitt had told him he was ready to go to 120 pitches to get the job done. That is just plain grit and determination.
With the help of his team on offense, the A’s won the game 8-4 and the winning pitcher was Chris Bassitt who now has a record of 9-5 for the season with a 3.61 ERA.
Focus on the A’s (71-52)
Treinen gets Bregman to fly out to end the seventh inning Photo: Charlie O. Mallonee
Chris Bassitt has posted a 2.36 ERA (11 earned runs over 42.0 innings) since the All-Star Break. The win on Saturday was his first victory over the Astros since July 11, 2018.
The Astros cannot keep Matt Chapman off base. Chapman went 3-for-3 at the plate in the game and two of the hits were doubles (31). He also walked once and he reached base after being hit by a pitch. Chapman also recorded his 70th RBI when he walked with the bases loaded in the third inning.
Matt Olson had a 2-for-4 game with a walk and two RBI (60). The A’s are 56-31 since Olson came off the injury list on May 7.
Catcher Josh Phegley made his return to the field by having a 2-for-4 game for his team. He went on the injured list on July 31. Phegley is batting .329 in 31-day games and .205 in 52-night games.
Take note of this factoid: this was only the third Oakland victory of the season in which they did not hit a home run. Bob Melvin said after the game that it is important for his team to know they can win without hitting a long ball.
Checking on the Astros (78-46)
Yordan Alvarez finishes his HR trot in the eighth inning Photo: Charlie O Mallonee
Houston’s designated hitter – 6-foot-5, 242 pound – Yordan Alvarez pounded two more home runs on Saturday. He now has 19 home runs and 55 RBI in his first 52 major league games. That is really scary given the rest of the Astros lineup.
Michael Brantley (every team wants a hitter like him) extended his hitting streak to 11 games by going 2-for-4 in the game. He has four consecutive multi-hit games and 50 for the season – the most in the American League.
Alex Bregman put his 80th RBI of the year in the book today. He joins Devers, Bogaerts, Kepler, and Rosario as players in the American League with 80-plus RBI.
Up next
Without trying to jinx the A’s, they will go for the four-game sweep of the Astros on Sunday 1:07 PM at the Coliseum in what should be an excellent pitching matchup. The Astros will send RHP Zack Greinke to the mound. Greinke is 12-4 on the season with a 2.91 ERA. He was a winner in his last start in Chicago versus the White Sox when he worked 6.0 innings and allowed only two runs in a Houston 6-2 victory.
The A’s will counter with LHP Brett Anderson who is 10-8 with a 3.95 ERA. This will be his 21st start of the season. Anderson was tagged with the loss in his last start on Tuesday in San Francisco against the Giants. He pitched 6.0 innings allowing two runs (earned) off six hits. He walked none and struck out four.
WASHINGTON D.C. — No one should be surprised. Power hitting is Major League Baseball’s new calling card. And the 89th All-Star Game was a portal to the game’s new, explosive look.
In a seamless coupling of the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game, the American League prevailed, winning 8-6 as Houston Astros’ teammates Alex Bregman and George Springer homered on consecutive pitches in the 10th inning. A record 10 home runs were hit in the game, and it wasn’t until the top of the 10th that a run was scored in the game without the benefit of a home run.
To recap: 10 home runs, 25 strikeouts, nine walks. Either power up, go down swinging, or take a base and get ready for your next at-bat. Just putting the ball in play? That’s passe.
“We are entertainers,” said Cleveland Indians’ Francisco Lindor. “People want to see home runs. People want to see strikeouts.”
“At the beginning of the game it was like, ‘Man, is anyone going to get a hit other than a homer?’ At the end of the game, it was, ‘Are we going to get out of this mess?,'” Astros manager A.J. Hinch marveled.
Well, the American League escaped, Ross Stripling and the National League did not. The Dodgers’ Stripling was asked to pitch more than an inning, and threw 39 pitches, only the Astros’ Charlie Morton threw more (40). For Stripling, it was a recipe for disaster, stepping into a game running red-hot into extra innings, and try to navigate an AL lineup poised to drop bombs.
Stripling survived the ninth, replacing Brad Hand, and retiring the two batters he faced. The 10th was a different story. Stripling allowed home runs on consecutive pitches to Bregman, then Springer. Seattle Mariners’ Jean Segura and Boston Red Sox’s Mitch Moreland followed with base hits. After Yan Gomes struck out, his Cleveland teammate Michael Brantley delivered a sacrifice fly scoring Segura and the AL had a seemingly, insurmountable three-run lead.
But then Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto homered in the bottom of the inning to close the gap to 8-6. See where this is going?
Khris Davis hits 100th Rbi of 2017 Photo: Jordan Chapin Sports Radio Service
by Charlie O. Mallonee and Jordan Chapin
“Let’s play two” is the baseball quote made famous by the late, great Ernie Banks. The problem is for most baseball fans is they really have no idea what Banks was referring to when he made that famous statement.
Sure, most baseball fans have heard about day-night doubleheaders where one game is played in the afternoon then the stadium is cleared and the second game is played several hours later as a night game. Of course separate tickets are required for each game.
On Saturday, the Astros and Athletics scheduled a “twin bill” the old fashion way. The first game started at 1:05 p.m. and the second is scheduled to start approximately 45-minutes after game one is over. And, only one ticket is required to see both games.
The Athletics needed a strong pitching performance from their starter Daniel Gossett because the pitching staff would be taxed playing a minimum of 18 innings on Saturday. Gossett was trying to bounce back from a less than stellar start last Sunday in Seattle that lasted just 3.2-innings and resulted in Gossett recording his eighth loss of the season.
The problem for Gossett has been the way opponents hit off him after they see him one time through the order. The batting average against Gossett the first time through the order is just .211. The batting average against Gossett jumps to .356 after that first time look at his pitches.
Gossett struck out four Astro hitters and gave up no runs on two hits in the first two innings. In the top of the third, Gossett issued back-to-back walks and the A’s dugout began holding their breath. Gossett then retired Bregman, Altuve and Correa to get out of the inning.
Gossett was able to come out to start the top of the seventh inning but he walked the first batter and Bob Melvin came to the mound to take him out the game. Melvin no doubt had some words of praise for his starter as well. Gossett (4-8,5.02) pitched 6.0-innings giving up just one run (earned) off five hits. He struck out seven and walked just three. The 99-pitch effort by Gossett was most definitely a “quality start”.
Daniel Gossett exits the game in the 7th inning Photo: Jordan Chapin Sports Radio Service
The Athletics also exploded for 11 runs against the Astros. Houston starter Charlie Morton (11-7, 3.86) was expected to be a real problem for the A’s hitters on Saturday. Morton gave up a double to the Athletics leadoff batter Marcus Semien in the first inning and then proceeded to record three consecutive strikeouts. It looked like it might be a long day for the A’s.
The Athletics (61-80) broke through for three runs off Morton in the second inning and never looked back in the game. The A’s put three more runs up on the board in the sixth inning and then broke the bank with a five-run eighth inning that forced the Astros to use J.D. Davis — an infielder — to close out the game on the mound.
The powerful Astros (86-55) were not able to generate anything on offense. The scored only one run off their five hits.
On the hill
Oakland
The A’s relievers did their job in game one holding up their starter Gossett by putting up the coveted “Goose Eggs” in their three innings of work.
Ryan Dull and Simon Castro not only allow zero (Goose Eggs) runs in three innings of relief but they allowed not no hits and just one base runner via a walk. That is the perfect scenario for a bullpen to preserve a win.
Houston
The Astros pitchers were their own worst enemies in game one of the doubleheader. As a staff they issued 13 base-on-balls and struck out 12.
Houston pitchers walked in five of the 11 runs they gave up to the Athletics in game. That will give managers and pitching coaches ulcers and nightmares.
The Astros gave up 11 runs on just 11 hits to Oakland
The “2 Matts” had another big game for the A’s. Matt Olson 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and two runs scored. Matt Chapman was 1-for-4 with two runs, one Rbi, one walk and one triple.
Boog Powell enjoyed his day with the bat going 2-for-4 posting two Rbi to go with three runs scored.
Khris Davis posted his 100th Rbi to become the first Athletic to have back-to-back 100-plus Rbi seasons since Miguel Tejada accomplished that feat in 2002-03.
A’s batters walked 13 times in the game and struck out 12 times — that is bat control.
Astros
Frankly there are not many highlights for Houston. They were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Houston left six men on base.
The big blow for the ‘Stros was Alex Bregman’s double in the fifth inning that drove home the only run for Houston.
Marisnick goes down on the back end of a 5-4-3 double play Photo: Jordan Chapin Sports Radio Service
Postgame note
Astros catcher Juan Centeno started the game but had to leave the contest in second inning when he took a bat off the back of the head from a hard swing by Matt Joyce. He is being evaluated for a possible concussion.
Sports Radio Service 